Innovation Days, also known as I-Days, promote health innovation among university students through dozens of one-day and two-day programmes held in academic institutions around Europe. Students from all academic areas receive an introduction to practical health innovation tools and compete in teams to tackle real-life health challenges posed by EIT Hhttps://eithealth.eu/programmes/i-days/ealth, local organisations, private corporations or start-ups.

The winning team of each i-Day will attend the Winners’ Event in Barcelona, a final competition that unites students from around Europe. A €1000 prize fund will be ahared across the winning three teams:

  • 1st prize €600 (per team)
  • 2nd prize €240
  • 3rd prize €160

We welcome students from all disciplines, and the winners of the Dundalk I-days will benefit from 6 weeks support form EIT Health on their solution. Students can register to attend HERE . i-Days are accessible to all undergraduate and postgraduate students with an interest in healthcare innovation. You do not need any prerequisite skills or prior experience in innovation, entrepreneurship or healthcare. There are no academic requirements and students from all disciplines and departments are welcome to join!

The I-Day will occur on October 24th and 25th at DkIT (PJ Carrolls Building) and include students from across all disciplines. The event is managed by The Connected Health & Wellbeing Cluster at DkIT in partnership with dConnect Innovation Hub, the Regional Development Centre, and  the relevant academic departments.

The Themes of the Dundalk I-Day is ‘Dementia’. Dementia is a condition that affects memory, thinking, and daily life. It is caused by different diseases that damage the nerve cells in the brain which are normally used for learning, memory, and language. The ability to remember, plan, use language, find your way around and regulate mood and behaviour may be affected. Although there is no cure for dementia, effective help is available and include:

  • Medication and other treatments,
  • A range of community supports
  • Practical adjustments and adaptations to the person’s life and home.

See the VIDEO with extra details HERE

According to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. “Approximately 64,000 people are living with dementia in Ireland, and we expect this number to rise to 150,000 by 2045. It is well known that people living with dementia and carers face isolation, declining health, fear, stigma, stress and burnout. Dementia is a life-changing and devastating diagnosis. However, the right services and support have the power to ease this journey. Many people spoke about their challenges in accessing services, including lengthy waiting lists
and a lack of availability… The urban/rural divide further impacts people’s ability to access services, particularly if there are poor or no transport options available….Accessing home care was highlighted as a particular struggle, especially as respondents don’t receive the number of hours they need. This causes stress and frustration, leading many carers to seek out additional home care through private providers”

Students can register to attend HERE.

Please contact breanndan.casey@dkit.ie if you have any queries, or you are an academic or industry partner looking to collaborate on I-Days.

“i-Days gives an opportunity to people coming from different backgrounds to get together. Multidisciplinarity makes a complete difference, we we’re used to working with people from the same backgrounds. Meeting different people allows you to solve challenges in a different approach” – Kevin Leandro, University of Coimbra PhD student, Gene Therapies for Neurodegenerative Diseases 2021 i-Days Winner

i-Days focus on innovation and entrepreneurship in healthcare. The goal is to equip all participating students with practical tools, skills training and confidence in innovation, design thinking and pitch coaching.