BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Call for Proposals to Participate in the Fourth UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon 2026 DTSTART:20260501T080000Z DTEND:20260531T173000Z DTSTAMP:20260710T172500Z UID:indico-event-153@events.ubuntunet.net CONTACT:eliakim.okundi@ubuntunet.net DESCRIPTION:Call for Proposals to Participate in the Fourth UbuntuNet Alli ance for Research and Education Networking Women Hackathon 2026\n \nUbunt uNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking is looking for 45 pass ionate young women developers\, (organised in teams of three) from Easter n and Southern Africa to participate in our 4th Annual Women’s Hackatho n. The hackathon seeks to address the gap in innovations supporting climat e change adaptation and mitigation\, and the gender gap in software applic ations development in Africa.\n \nTheme: Innovate for climate change adap tation and mitigation\n \nKey Focus Area for projects\nInnovations for cl imate change\, adaptation and mitigation - climate change is one of the mo st pressing global challenges of the 21st century\, with far-reaching impa cts on ecosystems\, economies\, and human well-being. Adaptation (adjustin g to current and future climate impacts) is crucial for minimizing risks a nd ensuring sustainable development. The innovations will\, therefore\, fo cus primarily on tackling climate change\, adaptation and mitigation where participants will be expected to showcase their skills in coming up with solutions to address various climate challenges.\n \nApproach\nThe hackat hon programme shall be in two parts. The first part of the programme shall be conducted virtually where the 15\, 3-person teams\, competitively sele cted\, shall be guided by academic and industrial experts to develop innov ative digital proof-of-concepts solutions tackling climate change mitigati on and adaptation challenges. Webinars on topical issues shall also be mou nted to impart relevant skills and build confidence among the future women technology leaders. The developed solutions shall provide the teams with innovative proof-of-concepts for them see seek funding for further develop ment and commercialisation.  At the end of the virtual programme\, the te ams shall pitch their solutions.\n \nThe top three teams shall be invited to participate in an in-person 3-day hackathon\, as a pre-event to the Ub untuNet Connect Conference 2026 in Lilongwe\, Malawi in October. The teams shall present their refined concepts as part of the conference programme\ , where winners shall be announced and feted.  \n \nThe in-person Ubuntu Net Alliance Women Hackathon shall be held on October 26-28\, 2026\, with all participants also attending the UbuntuNet-Connect Conference (October 29-30\, 2026) under the theme “Shaping Digital Horizons” (more detail at https://ubuntunet.net/uc2026/).\n \nWhy participate\nParticipants will get the following benefits: -\n· Certificates of participation for all participants\n· Travel and accommodation costs fully covered\n· Opport unity to attend the UbuntuNet-Connect 2026 Conference in Malawi\n· Possi bility of internship opportunities with the UbuntuNet Alliance member NRE Ns\n· Linkage to the industry \n· Opportunity for Mentorship\n \n H ow to Apply\nWe invite concept proposals from teams from eligible countrie s. The concept note should be 3-5 pages [font Times New Roman\, size 12\, single spacing]\, excluding the cover page. It should ideally contain an i ntroduction\, a background (or relevance)\, proposed objectives (leading t o development of an ICT solution)\, methodology (that is based on the soft ware development lifecycle and contains necessary technologies)\, programm ing skills of team members\, previous experience\, links to developed work \, education level\, year of graduation (past or future). The cover page s hould have the topic and team member details (names and email address\, ph one number). The concept note shall be submitted through the online link https://event.ubuntunet.net/event/153/.\n \nEligibility \n· Female par ticipants.  \n·  Pursuing or in possession of a university degree in S oftware Engineering\, Information Technology\, Information Systems\, Compu ter Science\, or any related field.\n· Participants should be students or recent graduates of not more than 5 years.\n· Must be from and resid ing in one of the following countries in the UbuntuNet Alliance Region: An gola\, Botswana\, Burundi\, Comoros\, Congo\, DR Congo\, Djibouti\, Eritre a\, Eswatini\, Ethiopia\, Kenya\, Lesotho\, Madagascar\, Malawi\, Mauritiu s\, Mozambique\, Namibia\, Rwanda\, Seychelles\, Somalia\, South Africa\, South Sudan\, Sudan\, Tanzania\, Uganda\, Zambia\, Zimbabwe.\n· Must not have participated in a previous UbuntuNet Alliance women hackathon.\n \n Selection Criteria\nThe concepts will be assessed based on the following c riteria:\n· Proposed idea solves a problem and fits within the theme.·  The idea being proposed is innovative.· The team has necessary program ming skills to implement the proposed idea.· Feasibility of the proposed idea.\n \nDeadline for submission: Friday 29th of May 2026\nExtended D eadline for submission: Sunday 07th of June 2026\nCall for Proposals: 1st  of May – 29th of May 2026\nSuccessful applicants will be notified by the 22nd of June 2026.\nPhase 1: Online Hackathon: 6th of July 2025 – 1 7th of July 2026.\nSuccessful teams will be notified by the 31st of July 2026\nPhase 2: Face-to-Face Hackathon: 26th of October – 28th of Octobe r 2026\nFor inquiry contact: pmo@ubuntunet.net.\nAbout UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking\n \nUbuntuNet Alliance for Researc h and Education Networking serves as an enabler for conducting collaborati ve research and provision of quality higher education by providing access to the global knowledge community\, global digital education and research resources\, and cutting-edge applications and infrastructure. The mission of UbuntuNet Alliance is to develop and grow a thriving sustainable commun ity of NRENs and partners within Eastern and Southern Africa\, enabling an d strengthening collaboration and innovation among Research and Educati on Communities. More details on the Alliance can be found on our website\, https://ubuntunet.net.\n\nhttps://events.ubuntunet.net/event/153/ URL:https://events.ubuntunet.net/event/153/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR