open call #2

Catalogue of challenges

• Mobility

  Bauhaus-Universität WEIMAR
  Designing Effective Solutions for Active and Non-Motorized Transport

  As urban congestion and environmental challenges continue to rise, active mobility presents a sustainable alternative to motorized transportation. However, existing systems often fail to address key needs like accessibility, safety, and seamless integration into urban infrastructure. We invite innovative solutions that enhance non-motorized transport options—such as walking, cycling, and other eco-friendly alternatives.

  These solutions should focus on improving infrastructure, services, and overall user experience, while prioritizing accessibility and sustainability. The goal is to make non-motorized transport a practical, attractive, and eco-friendly option for people and goods, helping reduce reliance on motor vehicles and fostering healthier, more livable cities.
• Mobility

  SUPSI Fablab MENDRISIO
  Imaginative Solutions for Inclusive and Accessible Transportation

  Ensuring equitable access to mobility remains a critical challenge for low-income and underserved populations, particularly individuals with disabilities, who face systemic barriers to employment, healthcare, and social inclusion. This challenge seeks practical, cost-effective mobility solutions that prioritize functionality, durability, and adaptability across varied terrains, without reliance on high-cost technologies or complex electronic systems.

  Emphasis is placed on the use of locally sourced or repurposed materials, modular design principles, and intuitive user interfaces to enable scalable, contextsensitive interventions. Solutions should respond to real-world constraints, including poor infrastructure, limited maintenance resources, and the need for easy local manufacturing or repair.
• Mobility

  TMDC BARCELONA
  Reducing Carbon Footprint of Urban Transport Systems

  Urban transportation is a major driver of carbon emissions, demanding innovative solutions to achieve sustainable cities. The challenge calls for the development of transformative approaches to decarbonize urban transport systems. Participants are encouraged to explore diverse strategies, such as integrating electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, advancing shared mobility models, and designing cutting-edge infrastructure that fosters clean, efficient, and accessible transit.

  Solutions should prioritize reducing environmental impact while enhancing urban livability, accessibility, and resilience, paving the way for greener, smarter, and more connected cities.
• Mobility

  Univ de Lorraine FRANCE
  Innovative solutions for informed, accessible decision-making

  As technology reshapes the way we navigate truth and the physical-digital divide, reliable access to information plays a vital role in informed decision-making. The challenge invites participants to develop tangible, human-centric solutions that enable users to monitor, verify, and visualize energy consumption and mobility patterns in real-time, fostering sustainable choices in urban transport.

  Proposals could include interactive tools, apps, or systems that provide insights into energy-efficient routes, shared transport availability, or vehicle energy usage. Integrating actionable and accessible information into these solutions encourages environmentally conscious decisions while promoting trust and inclusivity. Focusing on practicality and scalability, participants will create prototypes designed to empower sustainable mobility habits, reducing environmental impact while enhancing accessibility and user engagement.
• Energy

  Bauhaus-Universität WEIMAR
  Reimagining Energy Delivery Systems

  Access to energy can be a challenge in areas dependent on centralized delivery systems, which can be vulnerable to disruptions and inefficiencies. However, with the rapid advancement of technology, there is a growing opportunity to move beyond this reliance and explore the potential of autonomous energy systems. These systems could offer a more decentralized and resilient solution to energy distribution, addressing many of the issues associated with traditional infrastructure.

  How can we creatively reimagine autonomous systems to seamlessly integrate into our daily lives, ensuring their efficiency and reliability while also considering their broader societal, ethical, and emotional implications? This challenge calls for ideas that not only push the boundaries of technology but also spark deeper reflection on the role of autonomy in society, ensuring that these systems are designed with consideration for the collective wellbeing and future sustainability.
• Energy

  TMDC BARCELONA
  Democratizing energy through DIY Renewable Energy Solutions

  Many communities rely heavily on centralized energy systems, making them vulnerable to disruptions and limiting their ability to achieve energy independence. While portable renewable energy systems offer a way to decentralize energy production, they are often expensive and difficult to access, preventing widespread adoption in local communities.

  This challenge invites you to design accessible, lowcost DIY renewable energy systems that can be developed and maintained by communities themselves. By leveraging open-source technologies and creative engineering, the goal is to empower communities to generate their own clean energy.
• Energy

  SUPSI Fablab MENDRISIO
  Reusing Fabrics and Advanced Biomaterials for Energy-Efficient Interiors

  Rising energy costs, inefficient insulation, and the prevalence of disposable designs are creating significant challenges in the construction of public and private spaces. At the same time, there are underused resources, often considered waste, such as discarded fabric. This challenge calls for aesthetically pleasing and energy-saving solutions that address interior construction needs while promoting fabric reuse. Proposals shall explore and advance the digital craft by incorporating advanced biomaterials or recycled fibers.

  This to solve issues like insulation and noise reduction. Focus on local, custom production, to reduce transportation, foster community involvement, and tackle (emotional) obsolescence—where products lose their appeal or function. Solutions can be tailored to specific environments or use context. Real-world testing will be critical to measure energy savings, user satisfaction, and overall impact, ensuring that the solutions provide lasting benefits to both users and the environment.
• Agriculture

  Univ de Lorraine FRANCE
  From Waste to Resource: community-driven food waste valorisation solutions

  Food waste is a significant global issue, often discarded without fully harnessing its potential to generate valuable resources, such as bioenergy, compost, or materials. Many existing solutions fail to integrate effectively within local communities or motivate active participation, leading to limited impact and adoption. This challenge invites you to develop scalable, community-driven systems that transform food waste into useful resources.

  The solutions could include compact, modular units for composting,
  bioenergy, or material recovery that can be deployed in urban neighbourhoods and should incorporate
  educational elements and incentives to engage communities and promote sustainable, circular economy
  practices.
• Agriculture

  Metalab IVANO-FRANKIVSK
  Advancing Urban Sustainability Through Community-Based Green Education and Cultivation Systems

  Urbanization has not only disrupted local food systems but also widened the gap between citizens and the skills needed to cultivate and sustain green urban environments. This challenge calls for well-designed, scalable solutions that integrate food production, environmental awareness, and hands-on education into the urban fabric.

  Whether through modular vertical farming systems, intelligent indoor cultivation setups, or multifunctional growing interfaces, the focus is on enabling communities, schools, and shared urban spaces to actively participate in the greening of cities. Solutions should prioritize accessibility to practical knowledge—ranging from basic cultivation techniques to soil health and natural fertilization—while fostering continuous learning and community engagement to build long-term capacity for sustainable urban transformation.
• Agriculture

  Metalab IVANO-FRANKIVSK
  Local production of affordable and sustainable materials for agriculture

  Urban gardeners or organizations focusing on urban food production often struggle with high production costs, wasteful resource use, and limited access to sustainable materials. How can we support urban gardeners or urban food productions with sustainable and affordable materials and tools? This challenge calls for low-cost and locally produced solutions using for instance recycled fabrics, food production byproducts or secondary raw materials from construction sites to reduce food production’s environmental impact.

  We invite you to design biodegradable pots, nurseries, protective materials for young plants, or other innovative solutions integrating low-energy and digital processes like machine development and molding. Focus on simplicity, community engagement, and scalability to meet users’ needs while promoting sustainability, real-world adoption.

Application form

This link will be the entry point for the submission of all proposals to this open call. Any proposal submitted through other channels will be automatically rejected.