Impacthon 2026: Nourishing Neighbourhoods through student-led solutions

On 18 April 2026, PLNT Leiden hosts Impacthon – The Challenge for Real-World Impact, a 12-hour interdisciplinary student challenge focused on Nourishing Neighbourhoods. The event takes place at PLNT Leiden from 10:00 to 22:00.

The theme Nourishing Neighbourhoods invites participants to look at everyday urban environments and identify challenges that matter to them. Students define their own problem within one of three open focus areas: green, safe, or connected neighbourhoods. Each theme is intentionally broad, allowing teams to shape their challenge based on personal experience, observation, or research.

During Impacthon, participants work in small, diverse teams to frame a real-world problem, explore its context, and develop a concept, prototype, or framework. The programme follows a hands-on format that includes research, ideation, collaboration across disciplines, and short pitches to peers and partners at the end of the day.

Impacthon is open to MBO, HBO, and WO students from Leiden, The Hague, and beyond. Educators, experts, and partners can also get involved by contributing real-world challenges, acting as jury members, or sharing the event within their networks.

By focusing on Nourishing Neighbourhoods, Impacthon creates space for students to connect local questions to wider societal issues, while gaining practical experience in interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving.

More information: https://plnt.nl/en/events/impacthon-2/