Fuerteventura Chamber of Commerce challenges young islanders to turn ideas into innovative solutions

Fuerteventura Chamber of Commerce will hold the second event in its “R&D&I Outreach” programme on 28 October. Following the success of its first event, the programme returns with an initiative designed to bring out the island’s young people’s innovative talent and turn their ideas into potential solutions to real challenges facing the area.

The programme is funded by the Canary Islands Government’s Department of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture, through the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI), and is supported by El Talentón and Fuerteventura Island Council.

Titled “Local Talent and Technology Hackathon 2026”, the event will take place at the Fuerteventura Training and Conference Centre from 09:00 to 18:00. It is a hands-on experience for vocational education and training students and young people on the island interested in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

The initiative follows “Science for Everyone”, the programme’s first event, which brought together 315 schoolchildren at the Fuerteventura Island Auditorium last September. This time, participants will work in teams to develop proposals addressing challenges related to sustainability, resource management, the blue economy and tourism innovation. They will take part in five short training sessions and receive guidance from five specialist mentors, who will help them develop their ideas and prepare to present them to a jury.

No programming knowledge or previous business experience is required. The aim is to bring together young people with different skills, interests and perspectives, encourage collaborative working and show that innovation can emerge from any area of study.

A grand final with prizes of up to €500

At the end of the event, three finalist projects will be selected to compete on 3 December at the Applied Innovation Fair: Solutions for the Future, the programme’s final event.

The teams will compete for prizes of €500, €300 and €150. With these awards, the Chamber of Commerce aims to encourage vocational students to put their creativity to the test and discover the potential of their ideas.