Inspired by the public will to help, and national-level initiatives across the continent, the European Commission has announced a pan-European hackathon for 24-26 April to connect civil society, innovators, partners and buyers across Europe to develop innovative solutions to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Full details are yet to be announced, but the hackathon will address some 20 challenges including fast production of equipment, scaling up production capabilities, knowledge and solutions transfer from one country to another, all in a spirit of multilateral collaboration.

Held under the patronage of the European Commissioner for Innovation, Culture, research, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, the #EUvsVirus hackathon has been initiated by a range of organisations and national hackathons both inside and outside the EU, including Switzerland’s recent #VersusVirus. Details of how to get involved, and of the full list of challenges to be addressed will be published here: https://euvsvirus.org.