Fresh Perspectives and Real-World Solutions: Highlights from The Hague Policy Hackathon 2026

From 9 to 11 October 2026, during Cybersecurity Week, Leiden University’s Spui Campus in The Hague hosted the latest edition of the Hague Policy Hackathon. The event brought together students and young professionals from technical, social and policy-related disciplines to tackle some of the Netherlands’ most pressing societal challenges. Security delta (HSD) was excited to be an endorsing partner of this new edition in The Hague!

The Hague Policy Hackathon (THPH) is an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together students and young professionals in The Hague to develop innovative, data-driven responses to pressing societal challenges. During the 2.5-day event, participants work in multidisciplinary teams to develop evidence-based policy recommendations and tools addressing issues relevant to the Dutch national government’s policy agenda. The challenges are introduced by government bodies and policy stakeholders, ensuring that the solutions respond to real-world needs.

At its core, the hackathon promotes research and innovation at the intersection of technology and policymaking, demonstrating how collaboration across disciplines can help tackle complex societal issues. Following successful editions in Amsterdam, the initiative brought the concept to The Hague, drawing inspiration from the MIT Policy Hackathon, an annual event organised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

By bringing data science, policymaking and social impact together, the hackathon aimed to turn fresh perspectives into practical solutions. Digital security was a key theme, encouraging participants to explore how data-driven innovation could help address complex policy challenges and contribute to a safer digital society.

Cases

This year’s cases included:

• The Hague: Cyber Resilience in the City of Peace and Justice
  In collaboration with the Municipality of The Hague, De Haagse Hogeschool / The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Security Delta (HSD).
• Who Gets Power?
  In partnership with Ecorys.
• Verify, then trust.
  In partnership with Birdwatcher Group
• Dutch AI security policies
  In partnership with Delta Instituut

At the end of the hackathon, the students presented their proposals to a professional jury!

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