Co-Designing Open-Source Solutions for Public Sector Collaboration with the European Commission
When public sector bodies seek to modernize internal collaboration while maintaining data sovereignty and open-source standards, traditional procurement cycles can be too rigid. As Kreativdistrikt, our mission for our high-impact project co-hosted with the European Commission and Rocket.Chat was clear: design, direct, and execute an open-source innovation sprint that transforms complex enterprise messaging architecture into functional, scalable public sector tools.
Organized in partnership with DG DIGIT and open-source communication pioneer Rocket.Chat, the RocketGov Hackathon mobilized developers, sysadmins, and public sector tech enthusiasts across 5 specialized technical challenge tracks. Here is how we structured, facilitated, and delivered this flagship initiative.
The Challenge: Building Secure, Sovereign Digital Workspaces
The core operational objective was bridging the gap between open-source chat infrastructure and real-world public administration workflows. Working directly with DG DIGIT and Rocket.Chat CEO Gabriel Engel, Kreativdistrikt managed the end-to-end execution of a hackathon model where international developers and technical teams rapidly prototyped deployable applications competing for a €13,000 total cash prize pool.
The 5 Track Challenges & Expert Partners
To ground the sprint in real-world policy gaps, Kreativdistrikt collaborated with leading international institutions, universities, and research NGOs to co-design four distinct track challenges:
Apps Engine Development
Building custom TypeScript applications on top of the Rocket.Chat Apps Engine (Node.js VM module) to create native integrations, automated administrative workflows, and server-side chat extensions.
Bot Integrations
Leveraging the Rocket.Chat SDK alongside bot frameworks (such as Hubot, Botkit, or Rasa) to automate complex internal workflows, trigger smart actions, and interact with external municipal and federal APIs.
Omnichannel & Public Engagement
Expanding multi-channel communication strategies by connecting citizen touchpoints (WhatsApp, Telegram, Livechat widgets) with secure public sector backends for efficient government-to-citizen communication.
System Integration
Harnessing REST APIs and webhooks to connect Rocket.Chat with heavy enterprise and government systems—ranging from smart office IoT to complex electronic health and administrative records (such as FHIR).
Wildcard Challenge
Inviting open-ended open-source contributions and feature proposals directly aimed at improving communication and data sovereignty across the Rocket.Chat ecosystem.
The Kreativdistrikt Methodology: End-to-End Execution
Executing an international, fully virtual tech sprint for the European Commission required structured operational oversight. Kreativdistrikt led the project across three key phases:
- Cohort Curation & Platform Onboarding: Managing pre-event developer registration, team formation, and delivering specialized technical resources covering Rocket.Chat API endpoints, deployment scripts, and Apps Engine SDKs.
- Checkpoint & Evaluation Management: Organizing structured checkpoint sessions mid-sprint to keep teams on schedule, track documentation completeness, and review UX polish and code sustainability.
- Jury Coordination & Review Workflow: Directing the multi-tiered evaluation process with technical judges from Rocket.Chat and the European Commission to score entries based on code quality, user experience, public sector applicability, and original design.
Directing Public Sector “Privacy & Sovereignty by Design”
In software development for international public bodies, building tech requires strict adherence to security and data ownership standards. Through curated mentoring frameworks and strict scoring criteria, Kreativdistrikt ensured every team built with a “Sovereignty by Design” architecture.
Developers worked directly with Rocket.Chat’s open-source codebase to ensure that automated bot workflows, omnichannel bridges, and webhooks maintained complete data privacy, fulfilled GDPR requirements, and integrated safely into sovereign cloud architectures.
High-Level Stakeholder Engagement
A defining feature of the initiative was connecting global open-source developers directly with international public-sector decision-makers. Kreativdistrikt facilitated key session workflows and final project presentations alongside leadership from the European Commission and Rocket.Chat founder Gabriel Engel, showcasing how open-source developer communities directly support digital transformation in public administration.
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Tangible Impact & Post-Event Implementation
The initiative delivered immediate, functional outcomes:
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Cash Prize Allocation: Distribution of the €13,000 cash prize pool (€5,000 1st Place, €3,000 2nd Place, €2,500 3rd Place, €1,500 4th Place, €1,000 5th Place) to top-performing open-source submissions.
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Production-Ready Extensions: Winning projects provided functional apps, bot connectors, and system integrations published directly to the Rocket.Chat app marketplace and GitHub ecosystem for deployment across public agencies.
A Reusable Blueprint for Public Sector Innovation
The RocketGov Hackathon demonstrates how international public institutions, tech leaders, and community developers can collaborate effectively. By combining rigorous track design, structured platform execution, and clear technical evaluation, Kreativdistrikt delivered a high-impact model for advancing open-source digital sovereignty in government.
European Commission & Rocket.Chat
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the day-to-day operations of the EU. Through digital initiatives like DG DIGIT and open-source policies, the Commission actively fosters technological independence, security, and digital sovereignty across member states.
Rocket.Chat is the world’s largest open-source communication platform, trusted by tens of millions of users in over 150 countries to deliver secure, private, and customizable collaboration across public and private organizations.
Get in touch with us today!
Book a time slot on our calendar and we will be happy to guide you all the way to a successful online hackathon!