Rúben Matos: CIÊNCIAS student organizes Hackathon in Barcelona

Thinking about solutions that improve the integration of exchange students into the academic, social, and cultural life of Unite!'s partner universities is the goal of the Solve & Unite Hackathon, which will take place from April 6th to 9th, 2026 in Barcelona.

Registration is open until January 14th, 2026. Those interested can register on Unite! Metacampus.

This event has a CIÊNCIAS student in its organization, Rúben Matos, who is part of a group of students from five universities located in different countries: the Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt), in Germany; the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), in Spain; the Polytechnic University of Turin (PoliTo), in Italy; the Wrocław University of Science and Technology (WUST), in Poland; and the University of Lisbon (ULisboa), in Portugal.

In March of this year, we spoke with Rúben Matos, following the selection of his group's project by the Unite! Seed Fund 2024, in order to understand what it consisted of and what his expectations were for its implementation. Now that the event is approaching, we are revisiting the conversation, with the aim of uncovering the behind-the-scenes aspects of the organization and to better understand what participants can expect from this multicultural Hackathon.

When we spoke in March of this year, you had just learned that your group was one of the winners of the Unite! Seed Fund 2024. Now, you are about to hold the Hackathon they proposed. What is your assessment of these last few months of organization?

Rúben Matos (RM): After all these months, I'm taking stock of how much pleasure I've taken in planning this activity. Although it's been quite laborious, with all the bureaucracy involved, it has fostered cooperation among team members. And what's more, it has also helped strengthen the friendships between us all.

The Hackathon aims to develop solutions that improve the integration of exchange students into Unite!'s partner universities. What are the expectations regarding what might come out of the collaboration between the participants?

RM: We believe that the best way to support students in an international experience is precisely through an international team. Specifically, we hope to build the foundation of a platform that brings together international students and that one day can become a reference point for universities, starting with Unite!'s partner universities. We also want this project to go beyond the Hackathon. The vision of Seedfunds is this: that they don't "die" after their completion. It's like planting a seed. For example: the legacy of the Ideathon of November 2024, in which this idea was born, continues to live on in the Hackathon.

They chose Barcelona to host the Hackathon. In which location(s) of Barcelona will the Hackathon be held? And why did they choose those locations?

RM: The Hackathon will take place in Les Corts, northwest of Barcelona, ​​on the campus of UPC – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, one of Unite!'s partner universities. We chose Barcelona because it is an inclusive city and one of the pinnacles of multiculturalism. It is a benchmark for us. We believe that participants will be well received in this city, as was proven in the Dialogues and U!Train events that Unite! organized there.

Can you reveal a little more about what those 3 days in Barcelona will be like? What have you prepared for the approximately 20 to 25 participants?

RM: On the first day, we will prepare the participants for the event's objectives. First, we will have an icebreaker so people can get to know each other, as we believe that interpersonal connection builds trust, which is the best tool for collaboration. The second day will involve intensive work on developing the platform. The third day will be for conclusion, with presentations of ideas and selection of the winners.

The Hackathon will feature mixed teams. How will the participants be distributed among these teams?

RM: We will try to ensure that there are not too many members from the same university per team. This is important to us because the goal is for participants to get to know each other and create connections with people from other universities, languages, and cultures. It's natural for people from the same background or university to come together, but we want to avoid that bubble effect where everyone is only with those from their native language, in a segregated way. Multiculturalism is key.

Besides the collaborative moments, do you have any planned activities for participants to explore the city?

RM: Since the program's objective is not to "visit" Barcelona, ​​there will be time after the activities for sightseeing and socializing. Participants may arrive in the city earlier and explore, provided they do so at their own financial expense.

Only students from the five universities represented in your group can participate in this Hackathon, leaving four universities from Unite! out. What motivated this decision?

RM: This wasn't a "decision," but a clause in the Seedfund program itself. The allocated funds are based on the number of organizers from each university. For example, with one student organizing, TU Darmstadt receives a certain amount; with two students, ULisboa receives double. Universities that don't have organizers in the project don't receive funding and therefore can't participate. Hypothetically, it's possible to have a Seedfund that includes all nine universities, but it's always very complicated. However, Unite! always aims for as many students from the various universities as possible to participate, so stabilization and incentive measures are in place. In our Seedfund, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) was scheduled to participate. However, there was an unforeseen event, and both KTH students left the project. Consequently, the university no longer has allocated funding.

Only four to five students from each of these universities will have the chance to participate in the Hackathon. What will be the selection criteria for the candidates?

RM: We will have two criteria. The first criterion will be to prioritize master's or doctoral students, as we believe they will have a greater commitment to this project. The second criterion will involve including students from non-STEM fields, and not focusing so much solely on STEM (namely, computer engineering).

What will come after the evaluation phase, in May 2026?

RM: In May 2026, it will be necessary to assess the impact that the Hackathon will have on the communities. There is a very strong desire to make the Hackathon an annual event with direct funding from the European Commission. In that case, it could be said that this would be a "pilot phase".