Who should Participate:

This hackathon is open to: 

  • PhD candidates, postdocs, and early career researchers across any discipline
  • Teams including at least with at least one technical member (e.g., developer, data scientist) 

You don’t need to be an AI expert to lead an AI startup, you just need a vision. 

We especially encourage participation from women and researchers from underrepresented groups who have historically faced barriers to startup leadership.

The Hackathon IS NOT open to: 

  • Individuals who are not residents of the UK.

  • Teams NOT including an Early Career Researcher (ECR) i.e., PhD students, Postdocs, or Assistant Prof./Lecturer currently based at a UK University. More advanced researchers are also welcome.
  • Any Judge (defined below), or company or individual that employs a Judge
  • Any mentor or company or individual that employs a mentor

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest arises when a judge has a personal, professional, or financial relationship with a participating individual or team that could compromise—or appear to compromise—their objectivity, impartiality, or independence in evaluating submissions.

Conflicts may include, but are not limited to:

  • Personal relationships (family, close friendship, romantic involvement) with any participant.
  • Professional relationships (current or recent collaborations, shared funding, academic supervision, employment at the same institution or organization within the past two years).
  • Financial interests (equity, investment, or potential gain from a team’s success).
 

Team Requirements:

An Eligible Individual may join more than one Team or Organization and an Eligible Individual who is part of a Team or Organization may also enter the Hackathon on an individual basis. If a Team or Organisation is entering the Hackathon, they must appoint and authorize one individual (the “Representative”) to represent, act, and enter a Submission, on their behalf. By entering a Submission on behalf of a Team or Organization you represent and warrant that you are the Representative authorised to act on behalf of your Team or Organization. In more detail:

  • Teams must include researchers from at least two different academic disciplines
  • Each team should consist of 3 to 6 members
  • At least one member must bring technical or development capabilities
  • We strongly encourage diversity of perspectives, gender, and backgrounds 

Judge Requirements:

All judges are required to:

  • Disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest to the Hackathon Organizing Committee before reviewing any submissions.
  • Recuse themselves from evaluating any team or project with which they have a conflict.
  • Abstain from influencing the assessment of conflicted entries, including indirect influence on other judges.

Judges will evaluate each submission based on the published criteria and in the spirit of equity, inclusiveness, and responsible innovation.

Intellectual Property (IP) Rules: 

  • All code developed during the hackathon remains the sole ownership of the inventors
  • Non-software innovations created during the hackathon will follow a shared ownership model:
    • The full team collectively owns the resulting IP
    • Each member has the right to develop and use the IP further
    • Any pre-existing IP brought into the hackathon stays with its original owner 

  • Use of any pre-existing IP must be clearly disclosed in final submissions

Key Dates:

  • 12-19 May (Kickoff): Form teams, contact or follow other participants on Devpost.
  • 19-26 May (Support): Training activities delivered by RAI, Future Worlds, UCL CDI& AWS
  • 26-30 May (Final Stretch): Teams finalise demos/pitches
  • 30 May 2025 (4pm): Submission deadline
    Submit your final materials, including:
    • pitch deck (10–15 slides)
    • 3–4 minute video demo of your prototype
  • 5 June: Notifications to attend finals
  • 12 June: Finals take place at UCL CDI, London

Your submission should tell the full story, from concept to potential market impact.

Final Pitch Day & Awards 

12 June 2025:  Hosted at UCL Centre for Digital Innovation 

The top teams will pitch their startups live at the UCL Centre for Digital Innovation. 
A panel of leading experts from academia, industry and government will judge the IGNITION AI Startup Hackathon Champions. 

Prizes and further accelerator opportunities will be announced soon.