Terms and Conditions for DEI4SME Hackathon Participation
By registering for the DEI4SME Hackathon, participants agree to the following terms and conditions:
1. Schedules:
Theme In Finland: Integrating underrepresented groups in the internationalising SMEs
- Opening (Hybrid): February 4, 2025
- Online Work: February 5 – 13, 2025, Submission deadline: February 13, 2025
- Voting/Evaluating: February 14 – 17, 2025
- Closing (Hybrid): February 19, 2025
Theme in Lithuania: DEI challenges in exporting SMEs
- Opening (Hybrid): March 4, 2025
- Online Work: March 5 – 13, 2025, Submission deadline: March 13, 2025
- Voting/Evaluating: March 14 – 17, 2025
- Closing (Hybrid): March 19, 2025
2. Eligibility
- Participants can attend one or both of the above mentioned events.
- Participation is free of charge, open to individuals and teams who aim to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and are interested in solving DEI-related challenges provided by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
- Local and international students and other individuals are welcome. Participants must select their mode of participation (either online or in-person) during registration and commit to it throughout the event. In case the registering person would like to attend both hackathons, the mode of participation can be different in different hackathon, i.e., there is no need to attend both hackathons online or both in person. When registering, the participants chose the mode of the participation for the specific hackathon considering them as two unrelated events.
- Team size will be 4-5. If a registrant does not have a team, organisers can assign one randomly.
3. Registration
- Interested participant must register to the Hackathon I by January 15, 2025, and to the Hackathon II by February 28, 2025. No late registrations are accepted.
- Teams are expected to submit a short video introducing team members, their motivation, and expected goals. Detailed requirements will be sent after the registration deadline.
4. Mode of participation, activities and deliverables
- In-person participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation, where applicable.
- Online participants must have access to a stable internet connection and necessary communication tools.
- The hackathon will address SME diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. While SMEs have cognitive and resource constraints that prevent them from hiring and integrating diverse talent, their flexible structures, processes, and work practices put them in the best position to reap DEI benefits and benefit the firm and society. Thus, strategies to break the ice and start with impactful, low-hanging fruits are needed.
- Each team will solve one of the DEI-related challenges provided by SMEs. Once the challenge has been attached to a specific team, the challenge cannot be changed. Also, the registered team/individual also commits to deliver an analysis and the solution for the challenge at their best possible capacity.
- The deliverables may include a written proposal outlining the problem, solution, and implementation plan and a presentation.
Code of Conduct:
- Integrity: No plagiarism or cheating. The use of AI should be honestly reported and submitted together with the main outcomes.
- Collaboration: Cross-team communication and sharing of general advice are encouraged. Respect for other teams and stakeholders involved.
- All participants must adhere to the event’s Code of Conduct, promoting mutual respect and collaboration, with zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior.
- Violation of these rules may result in disqualification from the event at the discretion of the organisers.
Final Presentation:
- Live event participation: The registered participants commit to participate in the hackathon activities and the planned opening and closing live events online or face-to-face (based on their choice indicated in the registration form).
- Should the participation in the hackathon or the ability to participate in the chosen mode be affected by any force major (e.g., unexpected sickness), the participants should inform organisers by an email message to the contact@dei4sme.eu as soon as they have been aware of the change.
5. Judging Criteria:
The team/individual are aware of the deliverable evaluation criteria and agree with them. Judging Criteria for both
hackathons are:
- Innovation: Creativity and originality of the solution.
- Impact: Effectiveness in addressing the DEI challenge.
- Feasibility: Realistic implementation by the company, especially by the SME.
- Regulatory fit: Fit of the solution to the EU legal framework for the DEI-related matters.
- Presentation: Clarity, quality and attractiveness of the output, and persuasiveness.
- Team Collaboration: Evidence of teamwork and diverse contributions.
- Integration of materials and insights: strong evidence of having considered different point of views by assessing ideas, comparative cases, studies on the topic, or other relevant materials and communications
6. Commitment
- Participants must actively engage in the hackathon throughout its duration and work towards completing the provided DEI-related challenges.
- Teams are expected to submit their final project by the deadline specified by the event organisers.
- Participants agree to uphold the values of respect, inclusion, and equity throughout the event.
7. Data Usage
- By registering, participants consent to the collection and use of their registration data (e.g., name, email, contact information) for event-related communication and organisational purposes.
- The collected data may also be used for marketing and promotional activities related to the event. Personal data will not be shared with third parties without prior consent.
- Participants can opt out of promotional communications at any time by contacting the organisers.
8. Intellectual Property
- Any solutions, ideas, or innovations developed during the hackathon remain the property of the participants. However, participants agree that their submissions may be used by the event organisers or SMEs adopting their solutions in the future DEI promotion and awareness purposes.
- Participants accept that some of their solutions or sections of their outputs may be featured in publications related to the hackathon outcomes (e.g., media outlets, teaching cases based on the solutions offered during the hackathon, etc.) to promote DEI best practices and solutions. As the project’s purpose is to promote DEI in EU through collaborative intellectual effort, participants’ names and contributions will be acknowledged but no compensation will be provided.
- Participants must ensure that their submissions do not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights.
9. Liability
- The event organisers are not responsible for any loss, injury, or damage to participants or their equipment, whether participating online or in person.
10. Changes and Cancellations
- The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the event format, schedule, or terms and conditions. Participants will be notified of any changes in advance.
- In case of event cancellation, participants will be notified as soon as possible.
By registering, participants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to these terms and conditions.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the event organisers: