EU Datathon 2022 teams behind the apps: Meet YouthPOP
Bringing public procurement closer to young people
‘The teams behind the apps’ is a series of videos made by the EU Datathon finalists. Get to know this year’s teams and their apps over a set of 12 episodes, twice weekly, in the run-up to the competition finals. On 20 October, the teams will pitch their apps to a jury that will select the winners. An audience will also be able to support their favourite team through the Public Choice Award vote. Register now to follow the finals online!
The YouthPOP (youth public open procurement) project combines historical Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) data with machine-learning technology. The goal is to develop an e-tool that empowers young jobseekers and young entrepreneurs to engage in public procurement processes. The team behind this app – Michail Maragkakis, Sofia Lousa and Konstantinos Maragkakis – joined us for a short interview in which we talked about the app, the idea that led to its creation and why they decided to participate in the EU Datathon.
How’s it going with the app? What’s the current status?
After an intense period of several months, trying to combine parenting 5-year-old twins with developing YouthPOP, we’re happy to inform our interview’s readers that we have a functional version! To achieve that, we cleaned and analysed around 2.9 million awarded contract notices (historical TED data), extracting and presenting useful information.
After that, since one of our targets is to combine open data, YouthPOP connects – using the popular schema of a tree – the latest trends in CPVs with specific types of degree (Europass) and skills and occupations (ESCO’s API). Last but not least, YouthPOP simplifies access to information about the probability of success in open public procurement contracts and potential partners or competitors.
These days, we are improving our probability for success model. At the same time, we are trying to improve the user experience, receiving feedback from first-time users, ensuring that the information shown is perceived as being helpful and easy to understand.
How did you come up with the idea for this app?
One of our team members has mentioned that, in the context of his job, he rarely cooperates or receives offers from young business owners (constructors, suppliers or service providers). By the announcement of EU Datathon 2022, the same team member was designing a new online tool to help and support young entrepreneurs who focus on public procurement contracts.
Realising that a tool oriented to young people cannot be developed without young people, the other two team members were invited to join. They accepted and contributed, with their valuable ideas and methods, to this common effort to familiarise young people with public procurement procedures.
Why did you decide to take part in the EU Datathon?
We have followed the EU Datathon event for many years now, since we first became data enthusiasts! Some of our team members occasionally publish reports, based on open data, in local newspapers and news portals. This year, when we saw the announcement of the event, and especially when we saw challenge 3, we felt that it was meant to be!
In addition, participation in EU Datathon 2022 motivates all our team members to continue learning and applying. EU Datathon is a great opportunity to reveal our project to a large audience and receive feedback from experts. Moreover, it will help to further develop our platform by cooperating with other inspired people, through supportive paths (such as mentoring, accelerating and funding) we really wish to be invited to follow!
To find out more about YouthPOP, watch this 1-minute video.
Curious to learn more? Discover the teams and the apps on the EU Datathon website, watch their videos on YouTube and follow their updates on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or via our newsletter.