Open Calls

European AI Hackathon Opens Applications For Teams Ready To Scale AI Workloads

by News Editor

Overview

Applications are open for the European AI Hackathon, a hands-on event running from the 6th to 29th October 2026 for teams building AI-driven products and services. The hackathon targets SMEs, startups, industry practitioners and researchers across Europe, giving teams expert support to develop, optimise and scale AI workloads.

The Cyprus connection comes through AI Factory Antenna Cyprus Pharos-CY, coordinated by The Cyprus Institute. Pharos-CY is part of the wider European AI Factory and EuroHPC ecosystem, and is designed to connect local stakeholders, including startups, SMEs, public institutions and researchers, with advanced AI tools, curated datasets and high-performance computing resources.

Benefits

Participants will work with dedicated mentors to accelerate, optimise and scale their AI applications. The hackathon is designed to help teams identify and address data-loading bottlenecks, parallelise training and optimise AI pipelines for faster experimentation and performance gains.

Teams will also gain access to leadership-class compute resources, allowing them to test and improve AI workloads with expert guidance. The event is listed as free of charge for eligible participants.

Who Can Apply

The hackathon is aimed at SMEs, startups, industry practitioners, and researchers developing AI-driven products and services.

The opportunity is particularly relevant for teams that already have an AI project or workload and want to improve performance, scalability, and technical readiness with mentor support.

Criteria

Teams are expected to bring a project they know well and are ready to develop further during the hackathon. Projects brought to the event must have a licence attached and described in the application. The organisers state that permissive open-source licences, including BSD, MIT or Apache 2.0, are preferred because they make it easier to match teams with mentors.

How To Apply

Applications should be submitted through the Open Hackathons platform using an official email address to prove affiliation. The event language is English.

The registration deadline is 31 August 2026 at 23:59. The hackathon schedule includes Day 0 on 6 October, Day 1 on 13 October, and hybrid programme days from 27 to 29 October 2026.

About Pharos-CY

This hackathon is co-organized by Austrian Scientific Computing (ASC), the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), the Academic Computer Centre Cyfronet AGH (Cyfronet), OpenACC organization, and NVIDIA for AI Factory Austria AI:AT, HammerHAI, Gaia AI Factory and AI Factory Antenna Cyprus Pharos-CY.

Pharos-CY is the AI Factory Antenna of Cyprus, coordinated by The Cyprus Institute. It aims to accelerate the development and adoption of trustworthy, high-impact AI solutions in Cyprus, with focus areas including health, sustainability, and culture and language.

The initiative is also intended to establish a national AI training hub, offering tailored programmes, workshops and hackathons, while helping local stakeholders access AI tools, curated datasets and high-performance computing resources.

The League Opens Free Cyprus Basecamp For Young People To Build Agentic AI Systems

by News Editor

Overview

The League is opening applications for its first Agentic AI Basecamp, a free, in-person programme in Cyprus for participants aged 16 and over. The Basecamp offers 15 seats, and its eight-Saturday sprint will run at Space307 from 3rd October to 21st November 2026, every Saturday from 09:00 to 12:00. Applications open on 10 September and close on 25 September 2026.

The programme is the entry point into The League, a year-round educational ecosystem designed to bridge the gap between school and professional life. It is built around real company projects, expert mentorship, and continuous evidence-building, with participants joining independent programmes one at a time.

The wider Agentic AI Basecamp entry point is listed as running from October to December 2026 and includes the first Saturday sprint, eight Saturdays, plus a December Hackathon.

What Makes It Different

The League is neither a school, nor a university, nor a one-off camp. Its model is based on the idea that young people need proof of how they work, specifically how they break down unclear tasks, take ownership, collaborate, recover from setbacks, and deliver visible results.

The programme responds to a gap seen on both sides of the talent pipeline. Companies often struggle to identify young talent that can execute, collaborate, and take ownership, while teenagers are often pushed to choose a career direction without real exposure to industries, constraints, teams, or feedback.

What Participants Will Build

The Agentic AI Basecamp is an eight-Saturday sprint focused on building one real system from scratch. Sessions take place at Space307, described by the organisers as a working technology company environment rather than a classroom.

The first two weeks will cover what today’s AI can and cannot do, Python, and the use of git and GitHub in a real team context. Weeks three and four focus on building an agent loop, including an AI system that takes real actions and the use of a third-party AI API.

In weeks five and six, participants will develop their own agentic system around a real problem of their choice, wrap it in their own API, and work with Linux and real servers. The final two weeks cover Docker and deployment, including health checks, logs, testing against an evaluation set, and a final Demo Day.

Benefits

By the end of the Basecamp, every participant is expected to leave with a working agentic AI system they designed, built, and published online. They will also have a development record showing how the project evolved and what they personally contributed.

Participants will also complete an independent technical defence at Demo Day, receive written feedback from a professional mentor and join The League alumni community. Together, these outcomes are intended to give participants evidence they can show to a university or first employer.

The wider aim is not only technical output, but professional development. The programme is designed to build independence, ownership, teamwork, communication, resilience, judgement and career direction through real experience.

Who Can Apply

The Basecamp is open to people aged 16+. There are 15 seats available, and the first Basecamp starts on 3rd October 2026.

The programme is especially relevant for teenagers and young people who want early exposure to real technology work, AI systems, team-based problem-solving and professional mentorship before choosing or committing to a future study or career path.

How Selection Works

Applicants must complete an application form. The process also includes a short interview, described as a conversation rather than an exam. Fifteen offers will then be made for the first Basecamp.

The Wider League Ecosystem

The Agentic AI Basecamp is the first programme currently open for applications, but The League is designed as a wider year-round ecosystem. Planned programmes include an MIT MISTI Bootcamp in January 2027, a GameDev & Interactive Tech Sprint from late January to March 2027, a JASS Bootcamp at the end of March 2027, a Software & Product Sprint from April to June 2027, and a Talent Showcase in June 2027.

Each programme has its own application, interview, age range, and calendar. Completing the Basecamp brings participants into The League, but does not automatically secure a place in later programmes such as MIT MISTI or JASS.

How To Apply

Applications for the Agentic AI Basecamp open on 10 September and close on 25 September 2026. The programme is free, offers 15 seats, and will take place at Space307 in Cyprus.

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