1 Introduction and theme

“QuHack4IA – Quantum Hackathon for Industrial Applications” (also referred to as the “Hackathon” or the “Event”) is a 24-hour hackathon, in the form of a competition of ideas, that will take place from Tuesday 12 to Wednesday 13 September 2023, at the spaces of CUBO Condividere cultura (located at Piazza Sergio Vieira de Mello, 3 – 5, Bologna), organized by the International Foundation Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development (IFAB), Leithà S.r.l., University of Bologna (UNIBO), CINECA, National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN). The Hackathon is organized within the framework of the Quantum Computing Development project.
The goal of the Hackathon is to solve industrial problems through quantum algorithms and technologies. During the Hackathon, quantum hardware based on various technologies will be used or simulated. Innovative solutions must be submitted in the form of software.

2 Recipients and participation methods

Participation is open and free. Individuals with a basic knowledge of Python programming, and basic skills in at least one of the following areas, can participate in the Hackathon:

• quantum computing;
• machine learning.

The maximum number of participants is 20 (twenty) people, who will be selected by the Organization based on the submitted CV.
Participants will be divided into groups of 4 (four) people (hereinafter “Teams”), preferably with mixed competencies, by the Organization. Each Team will tackle a specific problem identified by the Organization and communicated at the start of the competition.
To participate, it is necessary to register by filling out the online form available at: https://www.ifabfoundation.org
The deadline for the presentation of the participation request is: August 3rd, 2023, at 23.59.

3 Instrumentation

For the Hackathon, participants will use their own hardware/software equipment. Each participant is required to bring any tool deemed necessary for the competition. The Organization will provide connectivity, stationery, extension cords, and any available support for the Teams’ work. The Organization is not responsible in case of theft, loss, or any damage caused to the personal tools of the Participants.

4 Behavior rules

Participation implies the unconditional acceptance of all the rules contained in the Regulations and the Jury’s decisions.
Each participant undertakes, for the duration of the Hackathon, to use the premises where the competition will take place, as well as the materials and equipment provided, with the utmost care and diligence and to be responsible for any damage caused to people or things. Furthermore, each participant commits to:

• respect other participants;
• strictly adhere to the safety and conduct rules and any instruction provided by the Organization;
• avoid using expressions that incite violence, discrimination, obscenity, or defamation;
• avoid offensive, defamatory, vulgar content or that violates privacy;
• avoid advertising content or content with political/ideological and religious content;
• not violate copyright, trademarks, or other reserved rights;
• create original projects, that are not already in production and not elaborated in competitions or events in general;
• not make the project, or part of it, public;
• not obstruct or attempt to alter the proper functioning of the rewarding mechanism, and in any case, do not compromise the successful outcome of the entire event;
• Indemnify the Organization from any responsibility related to any intentional or negligent event attributable directly or indirectly to one’s own conduct.

Otherwise, the Organization reserves the right to exclude and remove participants.

5 Mentoring

During the event, participants will benefit from free mentoring services by industry experts selected by the Organization. The mentoring services are aimed at analyzing weaknesses and areas of improvement of the projects, to refine the ideas in view of the final pitch. The mentors will participate in the Hackathon solely for support purposes and will not be considered part of any Team. No complaints about the mentors’ work will be admitted, who will listen to and help the Participants with commitment, seriousness, to the best of their abilities.

6 Jury and Voting

In the afternoon of September 13, 2023, the Teams will present their ideas with a pitch lasting no more than 15 (fifteen) minutes.
The pitches presented will be examined by a technical-scientific jury appointed by the Organization (hereinafter referred to as the “Jury”).
The decisions of the Jury will be made within the scope of their discretion exercised within the limits of the criteria and scores indicated below. In particular, in the evaluation of the pitches, the Jury will have 100 (one hundred) points, the allocation of which will be carried out in accordance with the following criteria:

The Jury’s decision is binding and final.

7 Prizes

The winners will be the 3 (three) ideas that have received the highest scores according to the criteria in Art.6. The winning ideas will be awarded as follows:

The award ceremony will take place on September 13, 2023, at the end of the second day of the Hackathon. In accordance with Article 6, paragraph a) of the D.P.R. n. 430/2001, the Event is not a competition and is exempt from the application of the relevant regulations.

