Balbriggan Innovation Challenge – Project EcoCore

Fingal County Council, as Lead Partner of the Urbact EcoCore Project is delighted to announce an exciting Innovation Challenge/Hackathon in collaboration with Smart Balbriggan.  The “Balbriggan Innovation Challenge” is an in person event which will take place on the 8th of November in The Lark, Balbriggan and is open now for registration through Eventbrite (Balbriggan Innovation Challenge - The EcoCore Hackathon Tickets, Fri 8 Nov 2024 at 08:00 | Eventbrite).   Join us for a day full of innovation, creativity and impact with exciting learning and networking opportunities.

The EcoCore Project is one of 30 approved networks under the URBACT IV programme, which is co-funded by the European Union. URBACT's mission is to enable cities to work together and develop integrated solutions to common urban challenges by networking, learning from each other's experiences and identifying good practices.

Fingal County Council is proud to be the first local authority in Ireland to lead an URBACT network. The EcoCore includes partners from Dubrovnik (Croatia), Ormož (Slovenia), Alba Iulia (Romania), Ķekava (Latvia), Santo Tirso (Portugal), Pärnu (Estonia), Villena (Spain) and Tuusula (Finland). All the partner cities are located along strategic transport corridors and the cities are working together to advance the green transition.

The EcoCore Project aims to build the capacity of small cities, such as Balbriggan, in addressing climate change by promoting sustainable economic development, the green transition and helping local stakeholders, particularly businesses, in transitioning to low-carbon energy sources and promoting sustainable mobility options. The EcoCore Network aims to create significant momentum for a green energy transition in each of the partner cities with a particular focus on the industrial areas of the cities.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “The EcoCore Project is an exciting project for Balbriggan. We are proud to be the first Local Authority in Ireland to lead an Urbact Project and strengthen collaboration with European partners. Sustainable development is at the heart of the Fingal Development Plan and with the EcoCore Project the Council continues to take a future-focused, climate conscious approach to economic development and local job creation in Balbriggan.”

The Balbriggan Innovation Challenge allows like-minded individuals passionate about sustainability, the green economy with a passion for the Circular Economy to make a contribution to the EcoCore Project and developing a greener future for the citizens of Balbriggan. The Challenge affords a unique opportunity for individuals/teams to innovate, co-create and network, using their unique skills to develop ideas around the green and circular economy, with a prize fund of €2,500 available to further develop and implement the successful ideas. 

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Brian McDonagh said “The Balbriggan Innovation Challenge is fantastic opportunity for Fingal County Council to engage and collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders to deliver the sustainability objectives, such as leading on the Just Transition to Net Zero and promoting a climate resilient economy, which are featured in the Council’s Future Fingal Economic Development Strategy. The Hackathon also advances the Council’s commitments as a signatory to the Circular Cities Declaration by exploring ideas to embed the circular economy in Fingal, I’m excited to see what ideas come out of the Hackathon”.

Join us on November 8th for a full day of innovation, creativity and impact, through the process of taking an idea from concept to reality, working with a team to develop practical solutions for real-world problems in the climate and circular economy space at our Balbriggan Innovation Challenge

Full details are available on the attached Balbriggan Innovation Challenge - The EcoCore Hackathon Tickets, Fri 8 Nov 2024 at 08:00 | Eventbrite