Bayreuth and the SnT last year won the challenge for a project reducing medical prescriptions waste. Photo: Infrachain

Bayreuth and the SnT last year won the challenge for a project reducing medical prescriptions waste. Photo: Infrachain

The Infrachain Challenge is back for a third edition on 29 and 30 November, centering this time around “accelerating public energy efficiency”.

For thirty hours, six teams will compete in a hackathon on the public sector blockchain developed by Luxembourg’s digitalisation ministry, the main sponsor of the challenge. At the end, the teams present their idea to a jury, who will select the winner of a €5,000 prize. The runner-up teams will be awarded €3,500 and €2,000 respectively.

“We see a lot of different solutions presented each year that are going different directions,” says Infrachain project leader Tom Kettels. The fact that this will be the first ever Infrachain challenge without covid-19 restrictions in place only adds to the excitement.

Of course, energy efficiency is now one of the big priorities everywhere, and blockchain can be very helpful with that.
Tom Kettels

Tom Kettels, Project leader

Asked about the selection of this year’s theme, Kettels says: “Of course, energy efficiency is now one of the big priorities everywhere, and blockchain can be very helpful with that, in relation to IOT, as you can have some degree of automation that is maybe more easily achieved through blockchain than through other technologies.”

The pitching session during which teams reveal their projects will be accessible to the public, leading to potential venture projects, even for those that don’t make it to the podium. “I hope to see some novel solutions because in the fields of blockchain and energy efficiency, there are already quite some projects that exist--not just in the private but also in the public sector,” says Kettels.

This year, EY Luxembourg, Filedgr,the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the SnT’s Finatrax, ZeroKnowledge and Reveals S.A. will participate in the hackathon, showcasing a diversity in backgrounds of which Kettels is proud.

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Lessons have been learned from the first two editions, with the pitching format planned to be more flexible. And while the event managed to attract a variety of professionals in the blockchain sector, gender diversity remains a challenge. “We’re always trying to push this,” says Kettels, who hopes that the fourth time will be a charm.

The event will take place at the GovTech Lab in Luxembourg City, wth the publicly accessible pitching event scheduled