As part of the 7th Eurasian Forum on Transport Safety and Digitalization, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpayev ALT University, the national KTZ–ALT Innovation Hackathon was successfully held. Over two days, October 1–2, 43 student teams developed innovative digital solutions for the railway sector.
The hackathon was organized by “NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” JSC with the structural support of ALT University. The primary goal of the event was to engage young talent in the digital transformation of the transport sector, foster engineering and IT competencies, and generate technological solutions for real-world operational challenges.
More than 170 students from Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Aktau participated in the competition. Following a competitive preliminary selection, 16 teams advanced to the final round.
Over a continuous 24-hour period, finalists tackled real industrial case studies provided by KTZ: “Digital Station” and “Auto-Dispatcher,” both aimed at optimizing railway operations and automating traffic coordination across inter-station segments. Supported by experienced industry mentors, participants engineered software prototypes and pitched their final technical solutions to an expert panel of judges.
At the conclusion of the evaluation, first place was jointly awarded to the SULU (SU Logistics United) team from Satbayev University and the “Shañyraq” team from the M. Tynyshpayev ALT College in Shymkent.
Second place went to the Beseu team from ALT University and the NOVA team from Almaty Technological University.
Third place was awarded to the Insomnia team from Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University and the LogWay team from the Kazakh-German University.
Other finalist teams presenting prototypes included Peak (L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University), Secret API (joint team from ALT University and Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications), Bulls (Turan University), and VanGogh (L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University).
The total prize pool for the hackathon was 2.5 million KZT.
The execution of the KTZ–ALT Innovation Hackathon represents part of a systematic effort to strengthen integration between academia and industrial sectors. Such initiatives allow students to apply academic knowledge to practical scenarios, solve complex industry challenges, and develop essential capabilities in collaborative problem-solving and software design.
For ALT University, hosting this hackathon within the framework of the Eurasian Forum underscores its commitment to training high-caliber engineering and IT professionals equipped to address modern technological transformations in the transport industry.
Author: Aliya Yerlan
