UPC Manresa Promotes Technological Talent with the 3rd Edition of the MERIThON, the Hackathon of the European MERIT Project

On Saturday, April 26, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) in Manresa, UPC Manresa, hosted a new edition of the MERIThON, the hackathon organized as part of the European MERIT project, which promotes education and talent development in key fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The event also served as an opportunity to showcase UPC Manresa’s new master’s degree: the Master’s in Machine Learning and Cybersecurity for Internet-Connected Systems, launched this academic year within the MERIT framework. The program responds to the growing demand for professionals specialized in emerging technologies and digital security.

In this third edition of the MERIThON (the second held in Manresa), participation exceeded expectations, with 26 participants divided into 9 teams. Throughout the day, they tackled real-world challenges proposed by companies and research centers such as On-Laser, ASOINDEL, F2R, FBK, and UPC. The event’s design and facilitation benefited from the collaboration of hackathon expert Naoufal Dahouli, contributing to its success in both organization and participation.

The teams selected from among 12 technological challenges and worked intensively to deliver innovative solutions. At the closing ceremony, each group presented its proposal to a jury composed of:

• Cristian Rodríguez, master’s degree professor and cybersecurity expert
• Jaume Martínez, representative of ASOINDEL and MERIT project partner
• Maria Ariño, artificial intelligence expert
• Miguel Romera, artificial intelligence expert

The jury selected two winning proposals, each awarded a €300 prize, sponsored by CETIM and Masats, respectively.

The winning teams were:

• CETIM Prize: Chengheng Li Chen, Xu Yao Chen, Zhiqian Zhou, Zhihao Chen, and Pengcheng Chen
• Masats Prize: Hafid Kharbouch and Raquel Horta

With this new edition of the Merithon, UPC Manresa strengthens its commitment to innovation, collaborative work, and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. Preparations are already underway for the next Merithon edition, with the goal of continuing to encourage technological vocations and highlight the opportunities offered by the master’s degree and the European MERIT project.

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