Apr. 19-21, 2024
Pauley Pavilion at UCLA

LA Hacks is Southern California's largest hackathon, where for 36 hours every spring, 1,400+ developers, designers, and creatives will have the opportunity to create apps, software, hardware, or other products using different technologies to compete for prizes. Their theme this year is The Grand Adventure, which aims to challenge students to venture into the unknown and celebrate the thrilling journey of creativity and collaboration by solving real-world problems, embracing uncertainty, and making a lasting impact.

The Best of Patient Safety Tech prize will be given under the Health + Wellness Track. The winning team will receive PS5’s for each team member.

Apr 26, 2024
Purdue University

The Design & Innovation Challenge at Purdue University serves as an annual platform where students seize the opportunity to articulate their ideas, showcase meticulously developed products, and present inventive business models. Rooted in the encouragement of multidisciplinary collaboration, the competition prompts students to engage in diverse teams, fostering an appreciation for varied perspectives and empowering them to choose their own focal points. The primary objective of this initiative is to augment students' comprehension of industry dynamics, thereby nurturing their evolution as inventors and industry professionals.

This year introduces a significant enhancement to the competition in the form of a novel category, 'Patient Safety.' Open to all Purdue students, this category presents participants with the challenge of addressing one of five patient safety issues prevalent in healthcare delivery. These issues span Medication, Patient Care, Procedure/Surgery, Infection, and Diagnostic Error. Applicants, whether in teams or as individuals, are tasked with developing a fully realized idea for a technology-enabled solution aimed at mitigating one of the five leading patient safety problems. These problems can manifest at any point along the continuum of care. The deliverables encompass project documents in PDF format, prototypes (hardware or software, depending on the nature of the idea), a project video, and a set of key images comprising a minimum of four images contextualizing the project. The 'Patient Safety' category not only serves as a platform for students to showcase their solutions but also provides support for proof of concept, attractive prize money for the winners, and the opportunity to participate in in-person events for the final presentation and winner announcement.

The overarching goal of the 'Patient Safety' category is to engage students and innovators in crafting solutions geared toward diminishing preventable harm or death for patients. Winners in this category not only receive well-deserved recognition but also gain access to a spectrum of potential opportunities for support. The competition organizers plan to enlist industry professionals, patent experts, and faculty members from diverse fields to form a comprehensive panel. This panel, rich in diversity, serves as a valuable resource for students, allowing them to choose mentors from the jury pool and engage in meaningful discussions to further refine and actualize their goals. Ultimately, this award is meticulously designed to kindle inspiration and offer steadfast support to students and innovators in their noble pursuit of making a substantive impact on patient safety within the intricate landscape of healthcare.

Application/Registration Deadline: April 7th, 2024

Announce Finalists (Virtual): April 12th, 2024

Final Presentation and Winner Announcement (In-Person): April 26th, 2024

May 14, 2024

The Big Ideas grant competition is excited to announce a collaboration with the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative for the upcoming 2024-25 competition. In addition to the standard $50,000 Big Ideas grant, a selected team will receive an extra $10,000 from the Patient Safety Technology Challenge. This additional award is specifically designated for projects utilizing technology to tackle patient safety issues.

Important dates:

Mar. 27, 2024 Letter of Intent Due

April 19, 2024 Applicants notified of Pitch Event participation

May 14, 2024 Pitch Event

May 28, 2024 Full Applications Due

June 13, 2024 Winners Selected and Notified