A major regional initiative is set to accelerate fifth-generation technology solutions across Central America. The Central American 5G Innovation Hackathon aims to boost regional collaboration, connecting tech talent, startups, research institutions, and public entities to create high-impact digital tools.

The event is organized by the Costa Rican Innovation and Research Promoter (PCII) alongside the Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), the European Union, and the Foundation for the Internationalization of Public Policies (FIAP), with direct support from the National High Technology Center (CeNAT).

A major regional initiative is set to accelerate fifth-generation technology solutions across Central America. The Central American 5G Innovation Hackathon aims to boost regional collaboration, connecting tech talent, startups, research institutions, and public entities to create high-impact digital tools.

Hands-On Innovation with 5G Testbed Infrastructure

Participants in the event will work directly within the framework of Costa Rica’s 5G Testbed—an advanced experimental infrastructure designed to test, validate, and deploy use cases powered by Stand Alone (SA) networks, edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The hackathon welcomes university students, entrepreneurs, developers, researchers, ICT specialists, startups, and social innovators across Central America. Teams will collaborate from October 5 to 9 to develop prototypes addressing critical regional challenges across five core areas:

• Smart and Sustainable Tourism: Enhancing visitor experiences while safeguarding natural heritage.
• Biodiversity, Environment, and Climate Action: Monitoring ecosystems and mitigating climate risks.
• Smart Agriculture and Bioeconomy: Optimizing crop yields and sustainable farming technology.
• Digital Health and Wellness: Expanding healthcare accessibility through real-time telemetry.
• Smart Cities, Mobility, and Risk Management: Improving urban transportation and disaster readiness.

Participating teams will receive specialized technical guidance and mentorship. High-potential projects will have the opportunity to transition into formal validation phases using Costa Rica’s 5G Testbed.

Upcoming Informational Webinar

To help prospective participants prepare, organizers will host a virtual regional webinar to outline event objectives, registration details, and technical capabilities.

• Date: August 27
• Time: 8:00 a.m. (Costa Rica time)
• Format: Virtual / Online
• Participation: Open to individual applicants and pre-formed teams.

Individual applicants will be integrated into multidisciplinary teams through an automated matching process during the initial phase of the program.

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