FAQs:

Medical hackathons are highly energetic multi-day events (2 days, in our case) where teams collaborate across different disciplines to solve important medical issues. In this time, you will brainstorm an idea, develop it, structure a business model and learn to pitch the idea. We guarantee you'll be pumping adrenaline by the end.

The theme is Chronic Diseases - anything generally accepted in the medical profession as a “chronic disease” is fair game! We're also not limiting participants on the aspects of chronic disease that they can tackle; whether it is the patient experience, patient safety, etc. If you're unsure as to whether your idea is eligible, our team at medhackmelbourne@gmail.com are more than happy to lend a hand.

Anyone! We have made it our mission to keep our event as open as possible. Whether you're the top neurosurgeon in Melbourne (who might make an appearance!) or a high school student at the beginnings of your journey, we have a spot for you at med_hack.

We're inviting coders, engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, designers, lawyers, chronic disease patients, students and anything in between! Still reading and think you're too inexperienced for an event like this? From what we've seen, not being an expert allows you to avoid assumptions, orthodoxies and traps in the field, meaning you can truly be innovative.

We have created a short application form to find out about the skillsets of participants (to streamline team-matching), ideas people want to explore (to find ideal mentors) and topics of interest (to develop our masterclasses). If you are finding it difficult to fill in the form, showing us genuine passion or bits of knowledge which make us go "Wow!" will certainly tip the scales in your favour. We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis, with a higher proportion of applicants accepted in the initial weeks. We would highly recommend completing applications early to provide yourself the best chance of a spot.

Although there is an option to upload your CV or provide your Linkedin profile, this is completely optional and will not contribute to the application process. One of the best ways we've found to foster medical innovation projects is to learn about people's diverse backgrounds and connect individuals achieving a similar goal together!

Once submitted, participants will be contacted within 5 working days as to whether they have been successful in their application (with further instructions) or have been wait-listed. Successful applicants will be provided a link to purchase the tickets. These tickets must be purchased within 3 working days from receipt to confirm attendance.

Our Slack will be open to accepted participants. Ideas will need to be posted on our Slack before the 28th of November at 10am to be eligible!

On Day 1, idea leaders will have 60 seconds to pitch their idea. People can then choose ideas they'd like to work on and form teams of 4-6 people. Teams will then start hacking! Our experienced mentors will be available to advise. Optional masterclasses will be held to equip you with fundamental and transferable skills that are integral to turning your innovative ideas into marketable products and solutions.

On Day 2, we will hold expert clinics for you to refine your idea and pitches. Teams will then present a two-minute pitch/demonstration with one minute of questions to our judging panel. Winners for 2016 will then be announced for med_hack! The journey won't end here - we've got many more surprises and hidden perks for teams.

We've got you covered. Many hackers don't have fully formed teams or ideas when they come. We'll have activities at the start of the event to help you find your perfect match.

We understand that hackathons can be a very powerful team-building exercise for established teams, whether from existing startups or corporations. Members from pre-established teams are invited to apply individually. If you are interested in working in a team, please list the team member names during registration. It is not guaranteed that all team members will pass the application stage. Teams should also comprise of members from at least 3 different fields during the event.

To keep the playing field level and in the spirit of the hackathon, we request that established teams develop a novel idea or novel product on top of their existing product. If you are unsure whether your idea qualifies, send us an email at medhackmelbourne@gmail.com.

Anything. Whether it's hardware, software, mobile, web or a paper prototype, we welcome it all - as long as it is in the realms of our theme 'Chronic Diseases'. A story we love to share is PillPack, a medication delivery service which won the MIT Grand Hack 2012 with a simple sketch on an envelope. It has since become one of TIME Magazine's Top Inventions of the Year.

It is important to us that our event enables teams to achieve their goals. If you have an idea for something useful, we'd love to hear it at medhackmelbourne@gmail.com.

We are charging $15 for early-bird tickets and $20 for general admission tickets. We will be providing lunch on Day 1 and breakfast/lunch on Day 2 in addition to snacks. Whilst the cost is low, we have reserved a small batch of tickets for individuals who may require financial support to ensure accessibility. If you feel like you fit within this category, please contact us at medhackmelbourne@gmail.com.

Glad you asked! We have reserved a batch of diversity tickets for school students, retirees, refugees and Indigenous participants. We are working with organisations in these areas directly, but if you identify with one of these groups, we are more than happy to provide you a ticket free of charge! Please send us an email at medhackmelbourne@gmail.com.

Nope! Our Day 1 will end at 9pm. We want our participants to go home, take a shower and have plenty of rest. After all, we care about your health, too!

Please bring some identification (Driver's License, School ID, Passport, Keypass) and any devices you may need (laptops, chargers, phone chargers). You may bring fruit, snacks, and water bottles to help keep you going. We encourage you to bring Keepcups for coffee/tea as well!

We'll be providing lunch on Day 1 and breakfast and lunch on Day 2. Healthy snacks such as fruit will be available throughout the day. Tea, coffee and water will be in the break room. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements during registration!

For us, opportunity is the most important prize. We will provide monetary support, mentorship, entry to a medical startup incubator, a pitch to Victorian's health services and the opportunity to run a pilot with a Victorian health service.