The Meet and Code initiative is organized by TechSoup Europe together with the respective country partners from the TechSoup Europe network. The main donor partners are Amazon, supporting the initiative through Amazon Future Engineer, and Base44 — both providing financial support and expertise to help bring coding opportunities to more young people across Europe. TechSoup Europe is responsible for the overall management and implementation of the Meet and Code initiative. This includes coordinating funding and overseeing the operation of the project through its network of non-profit country partners across Europe. The TechSoup Europe partners are responsible for coordinating the initiative and selecting the event applications to be supported in their respective countries. Meet and Code was originally developed by Haus des Stiftens, SAP and TechSoup Europe.
TechSoup Europe is part of the TechSoup Global Network. In Europe, the network consists of 25 partner organisations reaching more than 485,000 non-profit organisations in 48 countries. The network equips changemakers with IT products, knowledge, and services so they may benefit from technology and focus on their mission to bring about positive social change.
The goal of Meet and Code is to introduce children and young people to technology and coding — and in our 10th edition, we're taking this further than ever before. The events are designed to show young people how much fun coding can be, and how it can help bring innovation to life. Participants learn how technology works and how IT affects our daily lives — including the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping the world around us.
As AI becomes part of everyday life, we believe young people deserve more than just technical skills. They need the confidence and critical thinking to use AI tools responsibly, ethically, and creatively. By exploring a broad range of tech, digital topics, creative coding, and responsible AI use, they will be encouraged to develop the skills they need for tomorrow's competitive — and increasingly AI-driven — digital economy.
The EU Code Week initiative was launched in 2013 by the Young Advisors, an advisory group of former EU Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, and is supported by the European Commission.
Meet and Code promotes computer science and technology related events and is specially aligned to EU Code Week. 500€ is funded for each event. Meet and Code events commence on 16th August and take place until 31 October 2026. The initiative also supports event organizers and trainers by collecting and sharing content and resources via the Meet and Code Inspiration Library.
Key dates for the 10th edition:
The target group for Meet and Code events are children and young people who are to be introduced to the world of technology, coding, and responsible AI use. We believe that every young person — regardless of their background, resources, or prior experience — deserves the opportunity to develop the digital skills that will define tomorrow's world.
We particularly focus on youth with underserved and underrepresented backgrounds, including young people from low-income households, those with migration or refugee backgrounds, residents of socially deprived neighbourhoods, ethnic minorities, young people with disabilities, and those with no access to their own IT device. For many of these young people, Meet and Code events represent their first meaningful encounter with technology — and potentially, the spark that shapes their future.
In a world where AI is rapidly transforming every aspect of life, ensuring that all young Europeans have access to digital and AI literacy is not just an opportunity — it's a responsibility.
Different social groups, such as schools, IT professionals, companies or computer clubs may plan and implement events for children and youth. To receive funding, the event promoter or organizer must be a charitable organization, such as a school development association etc.
Event ideas must be submitted online on www.meet-and-code.org between 20th May and 15th July 2026. Organizations are welcome to submit several different event ideas. Every event idea is assessed by the respective TechSoup partner. The best ideas will then receive grant money of 500 €.
More information about the conditions of participation can be found here.
The beauty of Meet and Code is that there is no single way to inspire young people — and we encourage organizers to be as creative as possible. Possible events include hackathons, coding workshops, lectures, film events, competitions, coding nights, robotics classes, and AI exploration sessions. The sky is the limit!
As we step into our 10th edition, we especially welcome event ideas that introduce young people to the world of Artificial Intelligence — from hands-on experiments with AI tools to discussions about ethics, bias, and the responsible use of technology in everyday life. Whether your event is a one-day workshop or a series of sessions, what matters most is that it sparks curiosity and empowers young people to see themselves as creators — not just consumers — of technology.
Events can be held on-site, partly virtual, or fully online, making it easier than ever to reach young people wherever they are.
Need some inspiration? If you are looking for motivation or free resources for an event, presentation or workshop, visit our Meet and Code Inspiration Library.
In its 10th edition, Meet and Code supports digital and coding events in the following countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
