As we all adjust to a new normal, we honor those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. And we must do so together, all countries and all walks of life. That’s why, the European Commission put together a call to action to all citizens based in Europe regardless of origin and skill — to participate in the fight against this pandemic in the #EUvsVirus hackathon.
The mission of the hackathon is to demonstrate unity and share your skills for the common good across borders and generations.
Digitally opening EU-borders during this collective challenge
Following Axway’s internal virtual hackathon—led by Axway’s Griffin Innovation Lab—Axway was invited to participate in this pan-European hackathon. So, in collaboration with Sopra Steria, Axway joined the #EUvsVirus hackathon.
#EUvsVirus hackathon
The #EUvsVirus hackathon took place on April 24-26 and addressed approximately 20 imminent coronavirus challenges in six different categories:
- Health & Life
- Business Continuity
- Social & Political Cohesion (video link)
- Remote Working & Education
- Digital Finance
Axway teams participated in three different ways:
- As a partner, providing Syncplicity and Axway Platform as software for all hackathon developers.
- As a mentor to teams in place.
- With two Sopra Steria/Axway hybrid teams.
As we just ended our internal hackathon organized by Axway Griffin Lab, two of the proposed teams/solutions corresponded quite well to the requirements of the #EuvsVirus hackathon.
Talk to Mr. Men
The goal of this project was to help stressed-out medical personnel to communicate with different population groups. The app automatically sends phone calls to remind people released from the hospital who haven’t otherwise sent a daily report on their progress.
Challenge: Health & Life
Domain: Real-time communication & prevention
Team Lead: Francis Vila
Contributors: Maisy Mouret (BPI, France), Leor Brenman (Axway, USA), Emmanuel Methivier (Axway, France), Karin Hermans (Axway, Belgium), Thierry Marchandise (Axway, France), with Ajay Jain (Axway) as AppBuilder Mentor
BetterConnected
This app was created as a system for giving and receiving local help based on location and personal relationships.
Challenge: Social & Political Cohesion
Domain: Protection of isolated & risk groups
Team Lead: Erik Wilde
Contributors: Rodolphe Asséré (Sopra Steria), Florian Costamagna (Sopra Steria), with the support of Uli Hitzel (Axway), Brenton House (Axway), and Emmelyn Wang (Axway)
Judging the Hackathon
The European Commission, in close collaboration with all member States and the participating H2020 associated countries, will follow up with the best projects coming from the #EUvsVirus hackathon through the new European Innovation Council (EIC) COVID platform. Foundations, investors, and healthcare providers will also be part of the EIC COVID platform.
What a @EUeic #EUvsVirus #hackathon weekend!
Congratulations to:
▫️21,000 participants,
▫️380 volunteers,
▫️2,400 mentors,
▫️800 partners,
▫️of 141 nationalities!
👉over 2,000 pioneering #COVID19 solutions submitted!
🏆I’ll announce winners on 30/04.
➡️https://t.co/3u1EY3JYAh pic.twitter.com/EMkI9nbeMM— Mariya Gabriel (@GabrielMariya) April 27, 2020
Access to Axway products at no cost
During the #EUvsVirus hackathon, participants were offered access to Syncplicity by Axway #RemoteWork at no cost, as well as the Axway AMPLIFY platform for free. The hope was that access to Axway’s secure file sharing and API integration would help participants develop innovative solutions to COVID-19 related challenges in the limited 48-hour window.
The winners of the #EUvsVirus will be announced Thursday, April 30, 2020.
Read about Axway’s Griffin Innovation Lab Hackathon.