Global Sustainability
Sign up before September 13
18, 19, 20 & 24
September 2026
Explore the upcoming event below
Challenges
OpenInnovation September 2026
As a student participating in OpenInnovation you will tackle one of the real-world sustainability challenges presented by this year’s Challenge Partners.
When signing up, you prioritise which challenge you wish to work on.
-
Challenge 1
Circular Futures – Waste to Worth for Families in Kibera
100% for the Children is an international NGO working with local communities in Kenya to improve education, child protection, health and climate resilience. In Kibera, many families rely on irregular, low-paid work, making it difficult to build financial stability and provide secure futures for their children.
The challenge explores how waste can be transformed into products, services and local businesses that create more stable incomes and greater financial independence for caregivers, while supporting a cleaner and more climate-resilient community.
-
Challenge 2
Reducing Floodings through River Waste Management in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas such as Freetown. During the rainy season, blocked drainage systems and polluted waterways contribute to frequent flooding, damaging homes, disrupting access to essential services, and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
The goal: Develop a solution that continuously engages local communities in running river-waste collection initiatives and strengthens resilience to flooding.
-
Challenge 3
Rethink Circular Materials in Retail
Help IKEA Denmark reach their goal of be 2030 goal of becoming fully circular and climate-positive. Today, zero-waste operations are held back by subjective grading of returned items, no real-time resale pricing, and labor-intensive manual sorting of complex, multi-material waste.
The goal is to explore how AI, automation, and data can help IKEA make smarter circular decisions, from waste recognition to data-enabled routing and human-machine collaboration, keeping products and materials at their highest value for longer and minimizing the use of virgin materials.
-
Challenge 4
Rethink Egyptian Cities
Egypt is undergoing a critical green and digital transition, where addressing climate challenges and building sustainable economic systems requires new approaches driven by innovation, technology, and youth engagement. However, significant unmet needs remain at societal, institutional, and individual levels.
Join OpenInnovation to
Address real societal challenges presented by industry leaders.
Network with students from various universities and discover your potential as a team player in a truly interdisciplinary setting.
Collaborate with Danish organisations and companies, opening doors to new opportunities.
Develop innovation skills and experience the power of a collaborative and open innovation process.
Explore sustainability topics and contribute to important sustainability agendas.
Unlock new opportunities.
Turn your idea into a start-up or a university project, and see where your new connections take you.
Program
Event: Kick Off
Date: September 18
Location: University of Copenhagen
Welcome to the enchanting historical university library. Meet your team and the partners, get familiar with the challenge in front of you, and prepare for an innovation adventure.
Event: Innovation Weekend
Date: September 19 & 20
Location: DTU Skylab, Technical University of Denmark
Deep dive into the innovation process and develop bold solutions with support from industry representatives and innovation experts.
Event: Finals
Date: September 24
Location: Copenhagen Business School
Pitch your concepts and solutions to your peers and a jury. Gain valuable experience in explaining your thought process to an audience and compete for exciting team prizes.
Sign Up!
The event is free to join and open to all students enrolled in Danish higher education and higher education alumni with less than a year since graduation. There is no specific knowledge required, however you must bring motivation and curiosity to work innovatively with sustainability in an interdisciplinary team. We will provide food and drinks for you throughout the event!
By signing up you commit to:
Attend all events in the program:
The Kick Off, Innovation Weekend, and the Finals.
Your absence would mean a missed opportunity for another student to get the spot.
Come with curiosity and openness.
18, 19, 20 & 24
September 2026
Partners September 2026
Challenge Partners
Program Partner
Strong Partnership
OpenInnovation is brought forward by a strong partnership between three leading Danish universities.
