The Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, a non-profit economic growth initiative for the Eastern region, organised the event known as the Tech Corridor Innovation Challenge. The event was held at our new STEM Innovation Campus for the Eastern Region, as part of the West Suffolk Business Festival.
We hosted the first ever hackathon to take place in Bury St Edmunds, where teams from across East Anglia came together to solve challenges relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, a non-profit economic growth initiative for the Eastern region, organised the event known as the Tech Corridor Innovation Challenge. The event was held at our new STEM Innovation Campus for the Eastern Region, as part of the West Suffolk Business Festival.
Participants were split into teams and spent the day working on solutions to real-life challenges set by local businesses relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are 17 goals devised by the United Nations that aim to achieve peace and prosperity for everyone, while respecting and conserving the planet, by 2030.
Linn Clabburn, Programme Director of the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, explained: “The purpose of the Innovation Challenge was to bring together people from different backgrounds and perspectives to encourage new ideas, products and concepts to form. We are hoping the event has helped us to strengthen collaboration and to form new connections across the region, as well as highlighting the opportunity presented by the UNSDGs and the sustainability agenda.”
Businesses that set the challenges included Bury e-waste recycling specialist N2S and Southwold brewery Adnams.
Nadine Payne, Director of Sciences and Computer Sciences at the college said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to host Bury St Edmund’s first hackathon at our new STEM Innovation Campus. This was a great event where our students got the chance to collaborate with STEM professionals on a set of first class, innovative challenges, allowing them to gain invaluable skills and experience in the important area of sustainability.”