Roche rocks with Code4life Inter-University Virtual Hackathon 2020

• Students to gain work experience by co-creating alongside Roche experts
• 3 month hackathon will focus on healthcare digitalization & Covid-19 related ideas

First introduced in Malaysia last year, Code4life is global biotech leader, Roche’s annual hackathon. In keeping with the New Normal, this year Code4Life Inter-University IT Virtual Hackathon is going virtual.

Hosted by Roche Services & Solutions APAC (RSS APAC), participating teams are expected to leverage an array of technologies including AI, Machine learning, automation, wearable technologies and more to tackle real-world healthcare problems and co-create solutions.

In addition to ideating services and solutions that meet the challenges faced by society as it copes with life in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, participants will also have an opportunity to work on creating digitization services and solutions for healthcare.

Held in collaboration with Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and TalentCorp, the Code4Life hackathon is part of RSS APAC’s efforts to upskill young emerging talent in Malaysian universities.

With its focus on healthcare digitalization and Covid-19 related ideas, the hackathon spanning three months (August -October) will culminate in a pitching event which will see teams demo their product in a live stream. Top three winners stand to win prizes worth RM15,000, RM10,000 and RM5,000.

Additionally, participants will benefit from several virtual mentoring and master-classes conducted throughout the span of the hackathon, with live Q&A sessions with Roche mentors and subject matter experts.

Martin Kikstein (pic), general manager, RSS APAC said, “At Roche, we are guided by our purpose: Doing Now What Patients Need Next. We recognise that access to healthcare is a multidimensional challenge and there is no one size fits all solution. This is why we value partnerships and collaboration. Together, we are building a better future with our partners to find medicines and diagnostics that make a real difference to patients.

Kikstein adds, “With this in mind we are eager to build the hackathon as a community event by driving collaboration amongst university students in Malaysia. The Code4Life Inter-University IT Virtual Hackathon will provide participants with an opportunity to work alongside Roche mentors from diverse IT backgrounds by offering a real-world platform to collaborate and co-create meaningful digital solutions to address today’s healthcare challenges.”

Registration will remain open until 31 July. To learn more about the Hackathon and register, please visit: https://go.roche.com/mycode4life