Students create health care innovations during i-Days hackathon
Photos: Courtesy of RSU
The health innovation hackathon i-Days came to a close on Friday, 10 October. The student team VitaEase won first place. Their winning solution is a micro-needle sensor that connects to patienst’ smart devices, allowing for real-time monitoring of heart activity and key health indicators after cardiac surgery or health complications. The solution also plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to help detect early signs of inflammation, infection, or other potential risks. In November, the team will travel to Paris to represent Latvia at the European i-Days final.
The i-Days Hackathon, organised by Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) in collaboration with the EIT Health Hub Latvia (hosted by RSU), brought together more than 60 students in 11 teams from universities across Latvia. Over six days, participants developed innovative ideas addressing pressing healthcare challenges. Throughout the event, students also learned techniques for idea generation and pitching, and gained hands-on experience working with mentors from healthcare and business sectors.
Ideas created during the hackathon
The winning team presented their concept for the micro-needle sensor, which connects to patients’ smart devices thus enabling real-time health monitoring for people recovering from heart surgeries or living with chronic conditions. The team emphasised sustainability and accessibility – the micro-needle is biodegradable, and the mobile app concept was designed to be intuitive and usable even for people with limited digital skills. In November, VitaEase will head to Paris to represent Latvia at the European i-Days final, which will bring together winning teams from over 20 countries. The team also received a EUR 3,000 prize from Roche to develop their idea further. Meanwhile, the team Mammamed.com, which developed an app for expectant mothers, received recognition from RSU’s business incubator B-Space for having the strongest business potential.
‘Hackathons are a great experience for everyone! Our previous experience in similar events helped us create a meaningful and valuable solution, as did persistence. As a team, we went through many stages before reaching the right idea during i-Days. That’s why
I encourage everyone to keep developing their ideas if you believe in them and can make them useful for others,’
said Eshaan Sikdar, an RSU student and representative of the team VitaEase.
The jury included representatives from Roche, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), RSU, IQVIA, and the Latvian Alliance for Rare Diseases.
Healthcare problems turn into student ideas and solutions
The i-Days hackathon inspires students each year to find new solutions for key healthcare challenges proposed by professionals in the field. This year, a total of eight challenges were presented by Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Roche, and Olpha, focusing on issues such as monitoring chronic patients outside hospitals, using data for personalised care, and several pharmacy-related topics.
‘This year, it was especially inspiring to see how creative and enthusiastic the participants were. Teams boldly tackled healthcare issues that even seasoned specialists find challenging, actively working with mentors throughout the process.
The students didn’t just come up with ideas – they showed how collaboration across disciplines can lead to truly innovative results,’
said Luīze Madara Ziediņa, representative of the EIT Health Hub Latvia.
The i-Days hackathon took place as part of the Precision Medicine Forum PMNET, which encourages participants to think about adaptable innovations that help diagnose and treat patients based on individual genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. During the event, students not only generated new ideas but also deepened their understanding of how innovation can transform healthcare in Latvia and across Europe.
About i-Days
i-Days offers students, residents, and young professionals the opportunity to participate in developing innovative healthcare ideas at various EIT Health events across Europe. During the events, participants gain an in-depth insight into healthcare issues, learn about the latest innovations in the health sector, and compete in teams to solve real-life problems. The winning team from each country's i-Days competition wins the grand prize – a ticket to the i-Days European competition finals, which will take place this year in the French capital, Paris.
