From Evidence to Action: A Science for Policy Hackathon

More insight into the semester:

Kick-off: Urban Research to Practice

Diagnosing policy pathways in Vienna: News from the S4P-Hackathon

The hackathon marked the culmination of the course, bridging earlier work with the development of practice-oriented policy. Moreover, the immersive event also offered students insight into professional roles at the science–policy interface while shedding light on the skills and capacities required to navigate them effectively.

The two-day hackathon was led by Lene Topp, a Science-for-Policy capacity building expert with more than 15 years of experience working at the interface of science, policy and society. Throughout her career, she has designed and delivered capacity building activities for researchers and policymakers across Europe, including during her time at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. In Vienna, she brought this extensive experience into the course, supporting students in understanding how scientific knowledge can be mobilized in real-world policy contexts and what competencies are needed to engage effectively with policymakers.

Across the hackathon, students worked through a structured program combining conceptual input with hands-on group work. Building on their previous course activities, teams revisited their theories of change, refined problem statements and developed policy solutions tailored to the needs and constraints of policymaking processes. A central element of the hackathon was the use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® exercises. Through individual and collective model building, students explored current policy contexts, implementation obstacles and relevant actors, supporting shared understanding within interdisciplinary teams.

The thematic focus of the hackathon reflected a range of urban sustainability challenges currently relevant to the City of Vienna.

1. Reducing household food waste
2. Developing a green-space one-stop online platform that brings together information on urban greening initiatives and participation opportunities
3. Transforming parking spaces into multifunctional public spaces
4. Rethinking non-commercial public space during winter and developing “winter-proof” infrastructure to support year-round social interaction, and
5. Fostering new sustainable mobility patterns to contribute to Vienna’s long-term mobility goals

In parallel, a further focus was placed on how to communicate policy-relevant knowledge effectively. Students learned how to structure policy briefs, formulate clear and feasible recommendations and prepare concise policy pitches for decision-makers. Emphasis was placed on identifying target audiences, prioritizing key messages and being transparent about uncertainties and limitations. This highlighted that policy impact depends not only on the quality of evidence, but also on how well it is framed, communicated, and embedded within institutional and political contexts.

By the end of the hackathon, each team had developed the core elements of a policy brief and a policy pitch.

The results of the course and hackathon will be presented at the Final Pitch Event on 15 January (16:30 – 19:30). At the event, student teams will present their policy recommendations and pitches to an expert jury and a public audience, sharing their ideas and recommendations on how evidence-informed approaches can contribute to addressing Vienna’s urban sustainability challenges. For more information and to register, please go to: Final Pitch Event of this year’s “Urban Research to Practice – Science for Policy Hackathon”.

We would like to thank all contributors and participating students for their engagement and commitment to the success of the hackathon. In particular, we would like to thank Lene Topp for preparing and conducting the two-day workshop and HausWirtschaft for hosting the hackathon.

© Joseph Krpelan, 2026