CEU San Pablo University has
celebrated the 7th edition of Innovation Week. A unique event that aims to
become an ecosystem between university talent and the business world, in which
different companies and institutions have posed real challenges to nearly 500
students from the five faculties and the Institue of Technology. This was an
opportunity for the professionals of the future to present creative ideas that,
in some cases, have responded to a need and will contribute to improving
society, people and companies.
This hackathon was attended by
companies and institutions such as AWS, L'Oréal, Mapfre, IBM, Ilunion, Moeve,
Auara, Farlabo, Enterprise Mobility, Madrid Talento, Mantequería Andrés,
Fundación Prodis, Fundación AMÁS, Squire Patton Boggs, ManpowerGroup, Chemo and
Unicom Jobs, who took part in this event to propose real challenges to the
students, as well as giving inspiring talks and round tables.
The Rector of the University, Rosa
Visiedo, stressed ‘the importance of training the professionals of the future
so that they can solve the challenges demanded by companies, from an
innovative, proactive and critical thinking perspective’. In this sense, she
pointed out, ‘This hackathon brings together business challenges and university
talent with the aim of proposing solutions to issues of great social impact, in
which our young people contribute innovative ideas, in order to form a better
society and a better world’.
This year, the participants made use
of PartyRock, a free generative AI application developed by Amazon Web Services
(AWS), which was presented by Suzana Curic, AWS Country Leader for Spain and
Portugal, during the inauguration of this meeting. Using this new tool, the
students faced challenges such as creating an internal communication campaign;
improving the positioning of new products and businesses; encouraging
responsible recycling; designing an app to optimise the Public Legal Service;
seeking new formulas for measuring productivity; attracting talent with
disabilities in the future; promoting a clothing collection programme; and
proposing new uses of technologies to promote efficiency, sustainability and
the circular economy, among others.
“At AWS, we are committed to driving
the next generation of digital innovators, and tools like AWS PartyRock provide
an accessible environment where young people can experiment with AI without the
need of deep technical knowledge, fostering essential skills such as critical
thinking and problem-solving, which will prepare them for a future where
human-machine interaction will be increasingly important,” said Suzana Curic.
The day concluded with an awards
ceremony recognising the best applications developed during the event,
assessing aspects such as their applicability, technical quality, inspirational
potential, creativity and innovation, and usability.