The Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy invites students to take part in the two-day hackathon HACK4CLIMATE, organised within the LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE project. The event will take place on 14–15 November 2025 at M hotel in Ljubljana. It will bring together creative, interdisciplinary student teams to develop communication solutions that show investors, clients and designers that sustainable construction is a smart choice – for both the environment and the economy.

The event is co-organised by ZAG –Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute and Building and Civil Engineering ZRMK, both partners in the LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE project, in cooperation with SRIP Smart Buildings and Home including Wood Chain.

Why HACK4CLIMATE?

Construction plays a key role in achieving climate goals, as it accounts for more than one-third of all CO₂ emissions in Europe. If clients and investors fail to understand benefits of sustainable construction, such as lower operating costs, higher energy efficiency, improved living conditions and increased property value, the transition to sustainable practices will remain too slow. Hackathon will create a space for new ideas, fresh perspectives and communication approaches through which students will help accelerate changes in practice.

What will participants do?

In 48 hours, student teams will:

• Prepare a communication package that clearly and attractively presents benefits of sustainable construction;

• Use the Level(s) indicators and Slovenian sustainable building indicators to ensure that their solutions are measurable, comparable and practical;

• Design at least two concrete examples of message applications (e.g. digital campaign, social media content, video, promotional materials);

• Present their ideas to a jury in a final pitch session.

Participants will use modern methods such as design thinking, brainstorming and idea testing as well as receiving expert mentoring from professionals in the fields of architecture, construction, economics, communication and sustainability.

Attractive prizes for the best ideas

The most convincing team will drive home with electric scooters, provided by Lumar IG d.o.o., a member of SRIP Smart Buildings and Home including Wood Chain, one of Slovenia’s leading examples of good practice in sustainable construction.

Who can apply?

Hackathon is open to students of architecture, civil engineering, communication, economics and related fields who are interested in sustainability and innovation. Participation is free of charge. Organisers will cover all costs for meals, accommodation and materials. Applications are open until 30 October 2025, but the number of places is limited, so early registration is recommended.

More information and the application form: HACK4CLIMATE – Student Hackathon – Only One Planet.