The Wave will reach Teruel: around 100 students will experience the uses of AI to boost local development

On February 25th, the Hackathon The Wave “Hacking the Future” will be held at the University of Zaragoza’s Teruel campus. Aimed at young talent from Aragon, this initiative is designed to generate a direct return on investment in Aragon’s innovation ecosystem, with a particular focus on local development.

The event will bring together more than 100 university and vocational students from various educational centers in the province, including the University of Zaragoza (Teruel Campus), the IES Bajo Aragón in Alcañiz, and the IES Segundo de Chomón. Participants will work in multidisciplinary teams to solve real-world challenges using emerging technologies, with a special focus on artificial intelligence.

A hackathon is an intensive collaborative innovation space where multidisciplinary teams work for a limited time to solve real-world challenges posed by companies or institutions. It combines creativity, technology, teamwork, and hands-on learning, allowing participants to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

The main novelty of this edition is that the event extends to the entire region. In 2026, the program will take place in all three Aragonese provinces with three hackathons: in Teruel, Huesca, and Zaragoza. The challenges will be adapted to the local context and the most representative and strategic sectors of each province. This format allows for overall coherence while also highlighting the economic and productive diversity of Aragon.

In the case of the Teruel Hackathon, the challenges are real-world problems posed directly by the Provincial Council, financial institutions, technology and industrial companies, and organizations linked to the aeronautical and aerospace sector . This raises the level of the event, as the teams will work on challenges that directly affect the future of the region and will ensure that the solutions developed have immediate applicability.

Sponsored by Microsoft as part of its community commitment in Aragon, and organized by the Technological Institute of Aragon (ITA) and Tecnara, who are responsible for overall coordination, methodology, connecting with the local ecosystem, and supporting the teams. The University of Zaragoza also collaborates by providing spaces, involving students, and connecting the event with young talent and the university community. Companies and partner organizations also participate, presenting the real-world challenges that are addressed during the event. The day will be moderated by Juan Capilla and will feature an inspiring talk on entrepreneurship by physicist and science communicator José Luis Oltra, known on social media as @Cuarentaydos.

The winning teams of the Hackathon will be eligible for prizes of €1,000 (first prize), €500 (second prize), and €250 (third prize) to further develop their projects. Following the Teruel Hackathon, the next one will be held in Huesca on March 11th and in Zaragoza on April 13th and 14th, on the eve of The Wave 2026 congress, the most important technology event in the region, which will take place on April 14th, 15th, and 16th at the Conference Center in the Aragonese capital.