8 Confidentiality

Each participant agrees not to disclose to third parties any information they have learned during the Hackathon.
Similarly, the data and information exchanged are considered strictly confidential and each Participant is required not to misuse, reveal, communicate, disseminate, and spread such data and information by any means to third parties. This commitment is assumed, under and for the effects of Article 1381 of the Civil Code, by each participant.

9 Travel and Accommodation

Reimbursement for travel costs to/from the Hackathon location is provided, as long as it’s within Italy, Republic of San Marino or Vatican City, as well as for accommodation costs.
In particular, travel expenses can be reimbursed upon presentation of supporting documents such as:

• local public transport tickets;
• taxi receipts;
• airplane tickets;
• train tickets;
• ferry and ship tickets.

Accommodation expenses can be reimbursed upon presentation of a fiscal receipt for the stay. The maximum reimbursable amount for each participant is € 300 (three hundred) VAT included. The reimbursement will be processed according to the methods detailed in the following art. 11.

10 Meals

The Organization will provide participants with lunch and dinner on September 12, and lunch on September 13, as well as coffee breaks during the two days of the Event.

11 Reimbursements

In cases where it is provided, the reimbursement of expenses incurred, up to a maximum of € 300 as per the previous Article 9, requires attachment of supporting documentation (e.g., tickets, receipts, fiscal receipts…) in original form. Reimbursements will be made exclusively by bank transfer; in the case of reimbursement request, the participant must therefore provide the IBAN code, for which they must be the holder or co-holder. The bank transfer will only be made to Italian bank accounts or accounts in the Republic of San Marino or Vatican City.

12 Intellectual Property

For each Team, each participant is recognized, with equal rights and titles, as the author of the proposal and the project presented.
By participating in the Hackathon, the participants fully accept the contents of the Rules and the related attachments, and at the same time:

• expressly authorize the Organization to publish the projects presented, including distribution on websites and social media;
• assume all responsibility for the authorship and originality of the ideas presented, ensuring that they do not violate, either wholly or partially, any right recognized or attributed by current legislation on intellectual and/or industrial property and/or someone else’s exclusive rights;
• assume all responsibility resulting from the use, in the ideas presented, of technical solutions or of another nature that infringe patent rights, author’s rights and in general someone else’s exclusive rights;
• undertake to hold harmless and indemnify the Organization from any judicial action brought against it by third parties who claim copyright or other rights on the idea presented, assuming all the resulting charges, including damages to third parties, the charges and legal expenses borne by the same.

All projects submitted, both winning and non-winning, will nonetheless be subsequently analyzed by the competent structures of the Organization in terms of feasibility and in line with the strategies of the Organization itself. If the Organization is interested in the development of a work presented during the Hackathon, it may contact the Team that carried it out for further investigation, proposing possible engagement formulas.
The projects presented will be definitively retained by the Organization, which reserves the right, at the end of the Hackathon, to publish them through exhibitions, conferences, catalogs or in any form deemed appropriate, without having to pay further compensation to the participants. Participants, after the designation of the winners, will be free to use their own projects, provided that they do not contain elements that, directly or indirectly, can be traced back to the name of the Organization.
The copyright will remain with the individual participants, except for the projects selected as winners by the Jury which, in case of realization, will become the property of the Organization in every effect of the law; therefore, in the event that the winning project is realized, the members of the winning Teams assign to the Organization, free of charge and without a time limit, the exercise of all copyrights on the projects presented, with the sole exception of moral rights which remain with the respective authors.

13 Applicable law and privacy

This Regulation is subject to Italian law.
Except for cases where jurisdiction is mandatorily established by law, for all disputes arising from the interpretation or execution of these Regulations, the forum of Bologna will have exclusive jurisdiction.
By participating in the Hackathon, the participants expressly declare that they have read the Regulations and have read the Information provided pursuant to art. 13 of the regulation (EU) 2016/679 (Annex A) and have therefore fully understood the purposes and methods of the scope of communication and dissemination of processed personal data.
Any communication to the Organization by the Participants, unless otherwise provided by the Regulation, must be made to the e-mail addresses indicated on the website https://www.ifabfoundation.org.