Healthcare Innovation Hackathon i-Day

Students from all Latvian universities and disciplines are invited to join the i-Days healthcare innovation hackathon, organised by Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and EIT Health as part of the PMNET Forum. 

Please fill out the I-days hackathon 2025 pre-registration form to win chance to represent Latvia in the European finals in Paris November 27–28!

Registration form

The Latvian edition of i-Days will run over three days at RSU and the National Library of Latvia. On 3 and 4 October, students will take part in idea-generation and business model workshops, work intensively in teams, and receive guidance from a wide network of mentors. The final on 10 October will take place at the National Library as part of the PMNET Forum.

Schedule

• Friday, 3 October, 17:00–20:00 – kick-off, challenge presentation and previous hackathon success story at the RSU Innovation Centre, 12 Vīlipa iela
• Saturday, 4 October, 9:00–20:00 – teamwork and mentoring sessions at the RSU Pharmaceutical Studies and Research Centre, 21 Konsula iela
• Tuesday, 7 October, 19:00 online business Canva workshop
• Wednesday, 8 October, 17:00 online pitch workshop - tips and tricks for a successful final presentation 
• Thursday, 9 October, 18:00 online lecture by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia about further financing and support options for hackathon teams
• Friday, 10 October, 10:30–12:00 – Final Pitch Event at the National Library of Latvia, 3 Mūkusalas iela, during the PMNET Forum

Event language: English

i-Days team will provide meals and coffee breaks. Please bring a laptop or tablet – it will be very useful for teamwork and idea presentations.

What to expect?

Over two intense days, students (in teams of 3–4) will design creative, practical solutions to pressing healthcare challenges, gain skills in ideation and pitching, and receive support from a wide network of mentors from academia and industry.

The winning team will:

• represent Latvia at the i-Days European Final in Paris (all travel and accommodation covered),
• receive a 3,000 EUR prize from Roche to further develop their idea,
• gain additional valuable awards and mentoring from RSU’s business incubator B-Space.

This year’s challenges 

The 2025 challenges are brought forward by leading healthcare stakeholders – Roche, Paula Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, and Olpha.

• Roche 1st challenge – Unlocking the potential of digital laboratory data for personalised healthcare. Although Latvia collects vast amounts of laboratory and genetic data, these are not effectively used to create personalised care plans. How can we move from “average” treatment to truly personalised prevention, diagnosis, and therapies?
• Roche 2nd challenge – Breaking down silos in hospitals for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Complex patients are often placed in general wards, where fragmented communication and treatment inertia put them at risk of repeated hospitalisations. How can we design solutions that ensure safer, more integrated care?
• PSKUS challenge– Monitoring chronic patients outside the hospital. Chronic patients require continuous monitoring, but long hospital stays are costly and unsustainable. How can digital and practical solutions ensure effective home monitoring while improving care quality and efficiency?
• Olpha 1st challenge– Developing a system (including an app) for the safe collection and disposal of expired medicines. Many patients throw expired medicines into household waste, causing environmental and health risks. How can digital solutions make the return process simple, traceable, and motivating while ensuring safe disposal and regulatory compliance?
• Olpha 2nd challenge– Mobile app for side effect monitoring and reporting. Current reporting is incomplete and delayed, limiting drug safety monitoring and timely regulatory action. How can a digital tool empower patients to easily log symptoms, ensure reliable data for regulators and healthcare providers, and improve overall pharmacovigilance and public health?
• Olpha 3rd challenge– Auxillary substances selected by artificial intelligence for faster drug development.  The drug development process is slow and resource-intensive, especially when selecting excipients by trial and error. Using AI to predict compatibility, stability, bioavailability, and efficiency can accelerate development, reduce costs, improve quality, and foster innovatio
• Olpha 4th challenge– Using a QR code on drug packaging for patient education Paper leaflets are inconvenient and often discarded, leading to misuse and health risks. How can QR codes on packaging provide patients with easy, reliable, and up-to-date information while improving safety, education, and sustainability?
• Olpha 5th challenge– Biodegradable blister packaging (eco-friendly packaging) and its development opportunities Conventional blister packs create major environmental waste. How can pharma develop biodegradable or recyclable alternatives that protect medicines, meet standards, and stay cost-effective while reducing ecological impact?

Register for early participation here