Challenge 01 · BREAST CANCER
Detecting cancer early saves lives, yet in many countries, participation in screening programs still falls short of target. Rethink how to encourage, support and enable more women to take part.
The scale of the problem
new breast cancer cases diagnosed worldwide every year
deaths each year, many following late-stage diagnosis
Ref. GLOBOCAN 2022 · Bray F. et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 2024
01_ Context
Breast cancer screening is a preventive public health program designed to detect cancer before symptoms appear. In many countries, women within specific age groups are regularly invited to undergo a screening mammogram, a low-dose X-ray of the breast that can detect small abnormalities long before they can be felt or cause symptoms.
Detecting breast cancer at an early stage significantly improves the chances of successful treatment, increases survival and often allows for less aggressive treatments with fewer long-term consequences.
Despite these benefits, participation in screening programs remains below target in many countries. Research shows that non-attendance is rarely driven by a single factor. Women's decisions to participate are influenced by a combination of personal beliefs, practical barriers, previous healthcare experiences, social circumstances and the way screening services are organized and communicated.
Your mission
For this hackathon, your task is to rethink how we can encourage, support and enable more women to participate in screening.
Why it's not simple
Non-attendance rarely has one cause, beliefs, access, past experience and how services communicate all play a role at once.
02_Where to innovate
We have broken this challenge down into four areas where innovation is needed. Pick one as your focus, or design a solution that bridges several.
How might we help more women understand the value of breast cancer screening and feel motivated to get screened?
Breast cancer screening is designed to detect cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful and less invasive. However, many women who are invited to screening choose not to attend because they do not believe they are personally at risk or are unaware of the benefits of early detection.
Unlike women who seek medical care because they feel unwell, screening programs target healthy individuals who may not perceive an immediate need to attend. As a result, participation depends on whether women understand the purpose of screening, recognize its relevance to them and feel motivated to act.
Information about breast cancer screening comes from many different sources, including healthcare professionals, public health campaigns, family and friends, traditional media and social media. The quality, clarity and consistency of these messages can vary considerably, making it difficult for women to make informed decisions. A clear recommendation from a trusted clinician, particularly in primary care or gynecology, is consistently identified as one of the strongest predictors of screening participation.
Why is this difficult?
Awareness & motivation
How might we help more women understand the value of breast cancer screening and feel motivated to get screened?
Breast cancer screening is designed to detect cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful and less invasive. However, many women who are invited to screening choose not to attend because they do not believe they are personally at risk or are unaware of the benefits of early detection.
Unlike women who seek medical care because they feel unwell, screening programs target healthy individuals who may not perceive an immediate need to attend. As a result, participation depends on whether women understand the purpose of screening, recognise its relevance to them and feel motivated to act.
Information about breast cancer screening comes from many different sources, including healthcare professionals, public health campaigns, family and friends, traditional media and social media. The quality, clarity and consistency of these messages can vary considerably, making it difficult for women to make informed decisions. A clear recommendation from a trusted clinician, particularly in primary care or gynecology, is consistently identified as one of the strongest predictors of screening participation.
Why is this difficult?
For more information:
Tavakoli B, et al. Factors influencing breast cancer screening practices among women worldwide: a systematic review of observational and qualitative studies. BMC Women’s Health. 2024;24:268.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12905-024-03096-x
Hutton G, et al. Understanding barriers to breast screening: an online survey of non-attenders as part of a service evaluation in the breast screening programme in England. BMC Public Health. 2025;25:2509.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12275263/
03_ Boundaries
System constraints
These are fixed by regulation, infrastructure or national policy. Design around them, not against them.
Ready to participate?
Submission is open from 14 September to 23 October 2026.
Q&A
Can't find what you're looking for? Write to info.oncohackathon@lspraxis.com.
Postgraduate students currently enrolled in one of the invited institutions, including MBA, MSc, MA, PhD or equivalent programs, who have completed a Bachelor’s degree, as well as recent postgraduates who have not yet commenced full-time employment.
You are welcome to submit your idea individually. However, participation in the Hackathon itself will be in teams of 3 to 5 people. If your idea is selected and you do not yet have a team, we will be happy to help you connect with other registered participants so you can form one.
Yes. Teams can include participants from different partner institutions.
Yes. You are welcome to submit as many ideas as you wish, including ideas for both challenge statements.
If you are submitting multiple ideas as part of a team, we recommend that each idea has a different team leader to ensure each project receives the appropriate focus and representation.
The hackathon is a one-day intensive experience, running approximately from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Depending on where you are traveling from, your outbound journey may be arranged for the day before the event, and your return journey for the day after. Eligible travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the organizers.
Once you submit your idea, you give Novartis permission to use, adapt, develop, publish, or commercialize the materials you submitted, worldwide and without any additional approval, credit, or payment to you.
This permission only applies to the materials submitted to the Hackathon. It does not cover any work you develop independently after the Hackathon. Please note that Novartis is not required to develop, implement, or commercialize any submitted idea.
The program includes:
Participants are responsible for any additional hotel charges, local transportation (such as taxis), and other personal expenses.
The official language of the hackathon is English. All workshops, mentoring sessions, presentations, and team discussions will be conducted in English.
For this reason, participants should be comfortable communicating and collaborating in English throughout the event.
If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the organizing team by emailing info.oncohackathon@lspraxis.com.
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