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Space & Water Nexus Hackathon 2026 – Terms & Conditions
Last updated: 27-8-2026
These Terms & Conditions apply to participation in the Space & Water Nexus Hackathon 2026, taking place from 1–3 October 2026 at CometLab, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
The hackathon is organised by dotSPACE Foundation, together with its project and event partners.
By registering for the hackathon, participants confirm that they have read and agree to these Terms & Conditions.
1. Eligibility
Participants must be 18 years or older at the start of the hackathon.
Participants may register individually or as part of an existing team.
Teams must consist of at least 3 people. There is no maximum team size, although we recommend teams of up to 7 people.
At least 2 members of each team must participate on site at CometLab.
The organisers may limit or decline registrations where necessary, for example because of venue capacity or if participation requirements are not met.
2. Registration
Each participant must register individually through the official registration form.
Participants registering as part of an existing team may provide a team name and the names of their team members. The team name provided during registration does not need to be final and may be changed later by contacting the organisers.
Participants may also register without an existing team. Discord and team formation during the hackathon kick-off will be available to help participants connect with potential team members.
Submitting the registration form does not guarantee a place at the hackathon. Participation is confirmed by the organisers.
Participants who can no longer attend are asked to inform the organisers as soon as possible.
3. Hackathon format and participation
The Space & Water Nexus Hackathon is primarily an on-site event at CometLab.
Teams may include members participating remotely, provided that at least 2 team members are present on site.
The organisers will provide a Discord server for communication between participants, teams and organisers. No additional infrastructure for remote participation, such as livestreaming of sessions, will be provided. Teams with remote members are responsible for arranging their own online collaboration.
The organisers may make reasonable changes to the programme, schedule, mentors, speakers, challenges, tools, datasets or other event arrangements where necessary.
4. Challenges
Hackathon challenges are provided by participating organisations, which may include public authorities, companies, research organisations and other organisations working in relevant fields.
Challenge owners may participate during the hackathon to explain their challenge, answer questions and provide feedback to teams.
Challenge descriptions may be clarified or updated before or during the hackathon where necessary.
Working on a challenge does not create an employment, procurement, commercial or other contractual relationship between participants and the organisation that provided the challenge.
Providing a challenge does not give a challenge owner ownership of solutions developed by participating teams.
5. Teams
Participants are responsible for deciding which team they join and how responsibilities are divided within their team.
Participants who form teams during the hackathon are encouraged to discuss how they intend to handle ownership and future use of work developed together.
The organisers are not responsible for disputes between team members concerning team composition, responsibilities, intellectual property or future use of a project.
6. Intellectual property
Existing intellectual property
Any intellectual property, software, data, designs, methods, models, know-how or other materials owned or developed by a participant before the hackathon remain the property of their existing owner.
Participation in the hackathon does not transfer ownership of existing intellectual property to dotSPACE Foundation, CometLab, challenge owners, mentors, partners or other participants.
Work developed during the hackathon
Intellectual property created by participants during the hackathon remains with the participant or participants who create it, subject to any agreements between team members and any rights or licences attached to third-party materials used.
Where work is developed jointly, team members are responsible for agreeing among themselves how ownership and future use of that work will be handled.
Challenge owners, mentors, organisers and partners do not automatically acquire intellectual property rights in a team's work by providing a challenge, mentoring, feedback, facilities, data, tools or other support.
CometLab does not claim ownership of projects or intellectual property developed by participants using its facilities.
7. Confidentiality
The hackathon is not a confidential environment.
Participants should not disclose trade secrets, confidential information, personal data or other information that they are not authorised or comfortable sharing during presentations, mentoring, team formation, Discord conversations or other hackathon activities.
Unless separately agreed in writing, the organisers, challenge owners, mentors, partners and other participants are not bound by confidentiality obligations regarding information voluntarily disclosed during the hackathon.
Participants are responsible for deciding what information they share.
8. Data, software, AI and other tools
Participants may receive access to datasets, APIs, software, platforms, documentation or other resources during the hackathon.
