I was working with some larger companies that ran internal hackathons to see if they could create smaller product improvements or advantageous changes to intern

I was working with some larger companies that ran internal hackathons to see if they could create smaller product improvements or advantageous changes to internal processes. One of the "prizes" that the teams one was having their product funded and getting to take the time to build it. R&D employees seemed to get a large boost of energy and optimism from trying these events while the company harvested innovation and efficiency.