Schools, hackathons and Skills Development
IDIA supports data science hackathons, research schools and skills-development events through ilifu access, logistical support and tailored data challenges.
Accelerated learning with hackathons
Between 2020 and mid-2026, IDIA helped deliver 33 successful hackathons by providing ilifu access, logistical support and data science challenges based on real research problems across astronomy, food science, public health and other fields. This was done in collaboration with a diverse group of partners, including the DSTI, the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), DARA Big Data, the African Astronomical Society (AfAS), the BRICS Astronomy BITDN project, and the IAU General Assembly 2024.
The Future of Hackathons
In May 2022, Associate Professor Carolina Odman-Govender established Hack4dev to unite partners around a broader hackathon vision. IDIA helped develop a structured, cascade-based hackathon framework to strengthen the long-term impact of these events. First implemented in July 2024, the programme trains regional organisers and supports a growing network of data science hackathons across Africa.
The first Data Science Trainers Hackathon was held at Wits University in October 2024, with a second regional series planned for 2026/2027.
Research Schools
At research schools, students receive lectures from leaders in big data in science and industry, then form teams to tackle data-intensive projects. The projects run on the IDIA Research Cloud with substantial computational and storage resources allocated for the event.
