Group photo taken during the second edition of Eco-Digithon Spain, featuring VET students, teachers and organisers within the ENNE+ project. (Credits: FPEmpresa)
On 17 and 18 March, the second edition of Eco-Digithon Spain took place, organised by FPEmpresa and Innogestiona Ambiental as part of the European project ENNE+ (Erasmus+). The event brought together VET students and educational centres in Madrid to share innovative proposals related to sustainability, digitalisation, and entrepreneurship.
The in-person session was held on 17 March at San Blas Digital – School of Digital Skills, following an initial phase carried out within the participating centres, where teams collaboratively prepared the materials and presentations for their projects.
During today’s session, 18 March, and after the jury’s deliberation, the winning projects of the second edition of Eco-Digithon were announced in a brief online session. The first prize was awarded to IES Francisco de Quevedo for its project PlastiScore Verified – Intelligent Plastic Packaging Counting Index, which received €1,000 in equipment for the centre, a €250 gift card for the coordinating teachers, and the opportunity to participate in the 9th edition of the Social Hackathon Umbria. The initiative focuses on the development of a scanning application capable of identifying and counting plastic packaging through an intelligent tracking index. The proposal aims to facilitate monitoring and measurement of this type of waste, providing a useful tool to improve its management and move towards more sustainable and responsible models in plastic use.
The remaining awards were as follows:
- Second prize went to Salesianos Atocha for Arganzuela Conectada, which received €750 in equipment for the centre. This project aims to improve life in the neighbourhood through real data collected using technology. It stems from listening to local residents and identifying specific issues such as the loss of green spaces, construction noise, traffic pollution, and overtourism. To address these challenges, it proposes a network of IoT sensors to measure these conditions, anticipate problems, and support better decision-making by both citizens and institutions.
- Third prize was awarded to IES San Blas for the project BeiOtA de San Blas, a smart garden powered by solar energy. The initiative seeks to apply real renewable technology and bring science and sustainability closer to primary school students through a STEM-based model. It received €500 in equipment for the centre.
- Fourth prize went to Instituto Nebrija de FP for its project Green Campus, which received €300 in equipment for the centre. This initiative focuses on bringing together students from different training programmes to solve a real challenge: transforming a traditional educational centre into a Smart Campus.
The evaluation committee was composed of Patricia Mora (Director of Innogestiona Ambiental), Elena Argudo (Director of the Association of VET Centres FPEmpresa), Carlos de Olagüe (Madrid Regional Coordinator at FPEmpresa and Vice President of EfVET), Nuria Villareal (Head of Entrepreneurship at the Directorate-General for VET Centres and Special Regime of the Community of Madrid), Carmen Valdés-Hevia (Manager of Education and Knowledge at Fundación Repsol), and Gloria Iglesias (Manager of Education and Knowledge at Fundación Repsol).
Selecting the winning projects was not an easy task for the jury, as all proposals stood out for their innovation, quality, and strong conceptual development. The high level of the projects made the deliberation particularly complex, given the well-developed ideas and the relevance of their approaches.
Note: To consult the rest of the projects, please click here.
A space to learn, collaborate, and connect ideas
The in-person event on 17 March began with an institutional welcome and a presentation of the ENNE+ project, followed by two keynote sessions focused on entrepreneurship and sustainability in Vocational Education and Training. Specifically, Mónica Castilla Baylos, Head of Entrepreneurs and SMEs at the Directorate-General for Entrepreneurship – Madrid Emprende (Madrid City Council), delivered the talk How to Start a Business in Madrid? Meanwhile, Carmen Valdés-Hevia Temprano, Education Manager at Fundación Repsol, presented Learning to Decide, Learning to Transform: Sustainability in VET.
After a coffee break, the spotlight shifted to the participating teams, who presented their projects in a session that lasted throughout the morning. The event then continued with a dedicated space to identify synergies between proposals, where teams were able to explore each initiative in more depth, gather feedback from other participants, and open new opportunities for collaboration between centres and innovative ideas.
The session concluded with an evaluation moment, a “call for synergies” between projects, and the institutional closing of the event, accompanied by acknowledgements and a final group photo.
Author: The Association of Vocational Training Centres, FPEmpresa, Communications Team (Institutional Publication)