Young innovators aged 18 to 30 are invited to tackle some of healthcare’s biggest challenges at MedWave Hack 2027, a free healthcare innovation hackathon taking place in Limassol on 5–6 February 2027.
Organised by Youth Tech Fest in collaboration with MIT Hacking Medicine, the event will bring together secondary school students, university students and young professionals from different academic backgrounds to develop solutions addressing challenges in medicine, technology and healthcare delivery.
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Participants do not need coding experience to apply. They will work in teams, receive guidance from mentors and present their proposed solutions to a panel of industry experts.
Applications are open until 16 January 2027.
Three Healthcare Challenges
Participants will choose from three challenges covering different aspects of healthcare innovation:
- AI and the Future of Medicine: Exploring how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies could improve the discovery, development and delivery of medicines, while supporting safer and more effective healthcare.
- Precision Medicine and Earlier Intervention: Developing solutions that help identify health risks earlier, improve treatment decisions and support people living with serious or chronic diseases.
- Smarter Medicines, Access, Safety and Sustainability: Finding ways to make medicines more accessible, safer to use and reliably available, while improving the environmental sustainability of pharmaceutical production and delivery.
Solutions can take different forms, including software applications, products, services, medical devices, systems or new processes. Participants can also propose campaigns or other approaches to addressing their chosen healthcare challenge.
How Will The Hackathon Work?
Applicants can register individually or in teams of three to five people. Individual participants will be assigned to teams by the organisers.
Teams will be paired with mentors ahead of the event and provided with preparation materials and an introductory webinar.
The programme begins on Friday, 5 February, with an opportunity to meet mentors and judges, ask questions and network with other participants.
On Saturday, 6 February, teams will finalise their projects with mentor support before competing in an elimination round. The three strongest teams will then present their solutions to a judging panel.
Projects will be assessed on creativity, potential impact, use of technology and commercial viability.
What Can Participants Win?
The organisers have announced several prizes and professional development opportunities, including:
- MIT GrandHack: A Golden Ticket to attend MIT GrandHack 2027/2028 in Boston, USA.
- Internships and industry experience: Opportunities to gain experience with participating organisations.
- Mentorship: Sessions with startup founders and senior executives.
- Career development: CV workshops and interview preparation.
- Cash prizes: Financial awards, with the amounts yet to be announced.
The hackathon draws on the approach developed by MIT Hacking Medicine, founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011, which brings together people from different disciplines to develop solutions to healthcare problems.
How To Apply
MedWave Hack 2027 is open to high-achieving secondary school students, university students and young professionals aged 18–30, including applicants without a technical background.
- Application deadline: 16 January 2027
- Event dates: 5–6 February 2027
- Location: Limassol, Cyprus
- Participation: Free
- Team size: Three to five participants, with individual applications also accepted
- Selection process: Applications are reviewed by the organisers, who notify accepted participants by email
Interested participants can apply through the official MedWave Hack registration page.
Healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and organisations interested in supporting the initiative as mentors or partners can find further information on the MedWave Hack website.
