Hackathon Implementation Guide

Contents
Purpose of the Hackathon ........................................................................................................................... 3
Strategic Objective of the Hackathon ...................................................................................................... 3
Link to broader project goals ................................................................................................................... 3
Expected outcome for students, university, and industry ...................................................................... 3
Participating Stakeholders ........................................................................................................................... 4
Universities ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Students .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Faculty Mentors........................................................................................................................................ 4
Project Team ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Industry partners...................................................................................................................................... 5
Role of Faculty (FDP Participants)................................................................................................................ 5
Faculty role ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Mentoring students.................................................................................................................................. 5
Involvement from faculty ........................................................................................................................ 5
Steps for Student Participation.................................................................................................................... 5
Registering for the Hackathon ................................................................................................................. 5
Communicating to Students .................................................................................................................... 6
Steps for Students .................................................................................................................................... 6
Team Formation and Hackathon.............................................................................................................. 6
Hackathon Timeline ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Micro-Credentials (Learning Component) ................................................................................................... 6
Required micro-credentials...................................................................................................................... 6
Duration of micro-credentials .................................................................................................................. 7
Accessing micro-credentials & uploading certificates ............................................................................ 7
Team Formation ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Team Size .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Team Composition.................................................................................................................................... 7
Registration .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Challenge Topics / Problem Statements ...................................................................................................... 7
Sources of problem statements & industry engagement ....................................................................... 7
Scope of problem statements .................................................................................................................. 8
Mentoring Process ....................................................................................................................................... 8
 Faculty Mentoring .................................................................................................................................... 8
Industry Mentoring .................................................................................................................................. 8
Incentives and Benefits ................................................................................................................................ 8
Benefits for Students................................................................................................................................ 8
Benefits for Universities:.......................................................................................................................... 8
Internship opportunities .............................................................................................................................. 8
Hackathon Certificates and Recognition ..................................................................................................... 9
Hackathon Certificate issuing authority .................................................................................................. 9
Requirements to receive certificates ....................................................................................................... 9
Submission Requirements ........................................................................................................................... 9
Milestones and Deliverables .................................................................................................................... 9
Format for Submission ............................................................................................................................. 9
Uploading Submissions ............................................................................................................................ 9
Evaluation and Judging ................................................................................................................................ 9
Evaluation Criteria .................................................................................................................................... 9
Evaluation Process.................................................................................................................................. 10
Platform Use and Communication............................................................................................................. 10
Platform Notifications ............................................................................................................................ 10
Login to Platform .................................................................................................................................... 10
Platform Technical Support .................................................................................................................... 10
Roles and Responsibilities ......................................................................................................................... 10
University Responsibilities ..................................................................................................................... 10
Project Team Responsibilities ................................................................................................................ 10
Faculty Responsibilities .......................................................................................................................... 11
Student Responsibilities......................................................................................................................... 11
Expected Time Commitment ..................................................................................................................... 11
Student workload ................................................................................................................................... 11
Faculty workload .................................................................................................................................... 11
Support and Contact Points ....................................................................................................................... 11
Academic Coordination .......................................................................................................................... 11
Technical Platform Support .................................................................................................................... 11
Hackathon Management ....................................................................................................................... 11
Purpose of the Hackathon
Strategic Objective of the Hackathon
The DS2S Hackathon is organized as part of the Digital Skills to Succeed (DS2S) project to encourage
students to apply their digital learning to real-world problem solving. The hackathon provides students
with an opportunity to use their newly acquired digital and analytical skills to design innovative solutions
to global and societal challenges posed by the industry.
The hackathon aims to develop the following skills among students:
• Digital problem-solving
• Creativity and innovation
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Data-driven thinking
• Ethical and inclusive technology design
• Entrepreneurial thinking

Students will also gain exposure to real-world challenge solving, project design, and solution
presentation.

Link to broader project goals

The hackathon supports the broader DS2S project by:
• Encouraging practical application of digital skills learned through the program
• Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among students
• Building collaboration between industry and academia
• Identifying promising ideas that can contribute to social and economic development

Hackathon Themes
Students will develop solutions around the following themes:
• AI for Social Good
• Data Driven Solutions
• Digital Entrepreneurship
• Inclusive & Ethical Technology

Expected outcome for students, university, and industry

For Students
• Apply digital skills learned through DS2S micro-credentials to real-world challenges.
• Develop problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork abilities.
• Gain exposure to industry expectations and innovation practices.
• Build project experience that can strengthen employability skills.
For Universities
• Promote experiential learning and innovation among students.
• Strengthen collaboration between faculty, students, and industry.
• Enhance the institution’s engagement in global digital skill initiatives.
 • Foster a culture of problem-solving and entrepreneurship.
For Industry
• Discover innovative ideas addressing real-world challenges.
• Identify emerging talent with digital and problem-solving capabilities.
• Contribute to social impact through technology-driven solutions.
• Strengthen collaboration with universities and the academic ecosystem.

