UniversidaddeCádiz

The University of Cádiz has held the Navantia Sustainability Ideathon, an intensive workshop focused on addressing real challenges related to the circular economy in the industrial sector. The initiative has been organised by UCAEmprende in collaboration with the School of Naval and Ocean Engineering, the School of Marine, Nautical and Radioelectronics Engineering, the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, the Navantia Chair, Navantia and the UCA Sustainability Office, and has been funded by Ecoembes through the Recapacicla programme.

Over the course of the session, participating students have worked on two challenges proposed by Navantia’s sustainability department: how to give a second life to workers’ safety helmets and how to circularise grinding discs. Based on these challenges, students have collaborated in multidisciplinary teams, bringing together profiles from engineering, environmental sciences and business, with the aim of designing innovative and viable solutions that have been presented before a professional jury.

The ideathon has been conceived as a practical learning environment in which students have applied their knowledge in a real open innovation context. Throughout the day, participants have received guidance from external professionals, as well as support from the Navantia Chair and the UCAEmprende team, facilitating the development of solutions aimed at improving sustainability in the industrial field.

The activity has been open to students from all faculties and schools of the University of Cádiz, regardless of their academic background, with the goal of encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting a comprehensive approach to environmental challenges. This diversity of profiles has enriched the working process and has fostered creativity and innovation from multiple perspectives.

The Navantia Sustainability Ideathon has focused on developing key competencies for today’s professional environment, such as applied creativity, rapid prototyping and complex problem-solving. In addition, the final presentations before a professional jury have allowed students to gain experience in project communication and to showcase their ideas in a professional setting.

The ideathon has been part of the Recapacicla Universities programme, promoted in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalusia’s Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP) and Ecoembes. This support has enabled the delivery of high-quality training in a well-equipped environment focused on sustainability, at no cost to participating students.