From Preprints to Hackathons: How Open Science Could Fuel the Next Wave of Global Problem-Solving Events

Picture this: a world where the brightest minds from every corner of the globe come together, not in ivory towers or elite conference halls, but on the open internet. Imagine a platform where preprints—those fast-tracked, unpublished research papers—serve as the springboard for a new generation of global hackathons. A world where science is open, collaborative, and dynamic, with the power to address the world’s most pressing problems before peer review even begins. This is the world where open science and hackathons converge—a perfect storm of innovation, urgency, and collective problem-solving.

In the traditional scientific community, research is often a solitary pursuit. Researchers toil away in labs, conferences, and journals, working on solutions that may only be made available to the public years after they’ve been conceived. But what if there was a way to speed up the cycle—an accelerator that could take early ideas, make them accessible to anyone, and allow collaboration on a global scale?

That’s where preprints and open science come in.

Preprints—early, unrefined versions of research—are a powerful tool in the open science movement. They allow scientists to share their findings quickly with the world, bypassing the slow process of peer review and formal publication. But the true potential of preprints lies not just in the speed of dissemination but in their power to foster collaboration. By making research freely available, preprints open the door for scientists, technologists, and innovators from diverse fields to work together and build on each other’s ideas.

Enter hackathons.

Hackathons are fast-paced, collaborative events where individuals or teams work intensively to solve a specific problem or create something innovative. Traditionally associated with technology and programming, hackathons have recently expanded into areas like education, healthcare, and social issues. Now, imagine coupling the power of preprints with the energy of a hackathon. Researchers would share their preprints—unpolished, unfinished, and filled with potential—and teams of hackers, engineers, and entrepreneurs could collaborate in real-time to improve, expand, and apply the ideas within.

Such an event could bring together individuals with diverse skill sets—data scientists, biologists, coders, and even artists—who could immediately start working on solutions. The research community could benefit from the unique perspectives and approaches these participants bring, fostering innovation in ways that traditional research teams might not be able to achieve.

The connection between preprints and hackathons could be a game-changer for the speed and scope of scientific discovery. With access to early-stage research, a diverse community of innovators can pivot faster, identifying gaps, refining ideas, and making research more applicable to real-world problems. The process could be akin to a collaborative experiment in innovation, where failure and iteration become part of the journey.

One obvious example where this could work is in the fight against global crises, such as climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic. Preprints would serve as the starting point for a series of collaborative, global hackathons—events where scientists, technologists, and ordinary citizens could come together to co-create solutions. The possibilities are endless, from devising climate-resilient technologies to solving medical mysteries and developing policy solutions in real-time.

The strength of this model lies in its ability to harness collective intelligence. Rather than waiting months or years for peer review and publication, researchers and innovators could dive into research while it’s still in its nascent stages. This could drastically reduce the time it takes to turn an idea into a usable solution and open the door for faster solutions to pressing global issues. In a sense, these open science hackathons could fuel an innovation ecosystem that operates at the speed of need.

But while this concept sounds thrilling, it’s not without its challenges. There are significant hurdles to overcome, such as ensuring the quality and integrity of the research being shared and preventing the spread of misinformation. Preprints, by their nature, lack the rigorous peer review that often ensures the quality of scientific publications. To mitigate this, hackathons would need robust oversight, maybe in the form of expert moderators or community-driven feedback loops, to help filter out unreliable or incomplete research.

There’s also the question of how to ensure equal participation. If hackathons are to become a core element of the global scientific landscape, they must be inclusive—welcoming voices from across the world and ensuring that talent isn’t confined to the traditional scientific hubs of Europe and North America. By embracing diversity in both the research and participant pools, we can unlock a treasure trove of innovation that would otherwise remain untapped.

The beauty of open science, preprints, and hackathons is that they offer a flexible, adaptive model for solving problems. Rather than having a rigid, slow-moving system, we can build a dynamic, global approach that pulls together the best minds, the most urgent problems, and the most powerful technologies in real-time.

As we look to the future, the potential for preprints to fuel global problem-solving hackathons is limitless. If we can remove the barriers between research and real-world application, we will be able to tackle the world’s most pressing issues faster and more efficiently. The next wave of global problem-solving events could be just around the corner—powered by the open-access revolution, driven by preprints, and united in the spirit of collaboration.