BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Call for Proposals to Participate in the Third UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon 2026 DTSTART:20260501T080000Z DTEND:20260531T173000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T103400Z UID:indico-event-153@events.ubuntunet.net CONTACT:eliakim.okundi@ubuntunet.net DESCRIPTION:\n \nCall for Proposals to Participate in the Fourth UbuntuNe t Alliance for Research and Education Networking Women Hackathon 2026\n \ nUbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking is looking for 4 5 passionate young women developers\, (organised in teams of three) from Eastern and Southern Africa to participate in our 4th Annual Women’s Ha ckathon. The hackathon seeks to address the gap in innovations supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation\, and the gender gap in software applications development in Africa.\n \nTheme: Innovate for climate chang e adaptation and mitigation\n \nKey Focus Area for projects\nInnovations for climate change\, adaptation and mitigation - climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century\, with far-reachin g impacts on ecosystems\, economies\, and human well-being. Adaptation (ad justing to current and future climate impacts) is crucial for minimizing r isks and ensuring sustainable development. The innovations will\, therefor e\, focus 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 hackathon programme shall be in two parts. The first part of the programme shall be conducted virtually where the 15\, 3-person teams\, competitivel y selected\, shall be guided by academic and industrial experts to develop innovative digital proof-of-concepts solutions tackling climate change mi tigation and adaptation challenges. Webinars on topical issues shall also be mounted 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 d evelopment and commercialisation.  At the end of the virtual programme\, the teams shall pitch their solutions.\n \nThe top three teams shall be i nvited to participate in an in-person 3-day hackathon\, as a pre-event to the UbuntuNet Connect Conference 2026 in Lilongwe\, Malawi in October. The teams shall present their refined concepts as part of the conference prog ramme\, where winners shall be announced and feted.  \n \nThe in-person UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon shall be held on October 26-28\, 2026\, with all participants also attending the UbuntuNet-Connect Conference (Oc tober 29-30\, 2026) under the theme “Shaping Digital Horizons” (more d etail at https://ubuntunet.net/uc2026/).\n \nWhy participate\nParticipant s will get the following benefits: -\n· Certificates of participation fo r all participants\n· Travel and accommodation costs fully covered\n·  Opportunity to attend the UbuntuNet-Connect 2026 Conference in Malawi\n·  Possibility of internship opportunities with the UbuntuNet Alliance mem ber NRENs\n· Linkage to the industry \n· Opportunity for Mentorship\n  \n How to Apply\nWe invite concept proposals from teams from eligible c ountries. The concept note should be 3-5 pages [font Times New Roman\, siz e 12\, single spacing]\, excluding the cover page. It should ideally conta in an introduction\, a background (or relevance)\, proposed objectives (le ading to development of an ICT solution)\, methodology (that is based on t he software development lifecycle and contains necessary technologies)\, p rogramming skills of team members\, previous experience\, links to develop ed work\, education level\, year of graduation (past or future). The cover page should have the topic and team member details (names and email addre ss\, phone number). The concept note shall be submitted through the online  link https://event.ubuntunet.net/event/153/.\n \nEligibility \n· Fem ale participants.  \n·  Pursuing or in possession of a university degr ee in Software Engineering\, Information Technology\, Information Systems\ , Computer Science\, or any related field.\n· Participants should be st udents or recent graduates of not more than 5 years.\n· Must be from an d residing in one of the following countries in the UbuntuNet Alliance Reg ion: Angola\, Botswana\, Burundi\, Comoros\, Congo\, DR Congo\, Djibouti\, Eritrea\, Eswatini\, Ethiopia\, Kenya\, Lesotho\, Madagascar\, Malawi\, M auritius\, Mozambique\, Namibia\, Rwanda\, Seychelles\, Somalia\, South Af rica\, South Sudan\, Sudan\, Tanzania\, Uganda\, Zambia\, Zimbabwe.\n· M ust not have participated in a previous UbuntuNet Alliance women hackathon .\n \nSelection Criteria\nThe concepts will be assessed based on the foll owing criteria:\n· Proposed idea solves a problem and fits within the th eme.· The idea being proposed is innovative.· The team has necessary p rogramming skills to implement the proposed idea.· Feasibility of the pr oposed idea.\n \nDeadline for submission: Friday 29th of May 2026\n \nC all for Proposals: 1st of May – 29th of May 2026\nSuccessful applicant s will be notified by the 15th of June 2026.\nPhase 1: Online Hackathon: 6th of July 2025 – 17th of July 2026.\nSuccessful teams will be notifi ed by the 31st of July 2026\nPhase 2: Face-to-Face Hackathon: 26th of Oct ober – 28th of October 2026\nFor inquiry contact: pmo@ubuntunet.net.\nA bout UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking\n \nUbuntuN et Alliance for Research and Education Networking serves as an enabler for conducting collaborative research and provision of quality higher educati on by providing access to the global knowledge community\, global digital education and research resources\, and cutting-edge applications and infra structure. The mission of UbuntuNet Alliance is to develop and grow a thri ving sustainable community of NRENs and partners within Eastern and Southe rn Africa\, enabling and strengthening collaboration and innovation amo ng Research and Education 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