Drupal@Europa Web Platform Hackathon

The Drupal@Europa Web Platform Hackathon took place on 16 October 2024 in Brussels and was organised by the EuropaIT team in collaboration with AWS.

The event brought together business and technical experts from across the European Commission to explore innovative approaches to web development using generative AI technologies within the Drupal-based Europa Web Platform.

Participants worked in multidisciplinary teams to develop ideas and proof-of-concept solutions addressing practical challenges related to content creation and website navigation.

Numbers of the Conference

80 Participants

2 Challenges

Event details

Date: 16 October 2024
Time: 09:00 – 16:00 (CEST)
Location: The One, Rue de la Loi 107, Brussels, Belgium
Language: English

About the Hackathon

The hackathon focused on exploring how AI-powered tools could support the management and usability of Europa websites built with Drupal.

Participants were divided into teams composed of both business and technical profiles. Each team worked on one of two predefined challenges, guided by experts from the Europa Web Platform and AWS.

The objective of the event was to encourage collaboration, experimentation and knowledge sharing across the Commission’s web community while exploring the potential of generative AI technologies in web publishing and content management.

Challenges

#Challenge 1

AI-Powered Content Editor Assistant

Participants explored the development of an AI-based assistant designed to support content editors working with OpenEuropa.

The objective was to investigate how generative AI could help improve content creation processes and assist editors in managing web content more efficiently.

Challenge #2

AI Chatbot for Natural Language Site Exploration

This challenge focused on developing a conversational AI interface enabling users to search and explore Drupal website content using natural language queries.

The aim was to enhance website navigation and make information on Drupal-based sites more accessible to visitors.

The objective was to investigate how generative AI could help improve content creation processes and assist editors in managing web content more efficiently.

Participants

The hackathon brought together professionals from different roles involved in the development and management of Europa websites, including:

Project managers and scrum masters
Site owners and webmasters
Business and functional analysts
UX/UI designers
Drupal developers
DevSecOps specialists
Quality assurance experts

Participants collaborated in teams combining both business and technical expertise.

Outcomes

Throughout the day, teams worked on prototype ideas and exploratory solutions addressing the two challenges. The event provided an opportunity to experiment with emerging technologies and discuss how artificial intelligence could support future developments of the Europa Web Platform.

The hackathon contributed to ongoing reflections on how AI tools could enhance editorial workflows, improve website usability, and support innovation within the European Commission’s digital ecosystem