This October, for the first time the Region of Murcia will be one of the hosts for NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge, the world’s largest STEAM hackathon.  Thanks to SpaceAPPS Spain and UCAM, specifically its UCAM HiTech hub, the event will bring together all the scientific and technological talent from the region for two days, aiming to tackle global challenges previously set by the US aerospace agency. 

The NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge is an international event that gathers creative minds passionate about science and technology, with an objective of solving global issues through collaboration and innovation. During its first edition in Murcia, attendance of many students, professionals, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts from the STEAM sector is expected. All participants will have a chance to develop innovative solutions for areas such as sustainability, space exploration, health and education.

The objective of NASA SpaceAPPS Spain is to highlight and showcase the talent Spain has in store for this field. More than 450 people from seven Spanish cities participated in the previous edition. This year, Murcia, too, will join that select group. In that edition, the Asturian team AsturExplorers was one of the global winners of the NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge. This month, alongside nine other global winners, they will travel to the Kennedy Space Centre to pitch their Landsat Connect project to the NASA experts. Globally, the NASA SpaceAPPS Challenge is celebrated in more than 150 countries, gathering more than 93 000 participants.
 

Presentation of NASA SpaceAPPS Spain
 

Among the attendees of the launch event were: María Dolores García Mascarell, UCAM President; Ana Enriqueta Losantos, General Secretary of the Regional Ministry of Business, Employment and Social Economy in the Autonomous Community of Murcia; Belén López Cambronero, Delegate Councilwoman of Education of the Murcia City Council; and Carlos Vincente Caballero, Director of UCAM HiTech. Furthermore, Jon E. Piechowski, Counsellor of the Public Diplomacy Section of the US Embassy in Madrid also participated in the event. The business panel brought together representatives of PC Componentes, Hidroconta, SABIC, TK Analytics and CaixaBank, who took part in a discussion on the role of digital talent in the region. Moreover, the global winners of AsturExplorers, the pinnacle of Spanish talent with international reach, showcased their project.
 

‘At UCAM, we always open doors to initiatives like this one; to global initiatives that support talent, innovation and creativity of Murcian people. We want to become the national centre of scientific and technological entrepreneurship,’ said María Dolores García Mascarell, UCAM President.
 

Ana Enriqueta Losantos from the Regional Ministry claimed that those collaborations between public and private entities gave way for more innovative ideas, hence the support of the Regional Ministry. ‘We want our talent to stay in our companies,’ she added.
 

‘The presence of NASA in our region is a true honour for the city council of Murcia. Our city recently celebrated its 1200th anniversary. Initiatives like these allow our young people to build a better future for Murcia,’ said Councilwoman Belén López Cambronero.
 

Carlos Vincente Caballero, the Director of UCAM HiTech, commented that the university was obligated to strive towards becoming an international role model, not only in terms of knowledge, but also skills. ‘Through such projects, we want to raise awareness among our students,’ he explained.
 

‘It is crucial that people of Murcia unite for this global challenge. Thanks to this, the region can connect with the international STEAM community. We have to look forward and see opportunities, not limits. Innovation lives on. On behalf of the United States and NASA, we are thrilled to collaborate with Spain and Murcia,’ said Jon E. Piechowski, Counsellor of the Public Diplomacy Section of the US Embassy in Madrid.
 

In addition, Óscar Sala, Director of NASA SpaceAPPS Spain claimed that ‘this project is a unique opportunity for Murcian talent and university students to develop their skills and work on innovative solutions for the scientific and technological field. We mean solutions that might have global impact and contribute to creation of employment’.
 

Backed by leaders in science and technology from all over the world, the event will promote creativity and collaboration in the Region of Murcia, as well as position it as a hub for STEAM talent, thus reinforcing its commitment to the scientific and technological advancement at national and international level.