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SURVIVAL GUIDE
About this Page
The survival guide is your primary information entrypoint for all Health Hack Competition matters. This guide encompasses all the information required to get through this competition. It will remain available on this website and will be updated throughout the competition.
Sponsors
Special thanks to all the sponsors that make running Innovation4Health possible.
Communications
This program uses emails to notify innovators of their participation in the program, as a recruitment and advertising tool, and to share information to our community after the competition. Please white-list i4h@ucalgary.ca, @wixevents.com, and @forums.wix.com to ensure you don't miss any important emails and check back frequently for updates.
In addition to emails, we will send out updates (especially quick and/or urgent ones) on our discord server found here. Once joined, you will be added to your team's channel which can be used for all design and program-related matters and can be used for team communication in the weeks leading up to and during the Health Hack Weekend.
Safety
The development of prototypes carries with it certain risks, examples being those associated with machining equipment, hand and power tools, electronics tools, and heavy or sharp materials. Innovators are expected to take all necessary safety precautions before and while using equipment. If you have any questions about operating equipment in the various spaces designated for prototype development during the competition, I4H strongly encourages innovators to always contact the local safety representative and authority for the location in which they are working, and to respect the regulations imposed at that location.
If an incident occurs on a university campus, call Campus Security (403-220-5333). Campus security are trained first-aid personnel and are available 24/7. If you are ever in need of immediate assistance, use the table below for a phone number to contact. In the event of a health emergency, do not hesitate to call 911.
EVENT CALENDAR
This calendar shows all major events, workshops, and important deadlines.
RSVP for Main Events
All Innovators, Challenge Champions, and organizers must RSVP for each event below. Click each event to see further details.
Note: Only site members can RSVP for these events. Click Sign in/Log in in the navigation menu to create an account if you don't already have one. A site administrator will approve your membership if applicable.
Challenges
For the 2025 Health Hack Competition, the I4H team recruited a diverse set of challenges divided into 3 steams (Parenting, Gender Affirming Care, Reproductive Health). Find and review all those challenges selected for featuring in our program here.
Project Milestones
We want you to get the most out of the 2025 Competition and have therefore designed Project Milestones to help you gauge your progress. Milestones are considered mandatory components of your project and include aspects related to safety, team communication, intellectual property, workshop attendance, and planning ahead. Participation in the Health Hack Weekend means completing the mandatory components on time to ensure you:
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Gain access to workspaces
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Have the opportunity to compete for awards
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Receive a program Certificate of Completion.
Completion of mandatory components (on time) counts towards points for consideration of awards - so take advantage of locking in these participation points!
Mandatory Components
This list contains all the mandatory milestones that you and your team must complete during the program. By participating in this program, your team is required to complete the following:
Throughout the Program
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Attend two optional workshops beyond the mandatory workshops OR two consultation sessions
End of Week 0 (Feb 24)
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Sign up as a member on the I4H website if you haven't already.
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Complete and submit the Team Formation form. Before the Team Formation event is complete, physically submit your personal Liability Waiver and your team's Team Charter to the registration desk.
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Join the I4H discord server and join your team's channel.
Week 1 (Feb 25 - March 03)
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Attend the Intro to Gender Diversity Workshop. At least two members of your team must attend this workshop to learn about the gender diversity and relevance to this year's competition.
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Attend the Design Thinking Workshop. At least two members of your team must attend this workshop to learn about how to manage your team.
Week 2 (March 04 - 10)
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Request mentorship. Complete the mentorship request form through google forms, requesting expertise in up to 3 knowledge areas identified in the mentorship section.
Week 3 (March 11 - 17)
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Complete your Phase 1 Development Report. The purpose of this report is to define team member roles and responsibilities, explore the problem space as a team and with mentor support, and research existing/competing solutions. A report template will be provided and can be submitted to your Point of Contact (POC) through the discord and/or email. This report will be due March 14th, 11:59 PM.
Week 4 (March 18 - 24)
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Attend the Intellectual Property Workshop. At least two members of your team must attend this workshop to learn about intellectual property and how it applies to your solution.
