Organized by the Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, HSIL Hackathon 2026 is the 7th edition of a global two-day event focused on building high value health systems through AI. The hackathon brings together interdisciplinary teams to design, prototype, and present technology-powered solutions to real health system challenges, moving from concept to a functional prototype with practical pathways to scale.
Program Overview
• Event Focus: The Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon is a global event where innovators design solutions to strengthen health systems over an intensive two-day period.
• Goal: Participants brainstorm, build, and pitch new ideas, aiming to develop a functional prototype or working product within the event's timeframe.
• Global Collaboration: Each year, HSIL organizes the Hackathon with partner countries and institutions. The 2025 edition involved over 500 teams across 19 global hubs.
• Post-Hackathon Support: Winning teams are invited to the Health Systems Innovation Lab Venture Incubation Program, which provides multi-week support through structured educational sessions and mentorship to further develop their ventures.
Participant Profile
• Open to All: The initiative is open to anyone inspired to advance health systems through innovation.
• Interdisciplinary Teams: Previous hackathons have engaged students, clinicians, engineers, designers, policy analysts, and entrepreneurs, forming diverse teams at Harvard and partner hubs.
• How to Join: Participants can join through their local hub, either as a pre-formed team or as an individual.
2026 Timeline
• Application Period: December 8 – February 28
• HSIL Collaborative Hub Program: February 9 – March 6 (Includes speaker series and mentorship opportunities for registered participants)
• Two-day Hackathon Event: April 10-11, 2026 (Winning teams from each hub, 50 total, advance)
• Venture Building Bootcamp 1: April 20-May 1, 2026 (50 teams participate, 20 advance)
• HSIL Judging + Bootcamp 2: May 4-May 15, 2026 (20 teams participate, 10 finalists advance)
• Global Judging Window: May 18-June 12, 2026 (Finalist refinement and global panel review)
• Demo Day: June 19, 2026 (Pitches to investors and awards ceremony)
Program Components
• Hackathon Event: An intensive, collaborative two-day experience where participants brainstorm, build, and pitch new ideas to address a specific challenge.
• Venture Building Program: A remote, eight-week Venture Incubation Program run by HSIL for selected teams. It is structured in three phases to help develop ideas into viable ventures.
2026 Collaborating Hubs
• Argentina – Buenos Aires
• Australia – Sydney: University of Sydney / Westmead Health Precinct
• Bangladesh – Dhaka: United International University
• Brazil – Rio Grande do Norte: The Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Health (LAIS/UFRN), a national and international reference in developing technologies to strengthen Brazil’s National Health System.
• Brazil – São Paulo: A collaboration including a leading business school of Fundação Getulio Vargas, the innovation nucleus of the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP), and a health-focused innovation and venture-building organization.
• Canada – Hamilton: McMaster University – The Clinic, Health Innovation Hub, which empowers innovators through competency-based, need-driven innovation programs.
• Canada – Toronto: University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), Canada’s largest public health school and a leader in research, education, and health system innovation.
• Chile – Santiago: A collaboration including The Center for Cancer Prevention and Control (CECAN), The Andrés Bello Institute of Public Health, and PLEIN UDP, which designs public-private collaborations to address societal challenges.
• China – Beijing: Tsinghua University
• Colombia – Bogotá: Universidad del Rosario
• Egypt – Cairo: American University in Cairo
• Ethiopia – Addis Ababa: Ministry of Health / National Health Innovation Lab Ethiopia (NILE), which advances health system innovation by incubating and scaling solutions.
• France – Lyon: Emlyon Business School
• Ghana – Accra: A collaboration including the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) Innovation Hub, the University of Ghana’s College of Health Sciences (CHS), Purple Point Neurodiagnostics, Ghana (PPNG), and Ennovate BLCK.
• India – Patna, Bihar / Bhubaneswar: The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health India Research Center (IRC).
• Indonesia – Jakarta: Institut Teknologi Bandung
• Italy – Milan: A collaboration including Federated Innovation@MIND, Human Technopole, Università degli Studi di Milano, Politecnico di Milano, and the Italian Society for AI in Medicine (SIIAM).
• Kazakhstan – Astana: Kazakhstan AI Safety Institute
• Lebanon – Beirut: American University of Beirut, Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, a platform that bridges the gap between science, policy, and politics.
• Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur: UCSI Hospital – Centre for Medical Education and Training (CMET), an international hub for advancing healthcare training.
• Mexico – Monterrey: Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (UANL) School of Medicine, a leading medical institution in Mexico.
• Nepal – Kathmandu: Nepal Technology Innovation Center – Kathmandu University
• Nigeria – Ogun: Babcock University
• Pakistan – Gujranwala: GIFT University, an institution focused on providing quality education and maintaining close liaison with local industry.
• Pakistan – Islamabad: National University of Science and Technology (NUST) School of Health Sciences
• Portugal – Braga: Escola de Economia, Gestão e Ciência Política – Universidade do Minho – Braga – Portugal
• Rwanda – Kigali: Carnegie Mellon University Africa / Industry Innovation Lab, which runs programs connecting startups with world-class talent.
• Saudi Arabia – Riyadh: Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business & Entrepreneurship / Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Academy
• Singapore – Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• South Africa – Cape Town: University of Cape Town
• South Africa – Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand
• Spain – Madrid: The Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University, which promotes research collaboration and transatlantic academic exchange.
• Taiwan: National Taiwan University
• Thailand – Bangkok: Mahidol University
• Türkiye – Istanbul: Koç University
• UAE – Abu Dhabi: Dubai Health
• UK – Cambridge: University of Cambridge, a new innovation hub connecting academics, clinical staff, and the world to develop healthcare solutions using AI.
• UK – London: University College London – Global Business School for Health
• USA – Boston: Health Systems Innovation Lab at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Vietnam – Hanoi: A collaboration between Hanoi Medical University (HMU), a cornerstone of Vietnam’s medical education, and Phenikaa University (PU), a leading institution integrating education, research, and innovation.
• Zimbabwe – Harare: A collaboration between Matamba Film Labs for Women, which pioneers empowerment through creative and emerging technologies, and the Internet Society.
For further details regarding eligibility, potential partnerships, or data access for the HSIL Hackathon, interested parties are encouraged to make inquiries via email at hsilhackathon@hsph.harvard.edu. Additional information can also be found by visiting the program's official website.