VISION

Hackathons for a more resilient world

We envision a world where individuals and communities can respond quickly and creatively to change. At Hack4dev, we believe the agility of hackathons makes them powerful tools for accelerating both skills development and innovation. By running research-driven hackathons worldwide, we strengthen resilience at local and global levels.

Our Story

Hack4dev was launched in May 2022 by Prof. Carolina Odman, with the participation of several founding partners, including the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), the BRICS Intelligent Telescope and Data Network (BITDN), DARA Big Data, and the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). Since then, it has grown into a global initiative that connects research and development through hackathons.

Building on this success, Hack4dev has evolved into an independent platform. It serves as a shared backbone for hackathons, offering models, guidance, and support while welcoming contributions of tools, resources, and infrastructure from around the world. Anyone, anywhere, can use Hack4dev to run their own hackathons, all aligned through a common approach and shared standards.

Why Hackathons?

The world is undergoing disruptive change, driven by urgent development challenges and rapid technological shifts. Sectors like education and innovation often struggle to keep up. However, hackathons offer a fast, practical way to build skills and tackle real-world challenges.

Despite their popularity, hackathons are often one-off events with limited reach. Few are scaled globally or designed for long-term impact. They also lack shared best practices and strong theoretical foundations. Hack4dev changes this by creating structured, accessible models that make hackathons more effective worldwide.

What We Stand For

  • Transdisciplinarity: We bring together researchers and practitioners to co-design impactful hackathons.
  • Participant-Centred: Our events are designed to benefit participants, not treat them as test subjects.
  • Agility: We move fast, using rapid feedback cycles to test and improve our models.
  • Global Leadership: We aim to set new standards in hackathon design and research.
  • Integration: We balance expert design with input from participants and communities.
  • Continuous Learning: Every hackathon helps us learn and get better.

Our Goals

  • Establish Hack4dev as a global institution for hackathon research and development.
  • Address real-world challenges, locally, regionally, and globally, through hackathon-driven solutions.
  • Design and test new hackathon models that better support skills and innovation.
  • Publish leading research on and through hackathons
  • Build a global network of agile hubs that can quickly respond to change.
  • Secure sustainable funding while staying independent in our direction and goals.