Participating Stakeholders
Universities
The following universities from Bangladesh, India and Vietnam are participating in the DS2S hackathon.
Vietnam
1. University of Social Sciences and Humanities
2. Academy of Public Administration and Governance
3. National Economics University
4. University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City
5. Vietnamese German University
6. Vietnam Women's Academy
India
7. Ramadevi Women's University Bhubaneshwar
8. Christ University Bangalore
9. Jamia Millia Islamia
10. Maharashtra State Skills University
11. Indira Gandhi National Open University
12. Banaras Hindu University
Bangladesh
13. Central Women's University
14. Begum Rokeya University
15. Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology

Students
Only students who are currently at participating universities are eligible to participate.
The hackathon is specifically designed for non-technical students, enabling them to use no-code tools
and digital problem-solving approaches.

Faculty Mentors
Faculty mentors guide and support student teams during the hackathon. Their responsibilities include:
• Helping students understand the hackathon themes
• Guiding teams in problem identification and solution development
• Providing feedback on ideas and submissions
• Ensuring teams stay on track with timelines
Project Team
The DS2S project team manages the overall initiative, including:
• Hackathon design and structure
• Academic coordination
• Industry engagement
• Final showcase

Industry partners
1. Industry Evaluation of Hackathon Solutions
Industry experts will serve as jury members during the hackathon, evaluating student solutions based on
innovation, technical feasibility, scalability, and relevance to real-world industry challenges.

2. Faculty Development Programme (FDP)

Industry professionals will conduct a Faculty Development Programme aimed at strengthening faculty
understanding of current industry practices, emerging technologies, and effective approaches for
mentoring students in applied, problem-driven innovation.

3. Pre-Hackathon Student Bootcamp

A three-hour webinar will be organised as part of the pre-hackathon bootcamp to orient students to
industry expectations, problem-solving frameworks, and best practices for developing impactful and
industry-relevant solutions.

Role of Faculty (FDP Participants)

Faculty role
Faculty members who participated in the Faculty Development Program (FDP) will act as mentors and
institutional coordinators for the hackathon.

Mentoring students
Faculty mentors are expected to mentor and support student teams by:
• Providing guidance during ideation and development
• Helping teams refine their solutions
• Monitoring team progress

Involvement from faculty

Faculty involvement will include:
• Communication with students
• Coordination between the university and hackathon organizers
• Monitoring student participation
• Initial guidance before the hackathon
• Minimum of 2 mentoring interactions during the hackathon
 • Supporting teams in preparing their final submissions

Steps for Student Participation

Registering for the Hackathon
Students must register through the official hackathon portal:
[Link]
A separate user manual will be shared with the students for navigating through the portal and a demo
session will be arranged to make them comfortable in the hackathon portal.

Communicating to Students
Faculty mentors will share hackathon information with eligible students within their universities.

Steps for Students

Students must:
1. Register on the platform
2. Complete the required micro-credential courses
3. Apply for a problem statement, form team & invite mentor/guide
4. Begin working on their solutions

Team Formation and Hackathon

Teams must be formed after completing the micro-credentials and before the hackathon build phase
begins. Students can view all the problem statements in the portal well in advance. They can decide on a
problem statement and can apply the problem statement of their choice. The student who selects and
applies in the portal will become the team lead and they can invite other team members through the
portal. Invitations can be accepted or rejected by the student. Team lead can also invite the faculty
registered in the portal as mentor/ guide. Faculty members can accept or reject the invite. Once the
students and faculty mentor have accepted, the team is ready to participate post Admin (Transneueron )
approval.

Hackathon Timeline
Phase Activity Timeline
9th March 2026 – 7th April
Registration Student registration opens 2026
Submission of required micro-credentials
Learning Phase certificate 9th March -25th April 2026
Bootcamp Industry mentor orienting students 4th May - 6th May 2026
Team Formation Teams must be formed and registered 7th May – 10th May 2026
Hackathon Teams develop solutions 11th - 13th May 2026
Submission Deadline Final submission through portal 13th May 2026
 Evaluation Industry experts evaluate submissions 13th May – 21st May 2026
Results Announcing the results 25th May 2026
Showcase Shortlisted teams present solutions October 2026

Micro-Credentials (Learning Component)

Required micro-credentials
Students must complete the following:
• GIZ micro-credential
• Either IBM or Cisco micro-credential
Completion of these micro-credentials is mandatory before team formation and hackathon.

Duration of micro-credentials
The duration depends on the learner but a single micro-credential is approximately 15 hours.

Accessing micro-credentials & uploading certificates

The following table gives a complete understanding on where to access micro-credentials and complete
the assessment and what to do with certificates.
Where to do Where to upload
Mirco-credential Where to access
assessment certificate
In GIZ Atingi portal, link provided In Hackathon
GIZ In Hackathon platform
in Hackathon platform platform
In IBM platform, link provided in
IBM In IBM platform In Hackathon platform
Hackathon platform
In CISCO platform, link provided
CISCO In CISCO platform In Hackathon platform
in Hackathon platform

Team Formation
Team Size
Teams must consist of:
• Minimum: 3 students
• Maximum: 4 students

Team Composition
Teams can be formed without any restriction. That means you can form a team within the department,
or from different departments within the university, or from different universities.

