Within the Ecosys4you project, an innovative co-ideation challenge format was developed to connect young people, students, start-ups and ecosystem actors through challenge-based collaboration. Inspired by hackathons, interdisciplinary and international teams worked intensively over 24 hours on real-life challenges posed by start-ups and urban stakeholders.
The format was implemented twice: MindMining Ruhr in Gelsenkirchen (Germany, September 2024) and MindDiving Varna in Varna (Bulgaria, July 2025), strengthening entrepreneurial collaboration across regions. Across both editions, 32 participants and 8 start-ups engaged, resulting in 9 ideas pitched. The format fostered entrepreneurial mindsets, problem-solving skills, and stronger links between young talent and local innovation ecosystems.
To ensure sustainability beyond the project, the methodology evolved into the Urban Solutions Lab — a curriculum-integrated educational format for solving real urban challenges through interdisciplinary learning. The Urban Solutions Lab transforms traditional hackathons into a structured, practice-oriented learning and innovation format that directly connects citizens, students, public authorities, and urban stakeholders with real-life urban challenges. Participants not only generate ideas but also develop actionable solutions grounded in real municipal or ecosystem needs.
First implemented in Gelsenkirchen in 2025, the Urban Solutions Lab model is designed for high replicability across cities, regions, and thematic domains. It is not dependent on local infrastructure, but on a methodological and digital backbone. However, it does require collaboration among different stakeholders for the formulation of challenges, the organisation of the venue, and the engagement of students. It can be deployed across diverse European urban and regional contexts while maintaining consistent outcomes and learning value.
