On Thursday, 13 July, RCSI will bring together more than 100 students for one of the largest healthcare/science related student challenges in Europe and the first of its kind in RCSI.

This daylong event, organised by the Office of Research and Innovation in conjunction with the RCSI Research Summer School will see students from the RCSI Research Summer School coming together to develop ideas and innovations to solve some of the biggest challenges facing global healthcare. The students will pitch their ideas and innovations to a distinguished judging panel to win the inaugural RCSI Student Innovation Medal and mentorship to take their idea forward.

The Innovation Challenge gives students the opportunity to develop their innovation and ideation skills, as well as working in teams, pitching ideas and having some fun along the way. The students have been presented with challenges in some of RCSI's core expertise such as biomaterials and drug delivery, cancer, neurobiology, population health, respiratory medicine, infection and immunity.

Watch the Innovation challenge video

Over the past month they have been involved in knowledge discovery on the topic that is of interest to them the most. During the challenge tomorrow, the students will come together to work in teams to create solutions and receive mentorship from RCSI staff and external experts who will help the students structure their ideas.

This day long event will culminate in group pitch presentations to a judging panel comprised of Prof Fergal O'Brien, Professor of Bioengineering & Regenerative Medicine; Prof Richard Costello, Associate Professor of Medicine; Dr Aoife Gallagher, Head of Innovation; Mr Brian Kelly, CEO Kelada Pharmachem Limited & Dr John Gleeson, CSO SurgaColl Technologies Limited.

Professor Ray Stallings, RCSI Director of Research & Innovation said "The Student Innovation Challenge is a great opportunity for our students to equip themselves with the skills needed to better understand the importance of innovation in addressing health and research problems as well as understanding the process of commercialisation, industry engagement, and knowledge transfer. Innovative translational health research can provide better patient outcomes and ultimately improve human health."

Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences said, "The importance of innovation cannot be underestimated in the quest to advance understanding and treatment of disease, which in turn leads to better clinical care and best practice patient care. By providing healthcare students with the opportunity to develop these skills and interests at an early stage in their career, it gives students a better understanding of how advancements can be made. I would like to thank the staff from the Office of Research & Innovation and those involved in the Research Summer School for organising this event for our students. It is hoped this year's inaugural event will lead to a growing annual event in the RCSI student calendar.

RCSI is ranked in the top 250 institutions worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2016-2017). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.