The first ESGD hackathon in the Urals has ended

18:17, November 30, 2023

Participants of the GSEM International Autumn School presented their projects

The international autumn school of Graduate School of Economics and Management UrFU on sustainable development has finished in Yekaterinburg.

15 international teams generated their ESG startups taking into account the use of digital technologies on the instructions of leading employers in the Urals as part of the Priority 2030 project together with leading companies and a regional association of employers. The project leader, GSEM academic director, Zhanna Belyaeva, said that this year 150 participants of the autumn school from ten countries in a hybrid format generated their ideas for developing climate, social and management solutions using artificial intelligence. Cases for participants were presented by the partners of the event: Sberbank PJSC, Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and the Golden Apple perfume and cosmetics chain.

The school was attended by students from such GSEM partner business schools as University of Oum El Bouaghi (Algeria), Sanjivani Business School (India), University of Technology MARA (Malaysia), National School of Business Management, NSBM Green University (Sri Lanka), Shantou University, School of Business (China), SILC Business School, Shanghai University  (China), Padjadjaran University (Indonesia).

A professional and academic jury selected the winners and 15 startup projects aimed at digitalizing sustainable tourism in the regions of Russia, developing technical innovations in the field of equipping smart homes, updating bionic smart prostheses, digital designers for the well-being of company employees, solving social problems of education and adaptation of orphans, as well as promoting Russian culture and economy in India, China, Algeria, Sri Lanka, Indonesia.

The overall winner was the team from the bachelor’s programme “International Economics and Business”– “Positive Vibes”. The team proposed a solution to the problem of adaptation of orphans through the use of AI, developed a prototype of a website, a chat bot and a training program for the daily functions of an independent person.

“The significance of this event is difficult to overestimate - thanks to this kind of events, future leaders of sustainable development are born and the foundations of teamwork are laid,” says jury member, executive vice-president of Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Tatyana Kansafarova. — It is especially gratifying that the hackathon, through the cases of business partners, is directly related to the Russian economy, thereby proving the high level of education at the Ural Federal University. The hackathon exceeded all expectations - the guys tried to create a project from start to finish in an incredibly short time. Thanks to partners, who were customers from the real sector of the economy, students solved current problems of the ESG agenda and created products taking into account the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. I wish students the implementation of all creative initiatives and a successful life path.”

The teams’ solutions received a positive response from business representatives and a recommendation for participation in the accelerator from Sber.

“Participation in the ESGD hackathon was unforgettable! We worked on a case from Sber about solving social problems using digital technologies and came up with the idea of helping graduates of orphanages. The most memorable thing for us was the advice and help of trackers from companies and the program office, which are useful not only for the hackathon case, but also in developing career skills. It was extremely interesting to come up with an idea in such a short time, as it allows you to test your creativity in an unusual situation,” the winners of the hackathon, members of the Positive Vibes team, shared their impressions.

Here's what the partners said about the event:

“ESG involves each of us in environmental concerns, so the ESG hackathon is unique in that within a short time, students were able to show projects taking into account the interests of the environment and the social sphere. I am confident that the solutions received will find their development and implementation, including with the help of Sber’s youth accelerator for students,” - Liliya Chebykina, chief client manager, Sberbank PJSC.

“The completed Hackathon is an excellent opportunity for the guys to consolidate their acquired knowledge in practice and formulate a project solution that is aimed at developing the ESG agenda. The participants proposed many social and business ideas that were interesting for potential investors,” Evgeniy Kroshkin, manager, Sberbank PJSC.

“I was very glad to take part in the Autumn School and tell the guys about the ESG practices of our company. I received special pleasure and inspiration at the Hackathon, because each project presented by the guys was unique and interesting in its own way. I really want the guys to strive to implement similar practices in the future and come to business, including the Golden Apple, with sparkling eyes and fresh ideas,” shared Anna Mingaleva, leading specialist in compensation and benefits, Golden Apple.

Eduard Nikulnikov, Zhanna Belyaeva