SDC Ideathon 2025: Students address global challenges with innovative solutions
For 36 intense hours, over 100 master’s students from all seven MSc programmes put their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to the test in the second-ever SDC Ideathon. The challenge? To come up with ideas to tackle two pressing global issues within health and food sustainability.
Working in diverse, multidisciplinary teams, students engaged in a fast-paced process of identifying key problems, brainstorming solutions and presenting their ideas to the audience, all while being guided by experienced mentors from universities, corporations, Innovation Centre Denmark and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Among the mentors was Barbara Vad Andersen, Assistant Professor at Aarhus University, who is excited by the students’ accomplishments.
‘It’s impressive to see how many ideas can be generated in just 36 hours when you provide students with the right framework and tools. It’s fascinating to witness how far they can go, especially when they are not necessarily used to working together in this way.
I have really enjoyed seeing their engagement—how they work hard in the classrooms, use their mentors for sparring, and continuously bring new ideas into their work. It shows their dedication, and it has been amazing to experience,’ she says.
Real-world applicable solutions
Each group of approiximately 5 students had to work towards solutions to one of two challenges: 1: “How can we empower and enable healthy ageing?” and 2: “How can we reduce the impact of food production on water resources and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions?”
Xiang Siyu, a Nanoscience and Technology student, and his team won the Healthy Ageing Challenge with their innovative enhancement of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Their concept integrates an oxygen tank and an oximeter into AED units, increasing the chances of survival for stroke victims by providing critical support until emergency medical services arrive.
Xiang Siyu attributes much of his group’s success to strong teamwork and continuous dialogue.
‘The Ideathon was interesting and fun, and I think our group was successful because we stayed together and kept talking all the time. We also did well at pitching our idea,’ he says.
Zhao Shengnan, Business Development Manager at Novo Nordisk Region China, participated in the event as a mentor. He valued the opportunity to guide students in tackling real-world challenges and found it highly rewarding to offer useful guidance. Zhao Shangnan was particularly impressed by the real-world applicability of the winning team’s solution.
‘First of all, they identified the specific problems they wanted to solve, which, of course, related to healthy aging. They then took inspiration from existing solutions, though not necessarily in this field, and built upon them to create something new - that’s where the innovation lies. Their idea is not only highly feasible but also closely aligned with real-world applications, making it practical and possible to implement,’ he says.
A learning process for the long run
For Barbara Vad Andersen, the Ideathon was not just about generating ideas but also about helping students understand how their learnings can be applied beyond the event.
‘Students might be thinking, 'We're developing ideas, but they will probably never be used for anything.' This is where it's important to show them how their learnings can be applied - whether in writing assignments, grant applications, or presentations,’ she explained.
‘Even if it's not immediately clear, they gain valuable skills in idea generation, communication, and broader application, which will benefit them in the long run.’
‘Truly transdisciplinary’
Organizing this year’s SDC Ideathon was only possible thanks to the tireless efforts of Amalie Maj Christensen (University of Copenhagen), Valeria Gulieva (Aalborg University), and Principal Coordinator for Nanoscience at SDC Morten Foss (Aarhus University) —who, by the end, was both exhausted and elated.
‘Being part of this truly transdisciplinary event, bringing together students from seven vastly different academic fields, professors from multiple universities sharing their expert knowledge, and business professionals offering unique industry perspectives made it all very special,’ says Morten Foss.
‘It showcases the incredible potential that emerges when we collaborate. The 2025 Ideathon far surpassed our first event, and we can’t wait to get started on next year’s edition!’
