On 9 December 2026, six master student teams from the VUB’s Sustainable Mobility & Logistics (SML) course presented their final pitches in the SML Hackathon, showcasing concrete ideas for greener, more inclusive mobility and logistics solutions. A jury of external experts from bpost, Urbike, Mpact, Citymined and the VUB evaluated the concepts, alongside an audience vote.
Mobility Hackathons were originally developed by VUB-Mobilise to support sustainability-driven innovation of university Master students studying management, business engineering and planning. The Hackathon can be implemented both as an in-person as well as an online activity as demonstrated as part of the International Mobility Hackathon organized in 2023 in the EUROPIA University network. Across four focused sessions, teams work on real-world challenges, assessing environmental, social and economic impacts with explicit attention to fairness, inclusion and the needs of vulnerable groups. They explore the problem and stakeholders, define a clear “How might we…?” question, generate and narrow down solution ideas, and develop a concrete concept with basic impact and implementation plans. The objective is to translate academic insights into feasible interventions that advance sustainable, inclusive mobility.
The six teams tackled a wide range of mobility and logistics challenges. Ideas included UniWheels, a carpooling module for the VUB app; Refinity and Keep It Close, services to reduce the environmental impact of e-commerce returns; Wheelys, an on-demand e-micromobility service for older adults; and TruckPOOL, a platform matching passenger with empty seats in long-distance trucks.
After a round of six lively pitches and questions, the jury selected Team 4 – Biking.com as the overall winner, and the team also walked away with the audience prize. Their concept is an all-in-one app that brings together Brussels’ community-led bike repair shops and cafés, centralising information on opening hours, events, second-hand bikes, tool libraries and DIY repair knowledge. By making it easier to find help, share skills and reuse bikes and parts, Biking.com aims to get more people cycling, support local initiatives and strengthen the circular economy around everyday bike maintenance. The SML Hackathon underlined how students can turn academic insights into innovative ideas that respond to real-world needs.