Any third-party data, software and tools remain subject to their respective licences, terms of use and access conditions.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights to use any data, software, images, code or other third-party materials incorporated into their projects.
Open-source software remains subject to its applicable licence.
Participants may use AI tools during the hackathon where appropriate. Participants must not upload confidential, personal, proprietary or otherwise restricted information to external AI services unless they have permission to do so.
Participants remain responsible for their use of AI-generated content and for respecting applicable intellectual property rights, licences and challenge requirements.
9. CometLab House Rules
All participants must follow the CometLab House Rules while using the venue and its facilities.
The House Rules will be made available to participants before the hackathon.
Participants must follow reasonable instructions given by CometLab staff and the hackathon organisers, including instructions relating to:
- safety and emergency procedures;
- access to the building and equipment;
- use of tools and machinery;
- personal protective equipment where required;
- food and drinks;
- cleanliness and waste;
- smoking, alcohol and drugs;
- network and software use; and
- bicycle and car parking.
Participants may only use tools, machines or equipment where permitted and after completing any required safety instruction or training.
Participants must immediately report accidents, unsafe situations or damage to CometLab staff or the hackathon organisers.
Participants may not remain inside CometLab after the venue closes unless specifically authorised by CometLab and the organisers.
CometLab staff may restrict access to equipment or areas where necessary for safety.
Serious or repeated violations of the CometLab House Rules may result in removal from the venue and the hackathon.
10. Conduct
Participants are expected to behave respectfully and professionally towards other participants, mentors, challenge owners, organisers, partners, venue staff and visitors.
Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, aggressive or unsafe behaviour and deliberate disruption will not be tolerated.
The organisers may issue a warning or remove a participant from the hackathon in cases of serious or repeated inappropriate behaviour.
11. Final presentations and submissions
Teams will present what they have developed during the final project presentations on Saturday, 3 October.
Participants do not need to arrive at the hackathon with a working prototype. Teams may start with an existing solution, prototype, developed concept, initial idea or one of the hackathon challenges.
Teams are expected to use the hackathon to develop their work and present and, where possible, demonstrate what they have achieved.
Detailed presentation requirements, deadlines and any required submission materials will be communicated to participants before or during the hackathon.
12. Judging and prizes
Projects will be evaluated by a jury appointed by the organisers.
The judging criteria, available prizes and any additional requirements will be communicated to participants before the final presentations.
The jury's decision will be based on the communicated evaluation criteria.
The organisers may exclude a project from judging if it does not meet the participation or submission requirements or if these Terms & Conditions have been materially breached.
FIERCE
Winning teams may receive support from dotSPACE Foundation to prepare an application for the FIERCE Financial Support Programme.
Winning the hackathon does not guarantee eligibility for FIERCE, acceptance into the programme or financial support.
Any subsequent application is subject to the eligibility requirements, application conditions and evaluation procedure of the relevant FIERCE Open Call.
Any other prizes or follow-up opportunities will be subject to the conditions communicated for those prizes.
13. Accommodation
The organisers are arranging accommodation for participants at Beach Hotel Katwijk for two nights, from 1–3 October 2026, subject to availability.
Participants using the accommodation will be asked to make a contribution of approximately €30 in total.
Rooms will be shared with other hackathon participants.
Indicating interest in accommodation on the registration form is not a confirmed booking. The organisers will contact interested participants separately to provide further details and finalise the booking.
Participants staying at the arranged accommodation are expected to comply with the rules of the accommodation provider.
Participants may be held responsible for damage they cause to the accommodation or its property.
14. Transport and bicycles
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from the hackathon.
CometLab can be reached by public transport and by car. Further travel information will be provided to registered participants.
Bicycles will be provided during the hackathon for participants using the arranged accommodation to travel between Beach Hotel Katwijk and CometLab.
Participants using a bicycle are responsible for using it safely, following applicable traffic rules and taking reasonable care of the bicycle.
Further information about bicycle use and collection will be provided before or during the hackathon.
