On Friday, 31 October, NGO Green Home organized the final presentation of ideas and the announcement of the winning teams of the three-day EIT Food Challenge Lab Hackathon, which began on 27 October and lasted for a week.
This innovative event brought together numerous students, aspiring innovators, and entrepreneurs with the aim of developing creative and sustainable solutions in agriculture and the food industry, as well as strengthening technological development and entrepreneurship in Montenegro. Over the course of seven days, participants worked in teams with the support of mentors from the fields of economics, agriculture, business, and environmental protection, developing ideas that can contribute to the advancement of circular agricultural systems in Montenegro.
During the hackathon, participants identified a number of challenges facing the agri-food sector, including agricultural waste management, the presence of invasive species, issues related to plastic packaging, and difficulties in connecting agricultural holdings.
Awarded ideas included:
First place (1,500 EUR) — Team Lactolinea: Klaudija Lukić, Harun Bašić, and Iva Janković — for their idea of producing single-use packaging made entirely from natural materials, using lactic acid and glycerin.
Second place (900 EUR) — Nikola and Mitar Vujović — for offering a solution to the problem of the invasive perch species in Skadar Lake National Park by developing a food product that can sustainably enhance the local tourist offer.
Third place (300 EUR) — Team WinePeel: Iva Bulajić, Selima Musić, and Vlad Malkovich — for their idea of using waste from wineries to create a natural facial peeling cosmetic product.
Although the hackathon’s themes focused on sustainable agriculture and circular systems in the food industry, all awarded ideas highlighted the importance of more efficient waste management and better use of available resources. Participants demonstrated that with creative approaches and innovative technologies, waste can become a valuable resource — whether through its use in packaging production, development of new food products, or creation of natural cosmetics.
Such solutions directly contribute to reducing negative environmental impacts and promoting sustainable development, which is particularly important for Montenegro, where more than 52,000 tons of food are discarded annually, while every fifth citizen is at risk of poverty.
The hackathon helped raise awareness of the importance of waste reduction, environmental protection, and the promotion of sustainable business models that can strengthen Montenegrin agriculture and the food industry.
The EIT Food Challenge Lab Hackathon was organized with the support of the European Union through the EIT Food program, which aims to foster innovation and sustainable development in the food sector across Europe.
