The Vic i-Days 2025 innovation competition will set challenges to improve the treatment and support of breast cancer patients

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) will host, on November 6 and 7, a hackathon which, in this fourth edition, aims to improve current treatments or develop tools that provide better support for breast cancer patients. The bootcamp, jointly organized by UVic-UCC and Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (Institut Català de la Salut), with the collaboration of the TIC Salut Social Foundation and Eurecat, is a competition aimed at undergraduate, master’s, and postgraduate students from the university and from any field of knowledge.

This initiative is promoted by EIT Health, a European community that fosters knowledge and innovation related to active and healthy ageing. To participate, students can register individually or by forming teams of four to five people. On November 6, the competition will take place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Competition phases

On the first day, participants will have to propose their solutions. To develop them, they will have the opportunity to attend workshops exploring existing needs regarding disease prevention, current treatments, and patient follow-up. They will also receive guidance from experts in innovation, research, and patient experience to help them conceptualize their idea and shape it into a concrete solution.

On the second day, teams will present their proposals before a jury, which will decide the three best solutions. The competition includes cash prizes. The winners will receive €500 and covered expenses to participate in the EIT Health Career Path in Paris, a European event where they will compete against winning solutions from other regions of the continent. The second and third prizes are endowed with €200 and €100 respectively.

Registration procedure

To access the registration form, click on the following link, which redirects to the EIT Health application platform, and register as an “individual student.” Once your account is activated, you must confirm the registration through an email received from EIT Health. Then, click on “i-Days Events” and “Apply now” for the i-Days Vic city.

For further questions, you can contact the Vic i-Days coordinator at UVic-UCC, Manel Vidal-Ribas, or the project manager at the Innovation Unit of Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, Gerard Albreda.

• Manel Vidal-Ribas, Social Area, Center for Health and Social Studies, UVic-UCC (manuel.vidalribas@uvic.cat)

• Gerard Albreda, Innovation Project Manager, Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (galbredag.germanstrias@gencat.cat)