15. Food and dietary requirements
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided during the hackathon, together with snacks and refreshments.
Participants are responsible for informing the organisers of dietary requirements or food allergies through the registration form.
The organisers will make reasonable efforts to accommodate dietary requirements but cannot guarantee an environment completely free from particular allergens.
16. Photography and video
Photography and video recording will take place during the hackathon.
Participants will be asked separately during registration whether they consent to being photographed and/or recorded and to the use of this material for hackathon reporting, publications and communications about the hackathon and related activities and events.
Participants may select Yes or No.
Choosing not to consent will not affect eligibility to participate in the hackathon.
Participants who do not consent will receive information about how they can be identified to the organisers and photographer during the event.
17. Personal data and communication
Registration for the hackathon is managed through HubSpot.
The dotSPACE Foundation HubSpot account used for registration is hosted in HubSpot's European Union data region. HubSpot states that its EU regional infrastructure is located in Germany; its documentation also explains the mechanisms that apply where certain processing or transfers occur outside the EU.
dotSPACE Foundation will process the information provided during registration for purposes related to organising and administering the hackathon. This may include:
- reviewing and managing registrations;
- communicating with participants;
- organising teams and matchmaking;
- managing accommodation requests;
- organising catering and dietary requirements;
- providing access to Discord and other event resources;
- coordinating the programme and participation; and
- following up with participants about the hackathon.
Participants will be contacted using the contact information they provide, including through HubSpot and email.
Where necessary for organising the hackathon, relevant participant information may be shared with service providers or event partners. Only information necessary for the relevant purpose should be shared.
Optional newsletters and other dotSPACE Foundation communications will only be sent where the participant has separately opted in to receive them.
Personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable data-protection legislation and the dotSPACE Foundation Privacy Policy.
Participants may contact hackathons@groundstation.space regarding questions about the processing of their personal data.
18. Photography consent and marketing consent
Consent to photography/video and consent to receive optional marketing communications are separate from acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.
A participant does not need to agree to optional marketing communications or photography/video use in order to participate in the hackathon.
Where processing is based on consent, participants may withdraw that consent in accordance with the information provided in the relevant privacy notice.
19. Safety and personal responsibility
Participants must follow safety and emergency instructions from the organisers, CometLab staff and emergency services.
Participants are responsible for taking reasonable care of themselves, other people and property during the hackathon.
Personal belongings remain the responsibility of participants.
Participants should inform the organisers about accessibility requirements or other practical needs that are relevant to their safe participation.
20. Damage to property
Participants must use CometLab facilities, accommodation, bicycles, tools, equipment and other property made available during the hackathon responsibly.
Damage, loss or malfunction should be reported immediately.
Participants may be held responsible for damage or loss caused intentionally or through negligent or improper use, subject to applicable law.
21. Changes, postponement and cancellation
The organisers may make reasonable changes to the hackathon programme, timetable, venue arrangements, challenges, mentors, partners or other elements of the event.
The organisers may postpone or cancel the hackathon where necessary, including due to circumstances outside their reasonable control.
Registered participants will be informed of significant changes as soon as reasonably possible.
Unless otherwise agreed, participants are responsible for their own travel and other personal costs associated with attending the hackathon.
22. Liability
Participants take part in the hackathon at their own responsibility and are expected to comply with these Terms & Conditions, the CometLab House Rules and instructions provided by the organisers.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, dotSPACE Foundation is not responsible for indirect or consequential loss arising from participation in the hackathon, collaboration between participants, or the use of third-party data, software, tools or services.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is not permitted under applicable law.
23. Acceptance of these Terms & Conditions
Participants must accept these Terms & Conditions as part of registration.
Acceptance of these Terms & Conditions does not replace any separate consent requested for photography/video, optional communications or other processing that requires separate consent.
Failure to comply with these Terms & Conditions or the CometLab House Rules may result in exclusion from part or all of the hackathon.
24. Contact
Questions about the hackathon or these Terms & Conditions can be sent to:
hackathons@groundstation.space