DCU Hack4Change

SOCIAL INNOVATION HACKATHONS – MARCH 2023

We are delighted to be running our fourth social innovation hackathon Hack4Change with over 700 DCU Business School students Monday 27th – Thursday 30th March 2023!

This event will be attended by students of the Learning Innovation for Enterprise or LIFE 1st year module, as well as over 50 industry and community guest speakers, mentors, and judges.

In 5 half-day sessions over four days, students will attend Inspiration Lightning talks, receive mentoring, and engage in both fun and formal social innovation ideation activities. Teams will develop viable social innovation ideas based on the theme of Circular Economy, and create engaging prototypes for their ideas, competing for prizes.

What did last year’s students have to say?

“As I reflect on the hackathon, I can say it was very insightful and I learned so much from it. I feel I will benefit a lot from this in the future. Overall, the hackathon was a brilliant experience.”
“This hackathon has really opened my eyes to the world of social entrepreneurship”
“My first ever Hackathon and wow what an experience. I will definitely be taking this knowledge and skills with me for the future.”

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event where individuals from multiple sectors work together on short-term projects. These events are intended to be intense, engaging and collaborative. The aim is to inspire, enthuse and ignite an innovative style of thinking in its participants, and help to create concepts that could be turned into new ventures or processes.

What will students work on this year?

The student teams have selected a HackTopic in an area related to the circular economy. They have been asked to map their selected topic to one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From there, they will work in teams to develop Problem Definition Statements. Over the half-day session, they will work to explore their chosen problems and try to come up with an innovative solution related to it. They will work through a fast-paced solution development process designed by the academic team in DCU Business School.

Consider Getting Involved?

This initiative will allow our first-year business school students to learn about local and global issues related to the circular economy and come up with ideas to innovate in this space. Together with multiple staff from the university, we need companies and individuals to come together to help support and guide these students on their journey. We would be extremely grateful if you would consider giving some of your time and sharing your expertise during this event by volunteering as a mentor, speaker, MC, or corporate sponsor. Individually or as a team/company, we will be delighted with all engagement.

Just complete this Google Form to find out more about what we are doing and how you might get involved.

#THROWBACK TO HACK4CHANGE 2020

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