trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2026
Design the Future Landscape of the Limfjord
22–23 October 2026 | Aarhus, Denmark
What could the agricultural landscape around the Limfjord look like in the future? Join the final trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon and work with an interdisciplinary team to explore innovative and realistic pathways towards more sustainable agriculture.
Objective
The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2026 brings together different perspectives to explore the future of agriculture in the Limfjord region.
Over two days, participants will work in interdisciplinary teams to imagine how the agricultural landscape could evolve to reduce nitrogen losses while maintaining productive and economically viable farming.
The aim is to look at the landscape as a system, bringing together agriculture, nutrient management, biodiversity, climate, Nature-Based Solutions, digital innovation and the needs of farmers and rural communities.
The hackathon is not about finding one perfect solution. It is about exploring what could work, why it could work, and what would be needed to make it happen.
Bring your perspective. Challenge assumptions. Design the future.
We are looking for participants interested in agriculture, environment, sustainability, climate, biodiversity, data, digital technologies, rural development and innovation.
You do not need to be a programmer or an expert in agriculture.
The hackathon is designed around interdisciplinary collaboration, so different backgrounds, skills and ways of thinking are encouraged.
During the two days, you will:
- work with others on a real-world sustainability challenge;
- explore Nature-Based Solutions and different pathways for agricultural transition;
- have access to experts, background information and selected digital and modelling tools;
- develop a visual concept for a future Limfjord landscape; and
- present your team's ideas and recommendations.
Be curious. Think across disciplines. Think beyond the obvious.
How can we continue to produce food while also taking care of the aquatic environment?
The Limfjord is both an important agricultural landscape and a sensitive aquatic environment. Agriculture needs to remain productive and economically viable, while nitrogen losses need to be substantially reduced to protect water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Your challenge is to design a future agricultural landscape for the Limfjord region.
Your team will explore how the landscape could:
- reduce nitrogen losses
- maintain productive farming
- improve biodiversity
- contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation
- integrate Nature-Based Solutions
- remain economically viable and realistic for farmers
You are free to combine agricultural practices, crop-production systems, Nature-Based Solutions, landscape and land-use changes, nutrient-management approaches, economic incentives, cooperation models and digital solutions.
You will also have access to background information and a toolbox of trans4num digital and modelling approaches. These tools are there to support your thinking, not define your solution.
The challenge in one sentence
Design a future Limfjord landscape that substantially reduces nitrogen losses while maintaining productive and economically viable agriculture and delivering benefits for climate, biodiversity and the wider environment.
trans4num – Transformation for sustainable nutrient supply and management is a four-year EU-funded Horizon Europe project bringing together partners from Europe and China to explore how Nature-Based Solutions can contribute to more sustainable nutrient management in agriculture.
The project investigates solutions including sustainable crop rotations, bio-based fertilisers and improved nutrient management, while also considering the social, economic and environmental conditions needed for their successful implementation.
Across its European demonstration sites, trans4num combines field experimentation with modelling, digital tools and stakeholder cooperation to explore pathways towards more sustainable agricultural systems.
In Denmark, the project focuses on the Limfjord catchment in Northern Jutland, where the relationship between intensive agricultural production and the protection of the aquatic environment provides an important setting for exploring future agricultural transitions.
Ready to take the challenge?
The trans4num INSPIRE Hackathon 2026 will take place on:
📅 22–23 October 2026
📍 Aarhus, Denmark
Participation is open to people from different disciplines and backgrounds. You do not need previous hackathon experience, advanced digital skills or specialist agricultural knowledge.
Come with your knowledge, your perspective and your curiosity. We will provide the challenge, background information, expert support and tools you need to get started.
How to join
- Register for the hackathon
Complete the online registration form following the link: https://event.au.dk/events/trans4num-hackathon - Receive your participant information
Registered participants will receive practical information and background material before the event. - Join us in Aarhus
Meet your team, explore the Limfjord challenge and start designing the future landscape.