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The fight against climate change requires technologically interested and well-trained people. With the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON on Gran Canaria, ITQ GmbH is connecting Young Talents, companies, and educational institutions on an international level to work together on innovative technologies and promote digitalization on the island and worldwide in the interests of sustainability.

ITQ GmbH is inviting young people to the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON on Gran Canaria for the seventh time from February 28^th to March 2^nd, 2024. Goal is to get them excited about technology and promote innovative and sustainable ideas for digitalization worldwide.

Last year’s MAKEATHON was very well received internationally, so ITQ GmbH is expanding the Innovation Festival into the SMART GREEN ISLAND WEEK. At three events, around 900 interested people aged between 6 and 66+ will engage with innovative technologies and network internationally. The 19th Eurocast Conference will kick things off on February 25^th, 2024, inviting high-tech experts to discuss topics related to computer-aided systems theory. From the middle of the week, the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON will be all about innovative prototypes and recruiting for 500 participants. At the same time, around 250 children and young people will be able to gain their first programming experience at various Technology Workshops and experience ways of digitalization at first hand.

The main event, the 7th SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON, will take place from 28.02. to 02.03.2024 at the Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria. 170 representatives from industry and research/education and 330 Young Talents will take part in the MAKEATHON. They come from 61 different universities/vocational schools and 41 nations (including India, Colombia, and North Africa in addition to Europe). Over the course of four days, the participants will turn creative ideas for a more sustainable future into initial prototypes. The focus will be on Smart Green Mobility, Smart Farming, Smart Automation, Smart Production, and Smart Warehousing. Participants can convert a tractor with a combustion engine to an electric drive (including solar panels and a hydrogen range extender), automate the banana harvest of a local producer using Artificial Intelligence and develop a recycling management system for batteries. In addition, systems for the automatic irrigation of plants are being developed and parts of the assembly and maintenance production areas are being automated.

In addition to ITQ GmbH, the SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON is made possible by the financial and content-related support of 33 national and international sponsors. The sponsors submit ideas for sustainable projects and application examples from the business world in advance and thus pose the so-called Industry Challenges.

A win-win situation for everyone involved and a sustainable recruiting measure: "If we want to stop or slow down climate change, we need well-trained people who are courageous and creative in driving digitalization forward. Our sponsors have recognized the recruiting potential of the MAKEATHON to get to know young, future applicants in a relaxed atmosphere," says Dr. Rainer Stetter, Managing Director of ITQ GmbH and founder of the Innovation Festival.

Sponsors secure the next generation

Special thanks go to the Platinum Sponsors: Government of Gran Canaria (Cabildo de Gran Canaria), B&R Industrial Automation, Murrelektronik, Vishay igus and Beckhoff Automation. Gold sponsors are the leading Canary Islands Fundación Sergio Alonso, MVTec, TRUMPF, Krones, Lorenz, Böllhoff, and Würth Elektronik. Silver sponsors are: SPEGC, IES El Rincon, OPTIMA, ISG, MathWorks, Gruppo ASA, VDMA and Packaging Valley.

The second part of the Innovation Festival is aimed at the youngest. Around 250 children and young people between the ages of 6 and 18 from local schools take part in a variety of Technology Workshops and can gain their first programming experience. The 14 workshops are being organized by the Canarian Foundation Fundación Sergio Alonso, students from local schools, who act as Technology Coaches, and the German Mittelstandsakademie Bayern.

The 19th Eurocast Conference will also take place in Las Palmas from 25.02. to 01.03.2024. The conference will be chaired, amongst others, by Dr. Rainer Stetter, ITQ GmbH, and the co-initiators of the first SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON, Prof. Dr. Dirk Jacob, Kempten University of Applied Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Erich Markl, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien. In 22 workshops, they will inform an international audience of experts from Science, Research and Education about Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Smart Energy and Circular Economy.

With these three educational events, ITQ GmbH inspires cross-generational participants from all over the world to work together to counteract the challenges of climate change.

Gran Canaria as ideal venue for the festival

With its different climate zones, the Island of Gran Canaria has the ideal conditions for a sustainable and self-sufficient supply of renewable energy. ITQ GmbH is addressing the digital transformation and the necessary global networking to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers with a variety of projects on the island.