Encouraging the use of open datasets: 2020 #EUDatathon competition now open

Today, the European Commission and the Publications Office of the European Union have launched the fourth edition of the ‘EU Datathon‘, a competition that invites people passionate about data to develop new, innovative apps that make good use of the EU’s numerous open datasets. The application process is open as of today until 3 May 2020. The twelve finalist teams will be invited to present their ideas on 13-15 October 2020 during the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels. Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn said: “We have goldmines of data in the EU institutions for start-ups, developers and other data workers to use for creating new applications that will help us deliver even better solutions for our citizens and businesses.” Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, added: “This is an important bottom-up initiative: we want to hear from the people how we can make better use of the huge amount of open information we have at our disposal. Accessible data is of crucial importance for policy-making, so the aim is to position the EU as a digital leader in finding smart ways to improve people’s life thanks to open data.” This year’s EU Datathon focuses on four political priorities of the von der Leyen Commission (A European Green Deal, an economy that works for people, a new push for European democracy and a Europe fit for the digital age) and contributes to the new EU Data Strategy announced today. More information on the EU Datathon is available here.