2025 Africa Law and Emerging Technology Policy Hackathon

This report presents the proceedings and outcomes of the 2025 Africa Law and Emerging Technology Policy Hackathon, held on 6 May 2025 at the University of Pretoria and convened by the Data Science Law Lab. The event brought together postgraduate students from the IGZ 802 module to develop legal and technical solutions addressing challenges in the interaction between South Africa’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and local inventors and innovators, with a focus on sustainable innovation. Participants formed transdisciplinary teams and responded to the challenge: “Identify a problem facing or an opportunity for improvement in the interactions between the CIPC and inventors/innovators as it relates to sustainable innovation.”The student-led teams proposed interventions including AI-assisted patent examination tools, inclusive IP frameworks, accessibility reforms, legal education initiatives, and policy models for green innovation. The report includes summaries of each student presentation and a consolidated section of expert judge feedback. It highlights key themes such as regulatory reform, digital transformation, inclusivity, and the integration of sustainability into intellectual property governance. An editorial reflection analyses the hackathon’s major insights and the potential of student research to inform future IP policy in South Africa. Reach out to us if you want to work with us to take the submitted “hacks” forward and/or want us to work with you on the next challenge.