Students from the Faculty of Economics at the International Hackathon in Pécs

Students from the undergraduate program in Economics and Business Economics (as part of the Entrepreneurship course) and the graduate program - Entrepreneurship and Innovation track (as part of the Launching a Business Venture course) participated in an international Hackathon, which is organized by the University of Pécs and the Simonyi BEDC Entrepreneurship Center. 

The hackathon was held in Pecs on November 12 and 13, 2025.

Students in international teams solved the presented challenge, which was always linked to one of the 17 UN SDG goals. 

What is an international hackathon?
A hackathon is an event where creative, open-minded, and entrepreneurial people from various disciplines come together for an intensive period of business solution development—a kind of sprint—to collaboratively find a solution to a specific industry or technological problem or challenge. The goal is to create an MVP – a demo version of a product or service, not a prototype – during the event, thereby supporting the idea's sustainability. In many cases, teams continue working on the MVP after the hackathon, either on their own initiative or following a competition, until they develop a final, market-ready solution. In fact, a hackathon is a complex, challenge-based educational framework.

This year's theme: Harmony between generations
The goal of the competition is to find solutions that uncover differences between generations and help to understand, bring them closer together, and bridge the gap between them. During the semester, students will seek answers to the following questions: How can social programs be designed that take into account the diversity of the older generation? In what form can joint technological learning be implemented, with young people helping older adults use smart devices and artificial intelligence applications? How can forums be created where different age groups can discuss social, cultural, or technological issues together? What forms of shared learning can contribute to knowledge sharing between generations, and how can joint projects and mentorship programs foster mutual respect and reduce the generation gap?

The students who participated in the Hackathon are:

1. Ante Čengić
2. Mateo Čop
3. Ena Dundović
4. Ivan Mihaljević
5. Ena Trac
6. Petra Vidaković
7. Martina Dumančić
8. Monika Ladić
9. Nika Tomić
10. Ariana's uncle
11. Kristijan Vladetić

Teachers who participated in the project as mentors:

1. Assist. Prof. Tihana Koprivnjak Popović, PhD
2. Ružica Stanić, M.A. Econ.

Schedule of events: https://ktk.pte.hu/en/cal/bedc/programs/international-hackathon