FAQs

What is a healthcare hackathon?
A Hackathon is an event in which people with different backgrounds and expertise form teams, collaborate within a limited time frame, and focus on a specific problem or idea in healthcare to come up with innovative, disruptive ideas and solutions. By bringing together diverse minds alike in their interest for solving healthcare’s biggest challenges, problems can be diagnosed from multiple different perspectives. Watch this video from the 2017 MIT GrandHack to feel the passion of healthcare hackathons here!

Is the event free?
Yes! Participating in the Kigali Surgical Innovation Hackathon is free but everyone is required to apply and be accepted due to a limited number of spots.

What should I bring to the hackathon? Will hacking resources be provided?
Participants need only bring their laptops. If you have resources at home (arduinos, circuit boards, other rapid prototyping materials) that you think will be useful for your project, you’re welcome to bring them. There will be no prototyping materials directly at the hackathon.

What materials should I bring?
Bring whatever you think will be useful, whether that’s a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, hardware tools, etc. Typically hack participants have brought their own computers and tablet/smartphone devices to play with, but bring whatever you think you will need!

Am I going to be placed on a team or am I some version of a free agent?
A little bit of both. After hearing all of the pitches, teams will start to form organically based on people who want to work on the same idea that was pitched. You can join a team around someone else’s pitch or form a team around something you pitched.

What’s expected from participants in this event? I want to make sure I am well prepared as my idea is in actual “idea” stage.
Participants are expected to come ready to participate – you can either pitch a “pain point” for 60 seconds or join a team once teams begin forming.

Will accommodation/transportation be arranged for us?
Unfortunately, we do not offer accommodation/ travel reimbursements for the Kigali Surgical Innovation Hackathon.

Please email kigalihackathon@gmail.com if you have any further questions.