The Hackathon: An Intensive Interdisciplinary Seminar

What is a hackathon?

“Hackathon” is a combination of the words “hack” and “marathon.” It is an innovative format in which participants come together to brainstorm ideas and create solutions within a short period of time.

Also referred to as an “innovathon” or “ideathon,” a hackathon brings people together to use collective creativity to imagine and develop new ideas. This collaborative and intense format is designed to inspire innovation and deliver concrete results quickly.

What is our format about?

Hackathons have become increasingly popular over the past five years. They provide students with an opportunity to showcase their skills, explore new ideas, and collaborate with others from different backgrounds.

Hackathons are valuable for institutions because they can help students come up with innovative solutions together to address real challenges. It is also an effective way to strengthen the interaction and connections between universities and practice partners such as policymakers.

In our case, the hackathon format takes place during a week-long seminar dedicated to the topic of public policy design. This seminar option is open to two Master’s students from all disciplines at the university, and we expect 15 to 30 students per session.

Students can develop unique, practical ideas in just a week through intensive teamwork. Hackathons also highlight the value of multidisciplinary collaboration and structure the creative process around specific goals, especially – in our case – where students from all disciplines meet to work in groups of four to five students and combine different approaches to complex questions.

How does the format work?

We organize a five-day hackathon in a non-working week, dedicated to introductory courses (resulting in ECTS credits) where students from all disciplines can explore topics they have not yet encountered in their studies. Our format is an in-person event and involves numerous on-site meetings where students can meet with key players in each year’s thematic area of activity.

The key steps

Step 1: Define the challenge

It is important to start by selecting a sponsor and working with them to define the theme or the topic and a related challenge. The challenge should be realistic and achievable within the timeframe. Effective communication is also important to attract motivated participants.

Step 2: Event launch

Kick off the hackathon with an opening session. The teacher explains the schedule and objectives for the week. The sponsor presents the challenge, including constraints and key considerations. Additional contributors, like associations or beneficiaries, may provide input to guide the students.

Step 3: Idea generation

Throughout the week, students take part in seminars and workshops led by instructors and experts. These sessions guide them as they brainstorm and refine their ideas.

Step 4: Prototyping

Once the groups have a clear idea, they move to the prototyping phase. This includes expert-led workshops and autonomous teamwork to create a concrete solution.

Step 5: Presentations and feedback

At the end of the week, the groups present their projects to the sponsor. These presentations may be followed by discussions and/or feedback to further refine the ideas.

Step 6: Post-event follow-up

It is important to stay in touch with both the sponsors and the students/participants after the event. This allows questions to be addressed and adjustments to be made along the practical implementation of the ideas developed. This follow-up stage also helps maintain good relationships with the sponsor and sets the stage for future collaboration.

For universities, grading a hackathon can be challenging. Instead, participation and engagement can be evaluated or feedback collected through a satisfaction survey.

Tasks and resources

A hackathon is a short, collaborative experience designed to inspire innovation and work in the field. Resources need to include an adequate assignment for the format and an external sponsor who is available for a few days.

Time and budget resources at a glance

	Hours	Days	Weeks	Months
Researchers’ time for engaging with this activity		x
Researchers’ time for dealing with organizational issues		x
Knowledge exchange officers’ time		x
Policymakers’ time for engaging with this activity	x