Everything we've decided — and what's still open.
Where an answer isn't settled yet, it says so rather than guessing. Anything marked TBC goes to the waitlist first.
Questions
Attending
Do I need to be able to code?
No. Roughly half of what a team needs over the weekend is not code: understanding the clinical problem, designing something a tired person can use, testing an assumption with a real user, and working out who would pay for it. Teams that are all engineers reliably build the wrong thing beautifully.
Do I need to arrive with a team?
No, and most people don't. Teams form at the event, after the pain-point pitches, around the problems people actually want to work on. Coming alone is the normal way to come. If you do arrive with a team, expect to add at least one person you have never met.
Who can apply?
Anyone. MedWave is open across the Mediterranean to clinicians, medical and health students, engineers, developers, designers, researchers, entrepreneurs and business students — and to anyone else who thinks they can contribute. There is no restriction on where you study, where you work, or whether you have ever done a hackathon before.
The weekend
What am I expected to build?
Whatever answers the problem. That has meant software, hardware, a service model, a care pathway, a policy proposal, a training tool. Judging rewards a real problem well understood and a solution that could survive contact with a real ward — not the largest pile of code.
Who owns what we build?
MedWave holds the intellectual property in what is built at the event. You keep authorship and credit for your work, and anything you bring with you into the weekend stays yours. We would rather you knew that before you applied than after.
What happens after the weekend?
There is no formal continuation programme. Most teams stop on Sunday, and that is a fine outcome — you leave with a working prototype and a network across the region that did not exist on Friday. Teams that want to keep going are free to, and we will introduce you to people where we can.
Practical
How much does it cost to take part?
Nothing. Taking part in MedWave is free — there is no ticket price and no entry fee.
Will travel or accommodation be covered?
Travel and accommodation support is TBC and depends on the sponsorship we secure. If any support is available it will be described in the application form itself, so nobody has to ask.
What should I bring?
A laptop and charger if you have one, and anything specific to how you work. The full list of what is provided goes out with your acceptance email.
What language is the event run in?
English. It is the shared working language across the region and the language the mentoring and judging will run in.
Still not answered?
Ask us directly, or join the waitlist — every open question above is resolved to that list first.