Practice Abstract - Research and innovation

Cultivating innovation - trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon highlights

The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2024 fostered innovation and collaboration in sustainable nutrient management, integrating Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) with digital tools to strengthen research-practice connections and international cooperation. The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2024 accelerated innovation in sustainable nutrient management by fostering collaboration between farmers, researchers, and technology experts. It provided a platform for developing and testing practical solutions, ensuring that NBS and digital tools could be effectively applied in real agricultural settings. The event helped bridge the gap between scientific research and practice, enabling participants to co-create scalable and impactful innovations.

Despite the proven benefits of NBS, their adoption in agriculture remains slow due to limited awareness, complexity, and a lack of decision-support tools. Farmers, researchers, and policymakers need practical, data-driven solutions to integrate NBS into real-world farming systems. Key outcomes included AI-driven geo spatial analysis, agent-based modeling, and interactive NBS toolkits, all aimed at improving nutrient efficiency, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. The hackathon also played a crucial role in strengthening international cooperation, particularly between Europe and China, by facilitating knowledge exchange and setting the stage for future joint initiatives in sustainable agriculture. Beyond generating innovative solutions, the hackathon empowered participants by expanding their skills and professional networks. It provided hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies, encouraged interdisciplinary problem-solving, and raised awareness about the importance of NBS in modern farming. By combining technology, research, and stakeholder engagement, the event contributed to shaping policy, research, and practice, ensuring that sustainable nutrient management becomes a core element of future agricultural systems.

Additional information

The hackathon began with a Call for Challenges, inviting researchers and practitioners to define key problems related to nutrient efficiency, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. This was followed by a Call for Participants, attracting a diverse mix of students, researchers, and professionals. Throughout the Hacking Phase, teams collaborated with expert mentors, leveraging open data and technical support to refine their solutions. 

The event concluded with a Final Evaluation, where a jury assessed projects based on innovation, impact, feasibility, and scalability. The winning solutions addressed critical agricultural challenges. The Gold-winning team developed an agent-based modelling tool to assess NBS adoption in different farming contexts, aiding policymakers and researchers. The Silver-winning team applied AI-driven geospatial analysis to enhance rural development and precision farming, improving land-use planning and nutrient management. The Bronze-winning team created an interactive NBS demonstration toolkit, bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical application through hands-on experiments. Other projects focused on cloud-free crop monitoring, high-precision meteorological forecasting, and regional nutrient balance modelling, all contributing to trans4num’s goal of enhancing agricultural sustainability. 

On the trans4num dedicated Hackathon page you will find more information about the challenges and the mentors, as well as the final reports from the trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon teams. 

Source Project
Transformation for sustainable nutrient supply and management
Ongoing | 2022-2026
Main funding source
Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Geographical location
Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, China
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