The WaterWise Hub Hackathon: Co-creating Solutions for Water Circularity in Bucharest,
organized by Fundația Comunitară București as part of the Horizon Europe WaterWise Hub
project, aims to turn real water-related challenges in Bucharest into concrete,
implementation-ready solutions. It is the first of the project’s two hackathons.
This hackathon is not a competition for creative ideas or inspirational pitches, but an applied
co-design process in which multidisciplinary teams work on real problems in real places. At
the end, it is not the most original idea that wins, but rather, the most implementable
solution: one for which there is a genuine commitment from the beneficiary, a technically
validated plan, and a plausible pathway to funding. The most promising solutions will
enter an incubation process, facilitated by FCB and based on the collective impact
methodology, through which teams will further develop their projects until they are ready
for implementation.
Solutions can range from decentralized, community-based approaches to larger-scale
systemic interventions, including nature-based solutions, water reuse systems, digital tools,
smart monitoring technologies, and new governance models.
Hackathon Challenges
Each team will work on one challenge, starting from a challenge brief and a field visit:
- Dâmbovița River – solutions for water circularity and the revitalization of the river
corridor running through Bucharest.
- Buildings: school (School No. 150, Sector 5) – water circularity solutions at the
building and schoolyard level, with a pilot budget of up to EUR 50,000.
- Buildings: residential block (Citadella Titan, Sector 3) – solutions at the residential-
block level, with a pilot budget of up to EUR 30,000.
What the Teams Gain
All selected participants receive a WaterWise Hub Certificate of Participation and become
part of the project’s ecosystem, with access to opportunities in the field of water circularity,
including conferences, funding opportunities, summer schools, and courses. The prizes offer
the winning teams different forms of support, depending on the maturity of their solution:
1st Place – Incubation: up to six months of support, including 6 workshops facilitated
by FCB, a paid coordinator, access to the technical expertise of the partners (UTCB,
INCD-ECOIND), support in identifying funding opportunities, a public event to
present the pilot project, and the signing of an agreement with the beneficiary.
2nd Place – Mini-incubation: 2 working sessions and up to 4 hours of technical
consultancy to further develop the concept and implementation plan.
3rd Place – Institutional connection: support in drafting a concept note and
facilitating a direct meeting with the relevant decision-maker for the proposed
solution.
Who Can Participate
The hackathon will bring together a maximum of 40 participants from the following
categories:
- students and technical specialists (engineers, architects, landscape architects,
researchers, PhD students); - representatives of beneficiaries and local communities (schools, homeowners’ associations, residents);
- representatives of public administration (sector municipalities, Bucharest City Hall,
councillors); - entrepreneurs, NGOs, and civic initiative groups.
Teams of 4–6 people with complementary profiles will be formed by the organizers based
on the application forms, with each team working on a single challenge.
How It Works
The hackathon takes place over four days, across two weekends, at NOD Makerspace:
Day 1 (Friday, 23 October): opening session, presentations by the technical mentors,
presentation of the challenges by the beneficiaries, and team formation.
Day 2 (Saturday, 24 October): mandatory field visit, ideation session, and work on
the first sections of the Canvas, followed by the first mentoring clinic.
Day 3 (Sunday, 25 October): completion of the Canvas and technical validation of the
solution, signed off by the mentor.
Between the weekends (26–30 October): teams work independently to finalize their
projects.
Day 4 (Saturday, 31 October): final pitches (12-minute presentation and 8 minutes of
questions), judging, and announcement of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
Hackathon Timeline
Application launch and publication of the guide: 23 September 2026
Application deadline and selection of the 40 participants: 19 October 2026
Communication of the teams, challenges, and challenge briefs: 20 October 2026
Hackathon – first weekend: 23–25 October 2026
Project finalization and submission of the Canvases: 26–30 October 2026
Hackathon – pitch and awards day: 31 October 2026
Incubation, mini-incubation, and institutional connection: after the hackathon
The organizers reserve the right to modify the schedule, with prior notice published on the
website and social media channels.
Evaluation
The evaluation will be carried out by a jury composed of technical specialists in the relevant
fields and representatives of the WaterWise Hub consortium partners, based on five
criteria: (1) technical feasibility, (2) stakeholder commitment, (3) clarity of the
implementation plan, (4) estimated environmental impact, and (5) replicability of the
solution. The jury’s deliberations are private, and its decisions are final and cannot be
appealed.
How to Apply
Interested individuals should complete the application form by 19 October 2026. On 20
October, selected participants will receive their assigned team and the remaining
information by email. All details about the programme and registration are available on the
project website, in Romanian, HERE. The full guide can also be downloaded HERE. For
additional questions: gabriela@fundatiacomunitarabucuresti.ro.
The Hackathon is part of the WaterWise Hub Project
WaterWise Hub is a project funded through the Horizon Europe programme (call HORIZON-
WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-07, Excellence Hubs, Grant Agreement No. 101184151), which aims
to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable and circular water management
systems by connecting researchers, companies, startups, public administrations, and local
community actors. The Romanian partners in the consortium are the Technical University of Civil
Engineering Bucharest (UTCB), the National Research and Development Institute for
Industrial Ecology (INCD-ECOIND), the General Secretariat of the Government of Romania,
ROTSA, Business Development Group, and Fundația Comunitară București.
The Hackathon Is Organized by Fundația Comunitară București
Fundația Comunitară București brings together donors, NGOs, and civic initiative groups to
help build communities where people feel at home. It develops donation mechanisms,
funding programmes, and idea incubators for the city. Over 14 years, it has funded more
than 1,000 projects and scholarships in Bucharest and Ilfov, with a total of RON 38 million.
Fundația Comunitară București is part of a national movement, together with 17 other
community foundations across the country.
Funded by the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-07 (Excellence Hubs); Grant
Agreement No. 101184151. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the funding authority, which cannot be
held responsible for them.
