Find out how the 1st Spoke 2 Students' Green Challenge went
We imagined for a long time what it would be like to be in a room full of young innovators, ready to revolutionise the way we tackle environmental challenges. Nothing, however, had prepared us for the spirit that animated the 1st edition of the Spoke 2 Green Challenge. Four multidisciplinary teams of students from the University of Turin tackled the challenge launched by Edison Next Environment: how to sustainably reuse a piece of land after heavy metal remediation.
Edison Next Environment, committed to the transition towards environmental, social and economic sustainability from a circular perspective, has collaborated with Spoke 2 of the NODES Innovation Ecosystem to create the first edition of the Students' Green Challenge. It chose, in fact, to launch a research challenge to UniTo students to solve regulatory and management issues related to Environmental Services.
The Spoke 2 - Green technologies and sustainable industries also deals with the implementation of the Circular Economy in industrial processes, promoting green and sustainable production. The Students' Green Challenge was conceived to involve students in innovative educational paths, offering them the opportunity to collaborate with companies, public bodies and associations in the NODES project and, on the other hand, provide an opportunity for Edison Next Environment to meet young talents and discover innovative solutions to be applied in their realities.
Kick-off Day | 9 May 2024
It marked the start of the adventure: the students, many of whom were meeting for the first time in the Principi d'Acaja Room of the UniTO Rectorate, were divided into multidisciplinary teams, supported by expert tutors. After the initial institutional greetings, the organising team from the University of Turin illustrated how the three days of the Challenge would unfold, while Edison Next Environment presented its activities in the field of Environmental Services and the theme of the Challenge. 2i3t, UniTo's Business Incubator and Spoke 2 partner, then offered its support to guide the teams in the creation of effective pitches, providing tools and suggestions on how to communicate their innovative ideas.
Mentoring Day | 14 and 16 May 2024
After an initial virtual discussion with Edison's experts, the teams attended a second face-to-face meeting at the Luigi Einaudi Campus in Turin. These meetings allowed the students to receive valuable feedback and refine their project proposals, consulting with expert mentors in various scientific areas.
Pitching and Award ceremony | 23 May 2024
The two weeks of preparation culminated in the pitching event at the OGR Torino, Spoke 2's partner. The four teams presented their projects in less than ten minutes each, in front of a jury composed of representatives from Edison Next Generation, the University of Turin, Spoke 2 and 2i3t. Each pitch demonstrated the talent and creativity of the teams, who presented innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenge. In addition to the academic recognition with the award of an Open Badge, the winning team will have the opportunity to: visit the laboratories of Edison Next Environment, meet the company managers with a lunch at the facility and gain access to the Talent Acquisition programme. In addition, the 2i3t Incubator has also offered the possibility of access to a pre-incubation path for the most deserving projects.
The student team that won the first Student's Green Challenge is GREEN SPHERE.
We can't wait to find out what the theme of the next Students' Green Challenge, which will feature Stellantis, will be. We invite all interested students and companies to check the NEWS section of this website for further updates.