Registration
Students can register their teams on the hackathon portal. This is already explained under Steps for
Student Participation in the above.
Challenge Topics / Problem Statements
Sources of problem statements & industry engagement
The problem statements are prepared by the industry experts based on the real world societal,
economic, and digital challenges faced by companies in various domains.

Scope of problem statements

The problem statements will be aligned with the four hackathon themes provided by the program and
the students will develop solutions. Students may propose their own innovative ideas/ solutions as long
as they align with one of the hackathon themes.

Mentoring Process
Faculty Mentoring
Faculty will provide mentoring:
• On demand before the hackathon
• Minimum 2 mentoring interactions during the hackathon
Mentoring sessions are primarily informal and guidance-based, depending on the needs of student
teams.

Industry Mentoring
Industry expert will provide mentoring through bootcamp which is organized as a 3-hour webinar.

Incentives and Benefits

Benefits for Students
Students will receive:
• Certificates of participation
• Recognition for top-performing teams
• Opportunity to showcase solutions to industry experts
• 3 Top teams will travel to Vietnam to showcase solutions

Benefits for Universities:

• Enhanced student engagement
• Exposure to industry experts
• Promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship within the institution

Internship opportunities
Internship opportunities will be coordinated by Trans Neuron, depending on availability and industry
demand and it will be open in the Hackathon portal after the Hackathon is completed. All participating
students with a completed profile will get the opportunity to apply for internships of their choice. If the
company would like the students to be assessed, then students must attempt the assessment initiated
by the company and pass the qualifying criteria set by the company. Trans Neuron will provide
assistance throughout but internships are not guaranteed. Students who demonstrate strong
performance may be considered for specific in-demand internship opportunities subject to availability
and economic conditions.

Hackathon Certificates and Recognition

Hackathon Certificate issuing authority
Certificates will be issued through the Hackathon platform.
Certificates will be provided to:
• Participating students
• Winning teams
Upon completion, participants will receive certificates jointly issued by GIZ, Transneuron, and the
respective industry partner.
Requirements to receive certificates
Students must:
• Complete the required microcredentials and upload the microcredential certificate in platform
• Participate in the hackathon
• Submit the Hackathon successfully

Submission Requirements
Milestones and Deliverables
The milestones are defined for each problem statement. Teams may submit the following materials for
each milestone as per the need:
• Presentation (PPT)
• Project report
• Supporting documentation
• Concept explanation
• UI UX
• Data structure

Format for Submission

Submissions should be in standard digital formats such as:
• PDF
• PowerPoint
• Word Document
Uploading Submissions
All submissions must be uploaded through the hackathon portal.

Evaluation and Judging

Solutions will be evaluated by industry experts.

Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation will consider:
• Innovation and originality
• Relevance to the hackathon themes
• Practical feasibility
• Social or economic impact
• Clarity of presentation

Evaluation Process
Submissions will first be evaluated and shortlisted, after which selected teams will present their
solutions in a final showcase round.

Platform Use and Communication

Platform Notifications
The platform will send notifications for important activities. Additional updates will be communicated by
the Trans Neuron Operations Team.

Login to Platform
Students should log in to the platform regularly and are advised to log in daily during the hackathon
period.

Platform Technical Support

Technical support will be provided by the Trans Neuron Operations team.

Roles and Responsibilities

University Responsibilities
• Disseminate hackathon information to students
• Encourage student participation
• Provide faculty mentoring support
Project Team Responsibilities
• Design and manage the hackathon
• Coordinate with universities
• Conduct FDP for Faculty
• Conduct Bootcamp for Students
• Identify Problem statements through industry experts
• Manage the platform
• Organize Hackathon
• Evaluation and showcase events

Faculty Responsibilities
• Attend FDP
• Mentor student teams
• Support ideation and solution development
• Help students stay aligned with hackathon timelines

Student Responsibilities
• Complete required micro-credentials
• Attend Bootcamp
• Take support from Faculty members
• Form teams
• Develop a solution aligned with hackathon themes
• Submit the Hackathon solution before the deadline

Expected Time Commitment

Student workload
Students may spend 10–20 hours during the hackathon development phase, depending on their project
complexity.

Faculty workload
Faculty mentors may need to dedicate a few hours per week before Hackathon and a couple of hours
per day during the hackathon period for mentoring interactions.

Support and Contact Points

Academic Coordination
Academic queries should be directed to the DS2S project coordinator.
Technical Platform Support
Technical platform support will be provided by the Trans Neuron through the project coordinator.

Hackathon Management
Trans Neuron will coordinate hackathon management and logistics, and communication groups will be
created for smooth coordination.