On September 26–28, the Klaipėda Science and Technology Park will host the seventh international port technology hackathon Portathon 2025. More than 100 participants from Lithuania, Sweden, Romania and Georgia will develop technological solutions that will help solve the challenges of the maritime sector, defense, pollution reduction and sustainability.
This year, the tasks for the teams’ creation were submitted by the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, AB Vakarų laivų zamykų group, the international green energy company Ignitis renewables, Klaipėda FEZ, Hamburg University of Technology and Blekinge University of Technology. They include issues of GPS interference in navigation, smart ticketing, air pollution reduction, safety of offshore wind farms and digitalization of logistics.
The goal of the event is to unite the forces of science, business and creative teams to turn ideas into real-life solutions.
The event is more than a hackathon
For three days, teams at Klaipėda Science and Technology Park will develop innovative solutions in the areas of security, sustainability, shipping and pollution reduction. This year, more than 100 talented students, science, business and startup representatives from Lithuania and abroad registered for the event. Portathon has become an important innovation platform in Western Lithuania and the entire Baltic Sea region, and the ideas born here are successfully applied not only in Lithuania but also abroad. The event unites talents from engineering, IT, marine technologies, business and science, helping to turn challenges into real solutions.
A springboard to commercialize your knowledge and experience
The event provides participants with the opportunity not only to test their ideas, but also to implement them in real companies and establish valuable partnerships. Erika Zavackienė, KMTP project manager, says: “Hackaton is unique in that here, solutions with potential actually become reality. It is gratifying that the event has not lost its relevance and interest for several years, and its results have become a springboard for startups, acquaintances – a network of new business partnerships, and for ports and maritime business – a know-how technology center. The trust of our partners also creates great value – their attention, support and desire to implement the created solutions in real activities. “
This year’s Portathon 2025 challenges are formulated taking into account the most relevant maritime sector and geopolitical trends, and their solutions will be important for every strategic port.
It is often said that a port must be fast and safe, but today that is no longer enough. We need to be both sustainable and able to change faster than the world around us. That’s why PORTATHON is more than an event for us – it’s a place where solutions are born that can change the entire maritime sector. It’s where we see what we can be tomorrow if we dare to think bigger today”, says Algis Latakas, CEO of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.
And the head of the Klaipėda FEZ Management Company, Eimantas Kiudulas, notes the uniqueness of Portathon 2025 as “collaboration opportunity that we can develop solutions to strengthen our nation’s resilience. Today, innovation is an essential pillar in safeguarding strategic infrastructure – enabling us to respond more swiftly, operate more effectively, and enhance security both nationally and internationally. I therefore invite everyone committed to Lithuania’s future to actively engage in this hackathon and contribute to the changes that will help build a safer and stronger state”.
The event would lose its meaning and continuity if there were no obvious potential in its results. Vaiva-Indilaitė Girtzė, a representative of the international green energy company Ignitis renewables, sees the value in contributing to the sponsorship of the event, because „we’re deeply dedicated to fostering a sustainable future and protecting the health of our environment. For us, the best way to make this happen is by forming long-term, trustworthy partnerships. We recognise how crucial it is to build enduring connections with local businesses and coastal communities in order to work together in a way that benefits us all”.
Record Prize Fund
This year’s hackathon is as popular as previous events. Registration for the event was suspended earlier than planned due to the limited physical space available for the event. The number of participants exceeded 100 people, 20 teams will solve challenges over the three days, and the event participants will be advised by an international team of mentors, consisting of 22 representatives of science and business.
The event is organized by the Public Institution Klaipėda Science and Technology Park and the Lithuanian Maritime Cluster. The main sponsors and partners of the event are Klaipėda University, EU-CONEXUS, Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, AB Western Shipyard Group, international green energy company Ignitis Renewables, Klaipėda LEZ, Schneider Electrics Lietuva, Omega 365 Lithuania, Phoenix Contact.
On September 26, the event will begin with welcoming speeches by the Director of Klaipėda Science and Technology Park, Romas Stubrienė, and the Vice-Rector for Studies of Klaipėda University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rasa Grigolienė, team formation and distribution of challenges.
On September 27, participants will be inspired by motivating speeches, which will be read by Sigutė Stankevičiūtė, Head of the Baltic Region and Poland of the American company Mach Industries, and Viktorija Sidarienė, Head of the Innovation Agency Miltech LAB.
On Sunday, the hackathon will reach the peak of the event – the teams will present their final solutions to the judging panel, and after calculating the evaluation scores, the winners will be announced.
What is new in the event is that this year the prize fund has increased to 5,500 EUR, and for the first time in the history of the event, teams will be ranked according to their place. Four prize places have been awarded, the monetary fund of which is distributed accordingly according to the place. The first-place winner will receive a prize of 2,000 EUR, the second-place winner will receive 1,500 EUR, and the 3rd-4th place winners will share 1,000 EUR.
It is gratifying to note that in addition to financial motivation, other opportunities open up for participants: the solutions they create can be applied in real-world business operations, and meeting mentors and partners often becomes a springboard for creating startups. Portathon 2025 is a platform where innovations meet reality, and ideas turn into solutions that can change the maritime sector and strengthen the Lithuanian innovation ecosystem.
