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UIU to Host Harvard HSIL Hackathon 2026 as the Bangladeshi Hub
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- - Newsroom -
- Editor --
- ৯ এপ্রিল, ২০২৬
United International University (UIU) will host the 7th edition of the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon at the Institute of Research, Innovation, Incubation, and Commercialization (IRIIC) on April 10–11, 2026. This will be the second consecutive year UIU serves as the only Dhaka (Bangladesh) hub for the event.
This year’s hackathon is being held under the theme Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging AI, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in improving healthcare quality, efficiency, and access. This year, with UIU, the proud partners of this initiative are - PRIME BANK and United Healthcare Services Limited as Strategic partners, Embassy of Sweden, Aparajeyo Tarunno, and RHSTEPS as SRHR Partners, CMED Health as AI Health Partner, Ispahani Mirzapore Tea as Hot Beverage Partner, along with media partners TBS and Banik Barta.
The Dhaka hub received more than 650 applications from across Bangladesh. Following a competitive selection process, 22 teams comprising 98 participants, along with four individual innovators, were chosen to take part in the two-day event. The hackathon finale will happen in 30 different countries at the same time under Harvard HSIL supervision, and in the presence of esteemed mentors, jury members, and special guests. The Bangladesh
Hub finale will have the Managing Director, Startup Bangladesh, as one of the prestigious jury members for the program, along with other reputed corporate icons like Mr. Harun Ortac - CEO, United Aygaz, and academic visionaries like Prof. Laura J Reichenbach, PhD, Dean, James P Grant School of Public Health, amidst other notable personalities.
Selected Participants represent over 20 universities, medical colleges, and research
institutions, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the University of Dhaka, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, United International University, BRAC University, American International University Bangladesh, Chittagong Medical College, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and others.
During the hackathon, interdisciplinary teams of students, clinicians, engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs will develop and prototype solutions addressing challenges in areas such as critical care management, infectious disease detection, maternal and child health, diagnostics, and healthcare accessibility. Dhaka Hub Champions will win cash prizes and fight for a place in the HSIL Venture Incubation Program, which provides mentorship and support to help develop promising ideas into viable ventures.
The program aims to encourage practical, technology-driven solutions to real-world health system challenges while fostering collaboration between academia, healthcare, and the innovation ecosystem through collaboration efforts between Harvard University and UIU.
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