THE URGENSEA CHALLENGE 2024 - 2025
SCIENCE & CONSCIENCE
With a prize fund of 100,000 euros, the URGENSEA Challenge 2024 - 2025 is the 1st edition of a responsible engineering competition organized by FDD Andurand, which runs over 2 years, around 2 major issues: river pollution and coastal erosion, and is open to engineering school students in five European countries including France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Young engineers have an edifying role to play in transforming our society and economy into a resilient system, in the face of the major challenges posed by the climate crisis and sustainable development. FDD Andurand's ambition is to develop a platform for exchange and creation that encourages the younger generation to become aware of and face up to the rising climate threat by designing, completing or perfecting environmental protection solutions.  
Much more than a classic challenge, URGENSEA acts as a catalyst, mobilizing its knowledge and networks to help participating teams optimize their chances of success and maximize the identification, development and deployment of high-impact, sustainable solutions.
Léopoldine Bauer - Bretagne, 2021.

INTRODUCTION

 

The aim of the initiative led by the Fonds de dotation Andurand is to encourage bright minds to collaborate, in teams and between teams, across several countries, to accelerate the identification and development of practical solutions to the problems of plastic pollution, as well as solutions to protect coasts from erosion.

The FDD Andurand created the URGENSEA challenge in response to two major issues:

⬢ Plastic pollution infests the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. It is a threat to public health, ever more contaminating.

⬢ The ocean is expanding and rising sea levels are increasingly threatening. Coastal erosion is accentuated and the shoreline eroded, while the destruction of public and private property continues. 

URGENSEA's ambition is to raise the awareness of higher education players and mobilize engineering to the rescue of the sea, by inviting engineering schools keen to integrate socio-ecological issues into the pursuit of positive impact, to contribute to the identification and structuring of rigorous responses.

VISION, MISSION & GOALS

 

Our Vision

To develop a platform for exchange and creation that encourages the younger generation to become aware of and face up to the rising climate threat by devising sustainable protection solutions;

Our Mission :

Mobilize schools and engineering students to co-opt the problems of plastic pollution and coastal erosion, to call on science to the bedside of our consciences and mobilize engineering to the rescue of the sea;

Our Goals :

⬢  Optimiser le processus d’identification de solutions en connectant le monde académique aux entrepreneurs de la lutte climatique

⬢  Favoriser les échanges de connaissances et d’expérience entre les pays participants car l’environnement n’a pas de frontières;

⬢  Accélérer l’identification de solutions viables et pérennes pour la dépollution des fleuves et l’érosion des côtes;

⬢  Sensibiliser les jeunes tout en les impliquant directement dans la lutte contre la crise climatique.

Léopoldine Bauer - Falaises d'Etretat, 2021.

THEMES

Two themes are offered, divided into 10 sub-categories:

1st step : Choose the theme in which you would like to compete

⬢ River Pollution        ⬢ Coastal Erosion

2nd step : Choose the sub-category for your project

Theme « River Pollution » : 

Upstream Solutions :  
A. Systemic Solutions
B. Bins and Filters

Downstream Solutions : 
C. Barriers and Nets
D. Boats and Robots

E. An unlisted innovative solution

Theme « Coastal Erosion » : 

Mechanical Solutions  
A. Breakwater
B. Artificial Reefs

Natural Solutions 
C. Living Coastline
D. Green Engineering

E. An unlisted innovative solution

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

 

How to take part in the URGENSEA challenge :

⬢ Participation is open to teams of between 5 and 12 students, ranging from 1st year undergraduates to doctoral students
.

⬢ Each team must include an academic advisor who will have a mentoring role (and does not count as a team member)
.

⬢ Each team must designate a student as Team Leader (or co-Team Leaders)
.

⬢ A team can be made up of students from the same school, or from different engineering schools, or from different countries
.

Each participating team must indicate the name under which it wishes to compete.

Léopoldine Bauer - Route, 2020
Léopoldine Bauer, Saint Malo 2021

RESOURCES AND KNOWLEDGE BASE

 

In order to provide the best possible support to participating teams, increase their chances of success, and avoid wasting precious time starting from scratch, the FDDA has cleared and marked out the ground for the themes concerned.

 

The URGENSEA team provides participating teams with a knowledge base listing a large number of existing, tested and deployed solutions, around the Challenge themes of River Pollution and Coastal Erosion, as well as proposed sub-categories.

 

Real added value from the URGENSEA Knowledge Base

 

This wealth of information saves students a considerable amount of time, and offers them both a wealth of knowledge and a source of inspiration for creating their own solutions, or potentially enriching or perfecting existing ones.

 

In this case, we also take charge of establishing contact with the entrepreneurs behind these solutions. It will then be possible, via this database, to contact these companies for further information and to exchange views with the various players involved.

 

In this way, URGENSEA goes far beyond a traditional challenge, acting as a gas pedal, mobilizing its knowledge and networks to help the teams.

 

We invite participating teams to think, design, create, develop, complete, improve or refine innovations and solutions in line with the two Challenge themes.

THE MENTORING PLATFORM


In addition to the resources made available, the URGENSEA Challenge offers participating teams two forms of support: a Mentoring platform and a panel of Experts.


What contribution can Mentors make ?

Participating teams will have access to invaluable experience and expertise, through the support of the Mentor they have selected on our platform.

Recognized for their practical experience of both technical and operational solutions deployed in response to our challenges, URGENSEA Mentors can be called on from the initial concept development phase right through to deployment, considerably improving the chances of project deployment.

Mentors may be contacted once or twice a month, depending on the needs of the team and the progress of the project. Each Mentor has the opportunity to share his or her know-how and expertise with one or, if he or she so chooses, a maximum of two participating teams.

 
An extra help : the Experts

Each team can call on experts selected by the FDDA team. Recognized for their in-depth expertise on issues such as river pollution, threats to the ocean or coastal erosion, they act as advisors on specific technical subjects.

They can be called on at any time during the Challenge, on technical, financial or institutional issues.... but must remain ad hoc.

Léopoldine Bauer, Bretagne 2021

THE ANDURAND TROPHIES : LES SCAPHANDRES


For its first edition, the URGENSEA challenge is endowed with 100,000 euros, with a total of 80,000 euros in prizes for the 6 winning teams in the 2 categories 
.

In the River Pollution
category fluviale

⬢ Platinum Scaphandre : 18 000 euros

⬢ Gold Scaphandre :            14 000 euros

⬢ Bronze Scaphandre : 8 000 euros 

 

In the Coastal Erosion category : 

⬢ Platinum Scaphandre : 18 000 euros

⬢ Gold Scaphandre :            14 000 euros

⬢ Bronze Scaphandre : 8 000 euros

 

The 12-member jury is made up of personalities and specialized professionals from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and Italy. Deliberations will take place in 2 sessions. 

KEY DATES IN THE URGENSEA CHALLENGE 2024-2025

 
  • November 4, 2024 
     
  • December 20, 2024
     
  • February 25, 2025
     
  • March 25, 2025
     
  • June 15, 2025
     
  • June 25, 2025
     
  • October, 2025

 

Deadline for submission of complete and final registration form

 

Optional submission of a project summary

 

Deadline for team project submissions

 

Jury selection of semi-finalist projects

 

Deadline for submission of models/prototypes by semi-finalist teams

 

2nd Jury session and selection of finalists

 

Exhibition of finalist projects + 3rd Jury session and announcement of the 6 winners 3ème session du Jury et annonce des 6 lauréats