Launch date set for hackathon to allow future tech stars of Norfolk and Suffolk to shine brightly
Written by James Adams
Local students studying a range of technical courses throughout Norfolk and Suffolk will come together over a three day period to bring code and tech together to solve real world problems, with two core themes for teams to choose from, “Space Tech” or “Making The East a Better Place to Live”.
The UK space sector is worth £16.5 billion to the UK economy, employing 47,000 people, and it’s growing rapidly with space clusters throughout the UK. From the South West, to the North East, across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and right here, in the East of England too. Space East, the UK Space Agency supported cluster, represents over 200 businesses in the region and seeks to further collaboration between businesses, science organisations, educational institutions, local authorities and investors to solve challenges around agriculture, global warming and climate change.
It is from those core themes that students from institutions such as Tech Educators, Norwich University of the Arts, East Norfolk College and City College Norwich will join forces from 24th to 26th of February to form teams of 8 - 10 to create code and match hardware to make their solutions come to life. The teams will present their solutions between 2 - 5pm on the 26th in an open event - hosted by Norwich University of the Arts at their Duke Street, Riverside location - tickets are available now.
To enable students to deliver the best possible projects, Hackathon organiser Tech Educators will be running a series of workshops for participants to gain skills in key areas such as embedding AI into projects, accessing and using public datasets and utilising real world sensors to create 1st party data for use in projects.
An event of this scale is only made possible by the generosity and support of the business community, with Aviva being announced as the Headline Partner for HackEd Norwich. James Barnard, Chief Operations Officer at Aviva General Insurance outlined how supporting the future of Norfolk based Tech Talent was a critical reason for their involvement.
“As the main sponsor of HackEd, we are thrilled to support this initiative that aligns perfectly with our commitment to fostering tech talent in Norfolk. This event provides a unique platform for students to develop their skills, collaborate on real-world problems, and engage with experienced mentors. By participating, we are not only contributing to the local tech community but also investing in the future of innovation and entrepreneurship.”
Focusing on the opportunities that this hackathon gives students in the region, and working with collaborators to deliver the project, Tech Educators Founder and CEO, James Adams, went on to discuss the impacts on students throughout the program.
“We have read the reports that are coming out around the impact that hackathons have on students - that they are “positively impacting participants' employability, entrepreneurial skills and appreciation of the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration” offering a promising avenue for holistic, hands-on learning experiences.”
“Across the board, colleges and universities, Space East, Norwich University of the Arts and amazing partners such as Aviva, everyone has come together to see the benefit that this hackathon can have not only on students involved, but for students thinking about how technology roles can translate to their future. How a concept such as working in the Space sector or applying technology to solve our daily lives might be abstract whilst in education, but actually, it’s right here on our doorstep, and you can be a part of it.”
All spaces for schools and colleges are currently allocated, but interested academic institutions can contact Tech Educators to register their interest should more spaces become available.
About the Author
James has 8 years with Fortune 200 US firm ITW, experience of managing projects in China, USA, and throughout Europe. James has worked with companies such as Tesco, Vauxhall, ITW, Serco, McDonalds. James has experience in supporting start-up and scale up companies such as Readingmate, Gorilla Juice and Harvest London. James completed his MBA at the University of East Anglia in 2018.
