LehlohonoloMofula/2025_DIRISA_Datathon

This year DIRISA will be hosting its 7 th Annual Datathon. The purpose of the Datathon is to provide students with the opportunity to be able to use real life data to create innovative and creative solutions towards solving some of South Africa’s socio-economic problems *** # 🎓 DIRISA Student Datathon Challenge 2025 ### *Overview* The **DIRISA Student Datathon Challenge (SDC)** is an annual national competition hosted by the **Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA)**—a component of the **National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System (NICIS)** under the **CSIR**. Now in its **7th year**, the Datathon equips students across South Africa with practical skills in **data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and research methodology**, empowering them to design innovative solutions to real-world socio‑economic challenges. *** ## 📘 About the Datathon The Datathon brings together: * University students * High school learners (trained to compete at university level) * TVET college students * Participants from the SADC region DIRISA’s goal is to strengthen **human capacity in cyberinfrastructure**, enabling students to apply modern data-driven techniques to South African problems. *** ## 🧠 Challenge Categories ### **1. Technical Challenge** Participants develop: * AI and machine learning prediction models * Forecasting systems * Data-driven applications addressing societal issues ### **2. Research Challenge** Participants produce: * Research papers * Academic poster presentations * Methodologically sound research aligned with the technical work *** ## 📈 Impact & Reach * **500+ students trained** in data science since inception * Nationwide participation including: ✔ Universities ✔ High schools ✔ TVET colleges ✔ SADC regional institutions The Datathon continues to grow as a national platform for developing future data scientists and innovators.