Future Skills hands-on – HACK AND HARVEST Hackathon Konstanz
Course Type: Open Innovation Format / Hackathon
Target Group: Doctoral researches, postdoctoral researchers
In cooperation with cyberLAGO, Kilometer1 and the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Team of the University of Konstanz.
As researchers, we often find ourselves faced with challenges that require knowledge beyond our own discipline, or projects that could greatly benefit from fresh perspectives and ideas. Maybe one of these sounds familiar:
- You want to solve a problem but are stuck on how — whether due to a creative block, difficulty finding the right method, or needing the right collaboration partners.
- You know what kind of data you need, but not where or how to get it — be it surveys, combining existing datasets, or building a tool for citizen science.
- You've noticed a pain point in your lab or research process and need input to develop a solution, such as automating data handling or creating dashboards for science communication.
-You have an idea — research-related or not — that you've always wanted to develop further but never found the time or space for.
-You don't have a specific idea, but you love problem-solving and want to apply your expertise creatively outside your usual environment.
If any of these resonate, the Hack and Harvest Hackathon might be exactly what you're looking for. Hackathons are intensive, collaborative events where people with different backgrounds and skill sets come together to tackle real problems — and walk away with not just ideas, but working prototypes, new methods, or concrete next steps.
The Hack and Harvest format is specifically designed to be accessible: there are no prerequisites, no polished idea or technical background required. Over two intensive days, you will work in a diverse team on a challenge of your choice, supported by mentors and experts from research, industry, and society. A selection of on-site workshops is also available, covering topics such as pitching, rapid prototyping, design thinking, data visualisation, and programming.
You will sharpen skills that are directly useful in your research career: expanding your network beyond your usual academic circle, pitching your work to non-specialist audiences or potential funders, managing and collaborating across disciplines, communicating your research creatively, and developing the kind of structured problem-solving approach that strengthens grant applications and project proposals.
To help you make the most of the Hackathon, we offer a preparatory ideation workshop for researchers two weeks before the Hackathon. In this workshop, you will develop an existing idea or generate a new one using the Value Proposition Design method, and connect with fellow participants ahead of the event. Attendance at the ideation workshop is the starting point for the full programme.
For impressions from previous editions since 2019, visit www.hackandharvest.farm.
Credit requirements: active participation in the ideation workshop, both Hackathon days, and on-site workshops, as well as submission of a short written reflection on your experiences and learnings.
