# Lab Hackathons to Overcome Laboratory Equipment Shortages in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

## TL;DR

The paper introduces LabHackathons as an innovative, open, and sustainable approach to address laboratory equipment shortages in Africa by engaging students in designing affordable, reproducible lab tools during educational events.

## Contribution

It presents the LabHackathon model, combining hackathon principles with open hardware and RRI, and demonstrates its application through a Zimbabwe pilot event.

## Key findings

- LabHackathons foster local innovation in lab equipment.
- Designs from LabHacks are shared openly for wider use.
- The model faces challenges like resource constraints and scalability.

## Abstract

Equipment shortages in Africa undermine Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education. We have pioneered the LabHackathon (LabHack): a novel initiative that adapts the conventional hackathon and draws on insights from the Open Hardware movement and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). LabHacks are fun, educational events that challenge student participants to build frugal and reproducible pieces of laboratory equipment. Completed designs are then made available to others. LabHacks can therefore facilitate the open and sustainable design of laboratory equipment, in situ, in Africa. In this case study we describe the LabHackathon model, discuss its application in a pilot event held in Zimbabwe and outline the opportunities and challenges it presents.