Rakathon

The world’s largest AI hackathon against cancer

October 16–18, 2026 | Prague – Brno – Ostrava | Czechia

Do you want to help others through technology?

Let’s harness the power of artificial intelligence to fight cancer. Together, we can improve prevention, diagnostics, and treatment of oncological diseases. We can help doctors and nurses save time, simplify their daily work, and enable them to focus on what matters most – their patients.

In collaboration with the University Hospital Motol and Homolka, and the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, we have created a unique hackathon built on real challenges from clinical oncology practice.

In 2026, we are significantly expanding the project. The hackathon will take place simultaneously in Prague, Brno, and Ostrava, becoming the world’s largest cancer-focused AI hackathon. We expect more than 500 participants from fields such as computer science, information technology, engineering, medicine, biomedicine, data science, and related disciplines to participate.

The event is held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, the Minister of Health, and the Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence.

I AM IN

PRAHA-BRNO-OSTRAVA

The hackathon will take place in three cities across the Czech Republic: in Prague (University Hospital Motol and Na Homolce, with academic partners the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and CTU in Prague), in Brno (Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, with academic partners the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, and Brno University of Technology), and in Ostrava (University Hospital Ostrava, with academic partner VSB – Technical University of Ostrava).

Friday, JUN 26

Registration opens on 26 June. Applications will be reviewed based on the information provided in the registration form. The application deadline is 1 October, or earlier if capacity is reached.

Friday, OCT 16

Rakathon starts at 9:30 simultaneously in all cities. The morning programme will include registration, challenge presentations, and mentor introductions. Hacking starts at 12:00 and continues into the following day.

Saturday, OCT 17

On Saturday at 12:00, the project submission deadline closes. Local pitching will begin at 13:00 in each city. At 17:00, we will announce the local TOP 3 teams, who will advance to Sunday’s final in Prague.

Sunday, OCT 18

From 14:00, the national Rakathon final will take place at the National Oncology Centre at University Hospital Motol and Homolka. The best teams from Prague, Brno, and Ostrava will pitch their projects again in front of the main jury, which will select the overall winners at 17:00.

Challenges

Examples of challenges from the previous edition. Challenges for the 2026 edition are currently being prepared.

Develop an advanced predictive model using IHIS data to estimate the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Recursion

Design an innovative solution to increase the capacity of oncology departments so that more women can receive timely and high-quality treatment.

OnkoCapacity

Build a system that helps nuclear medicine departments efficiently manage the use of radiopharmaceuticals.

RadMan

Create innovative tools for monitoring and educating oncology patients. Develop systems for tracking side effects, providing treatment education, offering psychological support, and enabling effective communication with doctors.