'Sahlgrenska Global Health Hackathon' comes to Barcelona to transform global health
Barcelona will host the Sahlgrenska Global Health Hackathon, a unique international event that brings together researchers, entrepreneurs and technologists from around the world to solve some of the most pressing health challenges, with the slogan “Co-action Addressing Global Health Challenges”.
The Catalan capital will be one of the nine locations of the Sahlgrenska Global Health Hackathon, held throughout 2025 in six countries on three continents. The city, known for its innovative spirit, will host the hackathon on February 22 and 23, 2025, right after Barcelona Health Innovation Week.
The Barcelona hackathon is one of the nine locations on the world tour that will also take this innovation marathon to Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm (Sweden), Boston and Miami (USA), London (United Kingdom), Göttingen (Germany) and Singapore before returning to Gothenburg in October 2025, where the finalists from each location will compete to win.
How does the hackathon work?
This solution-generating marathon organized by the Sahlgrenska Science Park and Biocat under the framework of the PRECISEU European project invites innovative teams to work on challenges in five key areas of global health over five weeks and then share their proposals in person on the weekend of February 22 and 23.
The process is simple, with the following steps:
- Sign up: to get started, you just have to sign up on the platform by filling in the registration form.
- Explore the challenges: after signing up you can learn more about the five main challenges of the hackathon, which focus on health equality, treating cancer, healthy ageing, preventing infections and sustainable healthcare.
- Join a team: you can sign up on your own and then find a team, create and lead one, or join a team led by another participant. Then you can start working on the initial idea to tackle one of the challenges. The deadline for preparing your proposal online and submitting it through the platform is February 8.
- Develop your solution: the weekend of the hackathon, which will be an intensive in person event, you will work with your team and get support from mentors to develop your idea.
- Submit your idea: over the weekend of the hackathon, you will submit several documents including a one pager, pitch, video and additional evidence.
- You may be chosen as a finalist: From February 23, the panel of judges will assess the teams and proposals submitted. The finalists will be announced on March 10. The grand final will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden in October 2025.
Who can participate?
The Barcelona hackathon is open to all types of innovators: researchers, software developers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and anyone interested in helping improve global health. If you have an innovative idea or want to be part of a multidisciplinary team working to create disruptive solutions, now is your time to take action.
Important dates
If you want to be part of this innovative adventure, here are some dates to remember:
- Registration opens: October 24.
- Registration deadline: December 24.
- Deadline to choose teams: February 8.
- Hackathon in Barcelona: February 22-23.
- Local finalists announced: March 10.
- Grand final in Sweden: October 13.
The Sahlgrenska Global Health Hackathon, sponsored this year by PRECISEU, is more than just a competition: it’s an opportunity to innovate, collaborate and come up with solutions that could transform the future of global health. If you have ideas, the drive to solve real problems and want to work with a global network of professionals, this event is for you.
More information and registration here.