MADRID, June 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, León, Málaga, Seville and Gijón will host NASA’s Space Apps Challenge, the “largest STEAM hackathon in the world”, on October 5 and 6, as reported by the promoters of this initiative.
The San Blas Skills School was the scene of the presentation event of the NASA SpaceAPPS Hackathon Madrid 2024, an event that marked the beginning of the new edition of this STEAM hackathon.
During the presentation, the director of the NASA Office of Management, Marcus Watkins; and the CEO of NASA SpaceAPPS Spain, Oscar Sala, have shared essential details about the operation of the hackathon and its expected impact on the innovation and technological development ecosystem in Spain.
Oscar Sala explained that the NASA SpaceAPPS Hackathon will focus on three fundamental pillars: the will to promote the vocation, give visibility to talent in Spain and create employment.
“This hackathon is a unique opportunity for participants to develop critical skills and work on innovative solutions that can have a global impact, while enhancing local talent and contributing to job creation,” said Sala.
During his speech, Marcus Watkins highlighted the relevance of innovation in the aerospace field and beyond to face contemporary social and business challenges.
“The collaboration and creativity we foster at events like this are crucial to advancing our understanding of space and its application in daily life. But, beyond space, we address challenges that include food, sustainability and many other fields that affect our daily lives,” said Watkins.
For his part, the manager of the Employment Agency of the Madrid City Council, José Aniorte, has highlighted the value of the hackathon for the local community: “These initiatives position Madrid as a center of global innovation.”
The purpose of the NASA SpaceAPPS Hackathon is to make visible and demonstrate the talent that exists in Spain. In the previous edition, 450 people participated in six cities, forming more than one hundred teams. A Spaniard managed to finish in the top three among 57,900 participants from 150 countries, and two more Spaniards received special mentions.
The challenges not only cover technology, but also crucial areas such as food and sustainability. In the last edition, Spain registered the highest number of registered participants (more than 900) in all of Europe.
Globally, Spain had the eleventh highest number of participants thanks to the outstanding support of local initiatives, underscoring the importance and growing interest in technological innovation in the country.
