The competition was jointly organized by the Innovation Ecosystem Center of the University of Debrecen and EIT Health, i.e. the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The goal was for student teams to find innovative solutions to healthcare and pharmaceutical problems within 24 hours. The largest number of students who participated in the hackathon came from the University of Debrecen, but there were competitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dortmund and a Turkish university, as well as from Budapest, from Corvinus, Semmelweis and Óbuda Universities. The competition was eventually won by the student team of the University of Debrecen with their idea of a device suitable for home diagnostics of endometriosis.
- After last year’s great success, the program was held again this year, attracting students of IT and economics in addition to life sciences. We are convinced that approaching real-life challenges from multiple perspectives, thus adding knowledge from different scientific fields and cultural diversity to a creative process brings about more original ideas and business opportunities. In fact, the members of the winning team of the i-Days for Life Debrecen hackathon represent four faculties and three nations-said Lilla Jutkusz, Director of the Innovation Ecosystem Center.
In the final round of the 24-hour idea competition, the nine teams that came before the jury brought forward interesting solutions, including a bra that helps in the early detection of breast cancer, an application developed for the community exchange of food leftovers in households, or a 3D-printed artificial limb based on muscle sensors.
The winning team presented a design for a device intended to analyze menstrual fluid, which is thus suitable for home diagnostics of endometriosis. Their solution could provide significant help to the majority of women affected by cyclical pain, if their idea survives the validation test and then the challenges of commercial launch. By winning the hackathon, the team of Ikram Bekkaoui, Syeda Ghania, Nurbanu Koc and Sarfaraz Ahmed will receive mentoring from the White Unicorn Incubator, i.e. professional support to further develop and validate their idea, and will also have the opportunity to participate in the international final round in Paris at the end of November, where the winners of the i-Days competitions held in sixteen countries are invited.
- The jury was in a difficult situation, as many strong projects competed in the two-day hackathon. During the evaluation, the quality of the presentation, the cooperation between the team members, the presentation of the product and the market entry strategy were all important aspects. The winning team’s plan, after proper validation and a well-developed business model, can have serious market potential, in our opinion. The White Unicorn Incubator, which focuses on healthcare innovation, will continue to mentor the team, and we are excited to work together- said Erik Szabó, founder and CEO of the White Unicorn Incubator which presented the professional award to the winner team.
Press Centre - SzL