Collaboration and technology came together at the 1st ISS Hackathon, sponsored by the INFORM Africa Research Hub, held on 30th August 2026 at the IHVN Campus.
Under the theme “Shaping the Future of Public Health Research: Sustainable Funding, AI/ML and Innovation,” participants explored practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and data science to real-world public health challenges. Working across two challenge tracks, teams developed and demonstrated innovative digital solutions for infectious disease screening and clinical documentation, gaining hands-on experience in data preparation, model development, application building and problem-solving.
In the overall competition, Track 2 – AI-Assisted Clinical Documentation emerged as the winner, while Track 1 – AI-Assisted Infectious Disease Screening Innovation secured the first runner-up position. The teams received cash prizes in recognition of their innovative solutions, with opportunities for valuable collaboration and practical application within their respective public health settings.
A key highlight was the address by Prof. Alash’le G. Abimiku, Executive Director of IRCE and Contact Principal Investigator of INFORM Africa, who emphasized the importance of health data, local capacity and innovation in strengthening pandemic preparedness across Africa.
The hackathon demonstrated the potential of AI-driven solutions to advance public health research and translate data into practical impact.
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