FAQ
[Frequently Asked Questions]
Main Questions / Answers

Balkathon is an online, regional competition that invites interested young people, start-ups, entrepreneurs, students, digital innovation hubs, scientific parks, universities, SMEs, etc. from all Western Balkan economies to propose and develop innovative digital solutions as a response to the challenges of our day-to-day life.

Applications for this year’s Balkathon are open from 13 July to 13 September 2023.

Balkathon 4.0 is open for teams composed of participants coming from Western Balkan economies. Teams are encouraged to include amongst their members qualified individuals, ICT companies, students, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, start-up companies, etc.

You can apply by filling out an online application form and uploading the necessary documents. Before filling out the application form please read the Balkathon Guidelines carefully in order to prepare all needed information and documents.

No, only teams are eligible to participate in this competition. Please read section 1.4. of the Balkathon Guidelines.

For this year's competition we seek digital innovation solutions in the following areas:

  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Green Economy
  • Enterpreneurship
For futher details please read section 1.3. of the Balkathon Guidelines.

For the selected participants, the competition will start on 19 September 2023.

Mentoring sessions will be held in the period from 19 to 20 September 2023.

The mentors are experienced experts from the region, with expertise in the topics of the competition.

Award fund budget is 60.000 euro. Six winning teams will win 10.000 euro, per team.

All information is available in the Balkathon Guidelines. You can also contact the organiser via the contact form.

Additional Questions / Answers

No, there are no limitations, these are more of examples in which direction you can go. These are just some of the ideas you can think of for each topic, but other ideas are welcome.

There is a list of eligibility criteria. For each phase of the competition, there is a list of defined criteria, which are explained in more detail in Balkathon Guidelines(section 2.3. Evaluation criteria). The list of criteria that will be used for the first phase is published HERE and includes a description for each criteria.

If you are not the winning team from any of the previous competitions ogranised by RCC, you can apply to Balkathon 4.0.

No, there is no minimum score. The ideas will be ranked by the points they won, and the first up to 20 ranked ideas for each topic will participate in the second phase of the competition.

All participants of the competition will choose a mentor based on the following:

  1. All participants will get the list with mentors and time slots, and they will choose the timing of the mentoring session.
  2. In case the participants are not sure which mentor to choose, the organiser will propose a suitable mentor.

All sessions will be held online, via Zoom platform according to a prearranged schedule.

Presentation of the idea is not needed for the first phase of the competition but will be required after working with mentors. More precisely, after mentoring session, you will need to submit a video presentation of your idea/solution together with a Submission Form that will be provided to you in advance.
All documents and the presentation have to be in English.

Idea/solution that has been implemented, commercially used, published, or promoted will not be accepted.

Profile of the team should include a list of all members of the team and their CVs, outlining relevant knowledge and experience, including contact details (e-mail, LinkedIn, website), with a Statement of team members agreeing to be represented by their team leader.

Profile of the team composition should be submitted by a team leader. During the competition, RCC will communicate with the team through its team leader.

If you are offering a new service then your idea is eligible.

Each idea has to be categorised and during the registration the topic you are applying for has to be chosen. Having a cross-cutting idea is welcome, but the topic you are applying for has to be defined.

To apply for Balkathon competition you will have to prepare a Concept Note (section 1.7. Application documents) where you can explain your idea/solution (purpose, structure, implementation, etc.), and it does not have to be described in technical detail. You do not have to have a complete development plan for the first phase, but you will have to work on it during the second phase.

In the first phase, we do not need specific details, just to understand the concept of the idea, focus, target groups, and benefits for the region. But for the further phase and potential implementation, a team should have a developer that will work on the development of the solution.

No, there is no advantage. This information that you will provide when applying is needed so that you can get suitable mentoring support.

In case you copy the existing solutions, you will be disqualified. In case your solution is similar to the existing ones, but not the same, you will not be disqualified.

About the implementation, you start with one economy and continue to include others. The implementation does not need to start in all economies at the same time.

The Agreement/Statement between RCC and the winner will define the procedure whereby the first installment of the prize will be awarded immediately, while the second one after the development of the solution. If the winning team fails to develop the solution in six months, they will not get the second installment.

Having in mind that RCC is a regional organisation that cooperates with authorities from all WB economies at different levels, RCC will endeavor to provide support to implement your solution.

All obligations will be defined by the Agreement/Statement between the RCC and the winner.

No, there are no such restrictions on spending the funds. The funds will be used for the development of the solution.

No, the winning prize is 10.000 euros, and there is no possibility of getting a higher amount.

Yes, each solution developed under this competition will be obliged to use RCC and European Union logos.
The promotion will be mutual, the organisers will also promote the winning solutions.

You can apply to Balkathon 4.0 only as a team. The maximum number of team members is 7.

During the 6 months after the end of the competition, you will have the support of a mentor, if needed. Also, the idea/solution will be presented at the most important digital event in the region - the WB Digital Summit.