Vilnius hosts the 8th MERIThON

On 29 and 30 September, the 8th edition of MERIThON took place in Vilnius, bringing together almost 150 participants interested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for two days of collaboration, creativity and challenge-solving.

Held at VILNIUS TECH, this new edition invited participants with different levels of AI experience to explore how Artificial Intelligence can be used to develop new ideas and solutions to real-world challenges. Participants could either tackle a technical AI challenge supported by the Neurotechnology team or develop and present an actionable idea on how AI could be applied to address a specific challenge. Alongside the traditional ideathon prizes, additional awards were offered by NOD Baltic (the official ESET distributor in the Baltic States), SustAInLivWork, the Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania, Accenture, IBM and Google, further boosting participants’ engagement and motivation.

Working individually or in teams of one to five members, participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop their solutions and build both personal and professional connections. The event also welcomed silent members who wanted to experience MERIThON and learn from participants and mentors without necessarily taking part in the final pitches.

This MERIThON is particularly special, as it brought together participants from both VILNIUS TECH and Riga Technical University (RTU). This has created a diverse environment, bringing together students from different fields and a wider range of countries. It encouraged the exchange of experiences and provided a valuable platform for collaboration and discussion, including opportunities to share perspectives on the MERIT study programmes.

As part of the Digital Europe MERIT project, the 8th MERIThON once again provided a collaborative environment where participants could strengthen their digital, problem-solving and teamwork skills while exploring the potential of AI. Following previous editions in different MERIT partner countries, the event continued to foster connections between people interested in advanced digital technologies and their real-world applications.

While we are still waiting for the final pitches, we would already like to congratulate all the participants, mentors and organisers who contributed to the 8th MERIThON in Vilnius!

By bringing together an active and diverse community, we can create greater impact and foster new opportunities for collaboration.