Jipmer's first ever med-tech hackathon to ideate health solutions
The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), has tied up with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) to host a first-of-its-kind 'med-tech hackathon', that aims 'to ignite the spirit of innovation, blending clinical expertise with cutting-edge technology to create tangible healthcare advancements'.
According to Jipmer, 'INCUBATE 2025' has been designed as a flagship med-tech innovation platform fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation at the intersection of medicine and technology, thus setting the stage for future breakthroughs in healthcare across India.
The hackathon, with the motto 'Where Curiosity Meets Innovation,' is open to undergraduate students across India from medical and engineering disciplines who will form teams of 2-4 members to ideate holistic, technology-driven solutions to resolve major health problems. The event seeks to bring together the brightest medical and engineering minds to innovate solutions for issues faced by healthcare industry, a press note said.
The hackathon, spanning diverse clinical themes, including public health, cardiology, oncology and obstetrics, is expected to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and creative problem-solving, Jipmer said.
The registration for contestants, including international students, opens on June 25.
According to the web page set up for the event (www.incubate2025.in), undergraduates from medical courses (MBBS, CRRIs (interns), BSc Nursing or allied health sciences), engineering and sciences (B.Tech, BSc., and equivalent undergraduate degrees in Sciences), IISc, and IISER are eligible to participate.
During the preliminary rounds, which close on July 31, contestants will submit online the proposal (PPT format) and video of a tech-based solution for an identified problem.
'We are expecting to attract about 500 participants from across India and abroad,' an organiser said.
The event is supported by the Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH), Jipmer Undergraduate Scientific and Research Club (JUSRC), and the Institute Technical Council (ITC) of IIT Bombay.
On the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, 15 proposals submitted by the teams will be shortlisted for securing funding support to develop prototypes, which are to be presented in the final round, scheduled to be hosted at Jipmer in October.
The participants making it to the final round will benefit from the mentorship of experts at Jipmer and IIT Bombay, apart from getting a shot at winning exciting cash prizes amounting cumulatively to about ₹2.5 lakh, including the grand prize to the top three entries.
Some ideas could potentially attract further industry support and transform into real-world applications, organisers added.
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