The Fund for Innovations and Technology Development (FITR) in cooperation with the pharmaceutical company Roche Macedonia issued Wednesday a call for the first E-Health hackathon for innovative mobile apps or websites to improve how the health system is managed, prevention, and better management of high-risk groups of patients and to lower the risk of malign diseases.

It is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the electronic healthcare administration. Applications should be sent by June 17 by 2 pm at the latest. The hackathon will take place online on June 25-27.

The solutions that will be named winners at the hackathon are to be made available for free at least a year after the project has been completed, announced FITR Director Kosta Petrov.

Announcing the call at a news conference, Petrov said the hackathon aims at motivating Macedonian innovators and startup companies to develop e-solutions designed to improve healthcare management in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and female health, i.e. prevention to lower the risk of malign diseases.

Companies founded and registered in the country and a team of at least two members and up to five members are eligible to apply for the hackathon estimated at EUR 30,000. Of those, 51 percent is provided by the partner Roche Macedonia and FITR secures 49 percent of the financing of the winning project.

A committee will be set up to select projects before shortlisting them and naming the winner or winners, announced Petrov.

Innovations are key in the development of new and improved solutions for treatment and diagnosis, said Roche Macedonia Director Aleksandra Ivanovska.

“The pandemic has shown us that we can serve our patients only through partnerships and help them in managing severe diseases. Cooperation between the pharmaceutical industry and technological companies is the driving force and the future of healthcare,” she told the news conference.