Two days, dozens of motivated students, real-world urban challenges, and a shared goal: to rethink how cities of the future can function.
For SIXAGON, it was particularly inspiring that Eszter Miklós joined the Re:Shape the City hackathon as a mentor, bringing her experience as a social innovation manager. The event, held at the University of Debrecen, was organized by the Council of Debrecen County Municipality and the university’s Innovation Ecosystem Center. It was not just a competition, but an intensive, collaborative learning and innovation environment where students and professionals worked together on challenges shaping the future of cities.
Real-world challenges, complex thinking
Participating teams worked on four closely interconnected challenges. “2100: The City That Endures” explored visions of a resilient future city, while “The Community Hub” focused on improving quality of urban life through reimagined community spaces. The “Culture Meets Tech” challenge focused on new solutions at the intersection of the creative industries and technology, while “Engaging Stakeholders” addressed how to involve stakeholders in ways that create long-term value.
During the mentoring process, it became clear that students brought not only creative ideas, but also a clear openness to further developing them in a structured way from both business and social perspectives.
Mentoring as shared learning
As mentors, we didn’t just provide guidance — we learned as well. One of the greatest strengths of such events is their ability to break down traditional roles: academic knowledge, practical experience, and fresh, critical thinking come into real dialogue. This dynamic is particularly important in urban innovation where there are no simple answers. A solution only works if it is viable from technological, social and economic perspectives.
Connections that move us forward
The hackathon was not only about ideas but also about collaboration. For us, it was especially valuable to strengthen our professional relationships with partners such as Creative Industry Košice and Tech In The City, while also laying the foundations for new collaborations. These connections go beyond a single event: they are part of an ecosystem where innovation happens through networks rather than in isolation.
Why does this matter in practice?
The Re:Shape the City hackathon clearly demonstrated that solutions to urban challenges do not come from a single discipline. Real progress stems from interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. From a corporate perspective, the message is clear: organizations that are able to open up to these processes—by involving external stakeholders, creating space for experimentation, and learning quickly from feedback—will be the ones that remain competitive.
More than just an event
At the end of the hackathon, the winning projects were announced. The winning team, weSParK—Ahmed Alyousify, Yara Elkamshoushy, Dinh Thuy Hien, and Ali Tantawy—developed an app that combines community building with cultural value creation, while also encouraging physical activity by offering users a tour to explore Debrecen’s sights. Students from engineering, IT, and health sciences programs at the University of Debrecen can continue developing their idea with the support of the city, and were also given the opportunity to participate in the Art & Tech Days event in Košice.
However, the real value lies not only in the results, but in the mindset these experiences help foster. For SIXAGON, this event reaffirmed that the cities—and organizations—of the future are shaped by collaboration, openness, and shared learning.
