Student Olena Strapchuk Wins International SEIZMIC Hackathon in Italy

Olena Strapchuk, a fourth-year student of the International E-Commerce educational program at the Education and Research Institute “Karazin Institute of International Relations and Travel Business,” won first place as part of an international team at the prestigious social innovation SEIZMIC Hackathon.

The event was held within the framework of short-term academic mobility of the European university alliance Aurora Alliance and took place at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy.

Acting as a Public Partnership Manager, Olena collaborated with teammates representing seven countries across Europe and the Middle East to develop the innovative savEat project.

The savEat concept is based on the principles of the circular economy and is primarily designed for major tourist destinations such as Naples, where there is significant potential to combine social responsibility with the tourism sector.

The model focuses on the efficient use of surplus food from supermarkets through premium culinary workshops using local products for international students and tourists. The revenue generated is directed toward financing free meals and professional training for representatives of socially vulnerable groups (Base of the Pyramid). An additional environmental dimension of the initiative is the creation of a closed production cycle by supplying high-quality compost to local farms.

The path to victory involved several rigorous selection stages. Out of nearly 100 conceptual models submitted on the platform, 60 projects were nominated for the SEIZMIC Awards, and only 10 top teams advanced to the final round.

Following the final ceremony held on January 29, 2026, the savEat project was recognized as the absolute winner.

This outstanding international achievement highlights the competitiveness of Karazin University students as an associate member of the Aurora Alliance.

The next stage of the initiative will be its presentation at the Aurora Conference in May 2026 at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.