Warwick Psychology Ideathon 2025
15-16 December 2025, Warwick Campus
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A free 2-day event with targeted workshops, practicals and support for psychology students in all year groups. There is a small number of places for students from other departments.
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Prior experience is not required.
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Work in a small team of like-minded students to develop innovative solutions to a real-world health and well-being challenge.
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The 2025 Psychology Ideathon challenge will focus on helping communities choose sustainability and improving energy equality.
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Meet stakeholders to discuss the challenge brief and use psychology theory and research to develop practical solutions.
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Get mentorship and training from experts to develop skills and knowledge.
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Application for this event is now closed.
Note: places are limited.
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This Ideathon is delivered by the Department of Psychology in partnership with Warwick Enterprise and Coventry City Council - E.ON Strategic Energy Partnership.
Read about the Warwick Psychology Ideathon 2025 Winners HERE!Link opens in a new window
What is an Ideathon?
- An Ideathon is a short event, typically lasting between 24 and 48 hours, where participants work in small teams to develop innovative ideas to solve a specific problem or challenge.
- Ideathons evolved from hackathons, which are short events in the tech sector where computer programmers collaborate to solve coding challenges. Unlike hackathons, ideathons focus on generating and refining ideas that address a broader range of problems, including those in business, education and healthcare.
- Participants in an Ideathon can expect to develop innovative products, interventions, or strategies that address a defined 'challenge brief'.
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Ideathon teamwork encourages collaboration and creativity, building on each participant's unique skills and diverse perspectives.
- Teams present their proposed solution to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win a prize.
- Winning teams are often offered the opportunity to develop their proposal further.
Meet the Ideathon Core Team: Click Here Link opens in a new windowfor their Bios.
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Read about the Warwick Psychology Ideathon 2025 Winners HERE!Link opens in a new window
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Why should I participate?
By participating in Warwick's Psychology Ideathon you will have the opportunity to:
- Develop and refine transferable skills employers want, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.
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Use the skills and knowledge you have developed throughout your degree to practice and implement them in a context that reflects real-world issues and the modern workplace
- Gain experience using innovation and creativity to develop practical solutions to a real-world challenge concerning people's health and wellbeing.
- Use theory and research to understand issues affecting the health and well-being of individuals and groups.
- Develop your network by collaborating with peers, staff and external partners (e.g., clients, stakeholders).
- Get a certificate and gain points toward your Warwick Award.
- A chance to win a prize, including a gift voucher and the opportunity to develop your idea further
with guided mentorship.
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Important: to participate in Idaethon, you must attend both days .
Client: Coventry City Council - E.ON Strategic Energy Partnership
Topic: The 2025 Psychology Ideathon challenge will focus on helping communities choose sustainability and improving energy equality.
Challenge Brief: How might we design an innovative intervention to encourage engagement with home energy retrofit schemes in Hillfields?
Using relevant theory and research, develop a novel intervention to increase the uptake of home energy retrofit schemes in Hillfields, Coventry. In your team, consider the unique characteristics and needs of owner-occupiers and landlords in Hillfields. Think about how to impact their behaviour rather than just their level of knowledge or awareness of the benefits of retrofitting. Consider how to involve and empower the community, and how to measure whether a behaviour change has been achieved. Ensure your proposal is ethical, inclusive, culturally sensitive, and respects the rights and dignity of the client group(s). Use your creativity and go beyond existing or common interventions already taking place.
This is not just a theoretical exercise. Funding is available to support the development and delivery of retrofit interventions like the one you and your team will be working on during this Ideathon. This means that your work could directly shape how Hillfields residents experience and benefit from retrofit and neighbourhood improvements, helping to create a fairer, greener future.
Resources: Click HERELink opens in a new window.
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Disclaimer: The Department of Psychology reserves the right to change or cancel this event.