Karazin Hackathon 2026: from Idea to Ready Solution

On May 21–22, 2026, the Karazin Science Park hosted the Karazin Hackathon “From Idea to Ready Solution,” organized with the support of the Faculty of Economics.

The event brought together students and young researchers from all faculties and educational and research institutes of the university. The most active participants were representatives of the School of Radiophysics, Biomedical Electronics and Computer Systems; the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics; the Faculty of Economics; the School of Biology; the School of Medicine; the Education and Research Institute of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence; and the Education and Research Institute of Public Administration.

The Karazin Hackathon united the academic community, business representatives, the public sector, and government authorities around the creation of innovative products with practical applications already today.

Within the hackathon, teams worked on their own prototypes, tested ideas, received expert feedback, and presented solutions in the fields of AI, robotics, EdTech, and social technologies.

During the first day, experts conducted insightful and inspiring training sessions and information blocks for participants on business plan development, writing a white paper, and preparing a pitch deck for investors.

The second day was dedicated to project presentations before the competition jury, which included:

• Tetyana Kaganovska — Rector of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University;
• Yevhen Ivanov — Deputy Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration;
• Oleksandr Chumak — President of the NGO “Association of Private Employers”;
• Hryhorii Panaiotov — Director of the Kharkiv Regional Entrepreneurship Support Fund;
• Yurii Sapronov — entrepreneur, public figure, and volunteer;
• Yuliia Troino — Deputy Head of the Employment Program Implementation Department of the Kharkiv Regional Employment Center;
• Serhii Zhuk — Director of the Charitable Organization “Source of Revival” (CFSR).

During the evaluation of projects, jury members asked clarifying questions, provided feedback, and offered valuable advice on possible development paths for the presented ideas.

The winner was the team with the project “Modular Robotic Electronic System” — a flexible robotic platform capable of adapting to different tasks and operating in complex environments. The development has potential applications in manufacturing, security, and process automation.

Second place went to the “AnalyticsTube AI” project — a SaaS platform for predicting video content performance. The system analyzes potential ROI of content before publication using AI and system dynamics modeling.

Shared third place was awarded to the following teams:

• “EyeWay” — a hardware-software system in the form of smart glasses for people with visual impairments. The LLM-based system helps navigate safely and orient in space;
• “VocabX” — a language learning application with gamification, adaptive spaced repetition, and a motivation system through cashback for consistent learning.

The Karazin Hackathon became an interdisciplinary competition that brought together representatives from different faculties and scientific fields to build a new economy for Ukraine. The event demonstrated the versatility of Karazin education, where outcomes can include not only theoretical knowledge but also practical student-driven projects, and once again proved that classical education is ahead of its time.

The next step for the teams will be participation in the Startup School program at the Karazin Science Park and presentation of their projects to potential investors.

We thank all participants, mentors, partners, and jury members for their incredible energy, strong ideas, and determination to create something new even in challenging times.