‘Local Talent and Technology’ turns young people’s ideas into proposals for Fuerteventura

The Fuerteventura Chamber of Commerce held the ‘Local Talent and Technology Hackathon 2026’ yesterday, with the event at full capacity and a high level of participation. The gathering brought together young people at the Fuerteventura Conference and Training Centre, keen to offer innovative solutions to the island’s challenges.

The event was the second meeting in the ‘Dissemination of R&D&I’ programme, which continues to spark interest in science, technology and innovation following the success of its first event, ‘Science for Everyone’, which brought together 315 schoolchildren last September.

The event was opened by Soledad Monzón, second vice-president of the Fuerteventura Chamber of Commerce, and Carmen Alonso, the Fuerteventura Island Council’s councillor for New Technologies, representing the island institution. The Council is supporting the initiative alongside El Talentón.

During the event, participants worked in teams to tackle real challenges related to Fuerteventura, covering areas such as sustainability, resource management, the blue economy and tourism innovation. The aim was to show how young people’s talent, creativity and collaborative work can help generate proposals with the potential to be put into practice on the island.

Participants also heard talks from professionals in different fields, organised into five short training sessions, and received guidance from five specialist mentors as they developed their projects.

The hackathon combined problem analysis, creative exercises and idea generation with the design of solutions. Throughout the event, teams had to turn their initial ideas into concrete proposals and prepare a presentation, or pitch, to make their case.

A grand final with prizes of up to €500

The event also helped pave the way for the hackathon’s grand final, which will take place on 3 December during the ‘Applied Innovation Fair: Solutions for the Future’, the final meeting in the ‘Dissemination of R&D&I’ programme.

The three finalist projects will compete for prizes of €500, €300 and €150, respectively, in recognition of the best proposals.

With this initiative, the Fuerteventura Chamber of Commerce is strengthening its commitment to bringing innovation to younger generations, fostering entrepreneurship and providing spaces where young people can develop their skills and take an active role in finding solutions for the island’s future.

The ‘Dissemination of R&D&I’ 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). The event was held with the support of the Fuerteventura Island Council and El Talentón.