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Keep on preparing! Attend workshops, talk to potential users, etc.
Week 5 (March 25 - 31)
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Complete your Phase 2 Development Report. The purpose of this report is to define solution ideation, selection criteria listing, solution selection, and your implementation/build plan for the Health Hack Weekend. A report template will be provided and can be submitted to your Point of Contact (POC) through the discord and/or email. This report will be due March 28th, 11:59 PM.
Week 6 and Program End (April 01 - 07)
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Attend Health Hack Weekend
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Provide evidence of mentorship use (e.g., meeting notes, screenshots, etc.)
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Attend Pitch Clinic Workshop during HHW
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Attend Industry/Market Analysis Workshop
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Attend Demo Day
Project Expenses
Team Prototyping Fund
Our program provides each team with a budget for materials and/or services incurred during the development of their prototype. Don’t spend it frivolously, but put it to use to make something amazing!
Team Budget: $500
Eligible Expenses
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Machine shop work orders
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Electronics, lab, development consumables
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Developments kits
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Web-hosting resources or other software
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Demo Day Interactive Content (Max $50)
Ineligible Expenses
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Food
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Transportation
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Parking
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Networking and conferencing software
Reimbursement
Expenses will be reimbursed after Demo Day, upon completion of the Expense Reimbursement Form (available soon: check back later!) with all supporting itemized receipts and debit/credit slips. As reimbursement will occur through the University’s Research Accounting system, teams must designate one Innovator to make all purchases, and this person must be a University of Calgary student.* Expenses will only be reimbursed to one innovator per team.
Funding Requests and Eligibility Exceptions
If you have any questions or if you are unsure whether an item is eligible for reimbursement, please ask your POC prior to making the purchase so that it can be approved. Many program participants will have access to a premium account in one of several online conferencing softwares through your institution (e.g. Zoom, MS teams, etc.) Should your team not have access, our organizers recommend the free Google Meets platform. If you find that the budget is insufficient for your prototyping needs, our organizers will consider increasing the budget.* Again, check with your POC before making purchases beyond the budget.
* Only pre-approved expenses that exceed the budget will be reimbursed.
Mentorship
The Innovation 4 Health Competition provides innovators with the opportunity to be matched with leaders in the medical innovation community from around the world.
Our program has recruited mentors with expertise in the following knowledge areas:
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Computer Science/Big Data
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Machine Learning
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Engineering - Mechanical
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Engineering - Electrical
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Engineering - Computer
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Industrial Design/Prototyping
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Medical Devices
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Business Administration
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Business in Healthcare
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Intellectual Property Management
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Medicine
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Software & Hardware Development
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Entrepreneurship
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Pitch Coaching
Mentorship Requests
To take advantage of this resource:
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Complete mentorship request form.
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Allow us to investigate our mentorship database and find the best match for your team.
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Receive the contact information for the mentor(s) our organizers recommend.
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Connect with your mentor(s), supplying them with information about yourselves, your project, and what support you request that they provide.
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Undertake the tasks or research recommendations provided by your mentor(s).
Mentorship Points
Effective mentorship use is a part of the mandatory program milestones tasks list you will be completing through-out the program, and thus contributes to your team’s evaluation score.
Be sure to make use of our mentors and collect points towards awards! The milestones requirements for mentorship will include completing a mentorship request, identifying as a team which aspects of the challenge could be supported by the mentor and executing on the recommendations and support of the mentors.
Workshops
The I4H workshop program supports participants with training in a variety of different innovation and design-related topics. Participants are encouraged to learn new skills or refine existing skill sets through training presented by experts in their fields. Attendance to certain workshops is mandatory for at least two members per team, as this contributes to your team’s evaluation score.
Workshop Registration and Attendance Instructions
Workshops will be promoted through email, discord, and social media. When registering, be sure to review the content of the workshop and check for resources you may need to prepare or bring to the event. The RSVP page will include helpful maps to find the room, confirmation on format (i.e. in person only, hybrid, online only), etc.
Workshop List
Listed below are the workshops planned for the program. New workshops may be added as needed and as available, so be sure to keep an eye on the website for those relevant to you. Click below to view more details and RSVP for the workshop.
