With their concept for an AI-powered reward system to combat marine and coastal pollution, our Bachelor’s students Jana Cisewski, Anvi Gowda, Kamar Haidar and Malena Merkel made it through to this year’s final of the international Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge (MOPC). As one of just four teams, they pitched their project to an international jury of experts in the ‘Business Concept’ category – against the breathtaking backdrop of the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.
Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge: HSBA Students Reach Grand Finale
“It was an incredibly wonderful experience and a truly valuable one. We are very grateful that we had the opportunity to take part and pitch to such a high-calibre, international audience,” said the four students from BlueReturn. “The exchanges with the MOPC mentors, the other teams and the experts have also helped us develop both professionally and personally. We very much hope that we can continue to pursue our project together.”
The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge is an international competition for students, young entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups developing innovative solutions to protect the oceans. Sustainability expert Prof. Dr Sarah Jastram drew her students’ attention to the challenge as part of the ‘Sustainability’ module and encouraged them to develop their projects in line with the competition’s criteria. Participation was optional, yet many students took up the opportunity. In total, four HSBA teams made it through to the semi-finals; the BlueReturn team was nominated for the Grand Final.
“More than a hundred HSBA students took part in this year’s Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge and successfully developed ideas for sustainable business models to protect the oceans,” said Professor Sarah Jastram. “The HSBA students’ strong concepts had already been recognised in previous rounds of the competition. BlueReturn even made it through to the final, where they delivered a very convincing and professional presentation. I couldn’t be prouder of our fantastic BlueReturn team!”
From the Classroom to Monaco – an Interview with the BlueReturn team
In this interview, the four students explain how the project came about, how the team worked together, and what they learnt at the MOPC:
How did you come to take part in the MOPC? Why did you decide to take part?
We actually found out about the challenge through the sustainability module, as we were asked to develop our presentation based on the MOPC criteria. However, taking part in the challenge itself was voluntary and left up to the individual groups.
Right from the start, we were enthusiastic about the idea and concept behind the challenge. As we had already invested a lot of time, commitment and effort into our project, we wanted to take the opportunity to present our concept within the framework of the MOPC as well. Furthermore, we saw taking part as a valuable opportunity to develop both professionally and personally, to gain new perspectives and to engage with the innovative ideas of other participants. We found the exchange with people who are also committed to sustainable and future-oriented solutions particularly exciting.
How did you come up with the idea for your project? How did you work together as a team?
Following intensive brainstorming sessions and the gathering of various ideas, we finally decided to develop a reward system for collecting litter on beaches. Over the past few weeks, our original idea has continued to evolve, as research and our shared discussions have constantly brought new aspects, improvements and perspectives to the table.
Teamwork was characterised by regular coordination and several discussions each week, particularly in the early stages of the project. This was made possible above all by the shared motivation, high level of commitment and active participation of all team members. It was precisely this strong team spirit that played a key role in helping us to further develop our concept together and implement it successfully.
What exactly is “BlueReturn” all about?
BlueReturn is an AI-powered reward system designed to combat marine and coastal pollution. The idea is based on smart clean-up stations in coastal areas that are connected to an app. Users can dispose of collected rubbish at the stations, where the integrated AI automatically recognises, sorts and records the amount of waste. This not only promotes coastal clean-ups but also ensures proper waste separation.
Via the app, participants can track their personal contribution to environmental protection and earn points for the rubbish they collect. These points can, for example, be exchanged for sustainable vouchers, discounts or public transport tickets, or donated to marine conservation initiatives. The concept is complemented by interactive features such as challenges, leaderboards, progress trackers and a community function, which encourage long-term engagement and collective action. BlueReturn thus combines environmental awareness, technology and gamification into a sustainable and motivating overall concept.
Our aim is to motivate more people to actively contribute to keeping their environment clean and to raise greater awareness of the protection of coastal and marine areas. At the same time, we particularly want to support those who wish to get involved in ocean protection and environmental conservation but do not yet know how or where to start. Through a simple, accessible and motivating approach, we aim to promote sustainable behaviour in everyday life.
How time-consuming or challenging is it to take part in an international competition such as the MOPC? Was this an important experience for you?
The effort involved was definitely significant. When we qualified for the semi-finals, we were all in the middle of writing our Bachelor’s theses at the same time, which made the additional preparation particularly challenging. Nevertheless, we invested a great deal of time and effort into further developing our project and preparing as well as possible for the individual stages of the competition.
For the final, we were in contact with an MOPC mentor who supported and guided us throughout our preparations. Overall, we received helpful guidelines throughout the various stages of the challenge to help us further develop our concept. Participating was particularly valuable for us in terms of the experience we gained, the networking opportunities, and the chance to exchange ideas with other committed participants as well as experts from various fields.
Your advice for other students?
Take teamwork seriously: today you’re in Hamburg, and tomorrow you’ll be in Monaco!