Facilities & Equipment
Your team's prototyping efforts might occur in several different workspaces, including:
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The University of Calgary Main Campus (Schulich Makerplex)
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The University of Calgary Foothills Campus
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Public makerspaces
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Other private locations
The facilities you choose to use will depend on what you require to develop a functional prototype for your project. Some facilities are only available during the Health Hack Weekend, while others will provide services in the weeks leading up to the event. Our program strongly encourages innovators to be resourceful in seeking out additional resources to facilitate the development of their prototype as necessary. Teams are expected to source their own materials for prototyping. Teams may contact prototyping sites to detemine whether materials are available for use at each site.
Note: The Schulich makerplex is free to students as long as they fill out their waiver. If using an external workshop, expenses to use that workshop can be deducted from the team budget.
To take advantage of our partner facilities for the Health Hack Weekend, you should advise your PoC about your intention to use a particular facility by April 29 (1 week before HHW) to ensure access to the facility. You can also indicate what equipment/facilities you will need when RSVPing on the Health Hack Weekend event here.
Judging & Awards
Judging Overview
On Demo Day, judges will determine the winning teams for:
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Best-Overall
and for the challenge tracks:
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Best-in-Category - Parental Care
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Best-in-Category - Gender Divers
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Best-in-Category - Reproductive Health
Teams will present a 1 minute fast pitch and a 5-minute demo for the judges in order to communicate their proposed solution to the challenge, and the demo will follow 3 minutes of questions.
There will be one round of judging. The round will consist of:
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All judges viewing the short pitch stage presentations of the teams in sequence,
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Judging groups moving between exhibitor tables view live demos form each team
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A question period for judge to ask the team about their technology
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A short time gap to move to the next team and allow judges to fill rubrics for the team.
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Repeating steps 2 to 6 for all teams in the challenge track.
The key outcome of the evaluation process is to identify the teams which have been outstanding in the accomplishment of their:
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Communication: How well did the team communicate their project?
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Innovation: How creative is the solution in terms of its application of scientific and technical principles?
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Impact: How well-positioned is the solution to impact the Canadian senior population and/or healthy aging?
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Track Specific Goals: How well did the project achieve its track-specific goals?
Judging Evaluation Criteria
Teams will be evaluated during their demo for the following qualities:
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Communication - 15 pts
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Presentation: Well organized, logical structure, order and flow. Useful and clear visuals. Articulate speaker, minimal jargon. Well designed, engaging and enjoyable to watch.
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Knowledge: Strong understanding and clear, public audience appropriate description of the challenge, the field and problem domain, and the application and design justification.
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Team: Convincingly and efficiently communicates team’s strengths, passions, diversity.
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Innovation - 15 pts
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Technology: Sound technical design and explains the solution in detail. Strong engineering practices and technical basis of design. Elegant level of complexity.
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Functionality: Solves the problem effectively as needed and in a well-designed manner. Sufficiently creative, but clear fit from challenge to solution.
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Application: Comprehensive or holistic design and solution that shows clear applicability to stated problem, is context-aware, and realistically applicable for real-world use.
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Impact - 15 pts
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Merit: Shows clear development effort in work-to-date. Generated a scalable, effective solution with potentially broader scope of impact.
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Plan: Serious consideration taken to ensure continued project progress, including goals, clear next steps, possible obstacles, and, if relevant, other potential applications.
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Potential: Project and team combine to have high possibility of further success and impact, active effort shown to grow the team’s network and enable real-world solution use.
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Judging Evaluation Criteria
Details will be released closer to Demo Day
Best Overall - $7,500 + in-kind services
Awarded to the best overall ranking team
Best in Categories - $5,000 + in-kind services
Awarded to the best team in each category (categories to be announced)
People’s Choice - Innovation4Health branded hoodies
Demo Day attendees will vote for their favourite team based on 1-minute pitches!
Senior Engagement Award - $500
Awarded to the team with the most engagement with seniors during the development of their project.
Awards
There will be over $20k in awards, details incoming!