Bring Your Challenge. Inspire Innovation.
Looking for a creative, tech-driven approach to a real-world problem? Partner with us as a Problem Provider!
You’ll collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to develop an innovative solution tailored to your needs.
What are Problem Providers?
Problem Providers are experts who bring their real-world challenges to our hackathons and guide teams of participants in developing innovative, practical solutions.
Acting as mentors, they share expertise and feedback to ensure projects align with real-world needs.
What are hackathons?
NAT’s hackathons are competitions that bring together teams of students and young professionals to develop novel solutions at the intersection of biology and technology.
Teams integrate hardware, including biosensors, motion detectors, and remote sensing devices, with advanced computing approaches such as AI, machine learning, and data analytics to develop functional prototypes.
Why provide a problem?
-
💡 Test Innovative Ideas Without the Cost
Fast-track ideas to market with cost-effective R&D as participants prototype solutions that integrate cutting-edge hardware and software.
-
🤝 Experience Problem-Solving at the Intersection of Disciplines
Multidisciplinary teams blend expertise in science, engineering, programming, design, and business to develop innovative solutions.
-
🌟 Discover Exceptional Talent
Build your team by engaging with skilled students and recent grads. 72% of participants have expressed interest in continuing their projects beyond the event.
-
💬 Expand Your Professional Network
Collaborate with tech experts and professionals across industries during the event and foster valuable connections for future partnerships.
-
🌍 Enhance Your Organization's Reach
Shine a spotlight on your organization’s leadership in tech innovation to an engaged audience of students and professionals across Canada.
-
🧠 Guide Problem-Solvers and Shape Outcomes
Engage with participants in a mentorship role, offering guidance and witnessing first-hand how your challenge transforms into a tailored solution.
“I had a competent team working on our project, and we ended up hiring one of the students for a summer internship to further develop the project.”
— natHACKS 2023 Problem Provider
-
879+
Participants
-
136+
Prototypes Developed
-
23+
Ongoing Projects
Upcoming Hackathon Themes
-
This track invites participants to innovate at the intersection of education and technology, creating tools and platforms that make learning more engaging, accessible, and personalized for diverse learners of all ages and backgrounds.
-
Focused on enhancing the quality of life for aging populations, this track challenges participants to design technologies that promote independence, improve care, and address the unique needs of older adults and their caregivers.
-
In this track, participants will develop cutting-edge solutions in medical technology, from diagnostic tools to patient-centric devices, aiming to revolutionize healthcare delivery and empower both patients and providers.
Past Problem Providers
We are proud to have worked with Problem Providers from leading organizations such as:
natHacks 2024 Recap
Frequently Asked Questions
-
natHACKS and natHACKS Ignite are two complementary hackathons hosted by NAT, focused on building practical, tech-based solutions to real-world challenges.
natHACKS Ignite is a 40-hour sprint where each team works on a unique problem provided by an expert, all under one unifying theme. Teams are paired with mentors throughout the process to support focused, outcome-driven development.
natHACKS, the annual edition, unfolds over three weeks of mentorship and collaboration, culminating in a 64-hour hackathon. It brings together students and professionals from clinical, academic, and frontline fields to tackle complex problems in health, wellness, and recreation.
Both events emphasize problem-driven design, interdisciplinary teamwork, and solutions that are meant to be applied beyond the hackathon itself.
-
Our semi-annual hackathon, natHacks Ignite, will take place in summer 2025.
Our annual hackathon, natHacks, will take place in November 2025.
Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when dates are announced!
-
natHacks Ignite is hosted exclusively in person in Edmonton. natHACKS is held across Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge, with the option for participants to join virtually.
For both events, Problem Providers based outside of the host cities are welcome to collaborate with teams remotely, though in-person participation is strongly encouraged to maximize engagement.
-
We welcome challenges that can be addressed with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biosensing, remote sensing, robotics, and assistive technologies. Examples include improving patient care, developing education technology, or advancing tools for remote health monitoring.
-
Clinicians, researchers, industry representatives, patient advocates, and support providers are all welcome to submit challenges.
-
Our multidisciplinary teams are carefully curated to ensure a diverse skill set that matches the complexity of each problem.
-
You’ll provide a clear problem statement and be available to mentor participants during the event. Between attending the Pitch Night, supporting your team’s three Weekly Development Reports leading up to the hackathon, and providing guidance during the hackathon, you can expect a time commitment of at little as 14 hours.
-
A strong challenge highlights a real-world issue that could benefit from a novel application of bio-integrated technology.
This includes problems where the solution could improve health, wellness, or daily life. For example, a project from natHacks 2023, Sleep Apnea Guardian, provided a low-cost, non-invasive way to detect sleep apnea and is now incorporated and working with a medical research lab.
The best problems have a tangible impact and can be taken forward after the hackathon.
-
Participants develop functional prototypes or detailed concepts that align with your challenge. These range from software tools and algorithms to hardware integrations and interdisciplinary solutions.
-
Our hackathons offer a valuable, zero-cost opportunity to explore solutions in a risk-free setting. By submitting a challenge, you’ll work with a dedicated team of 5-6 innovators who will bring fresh perspectives to your problem.
This is also a great way to increase exposure for your work, discover potential talent, and build meaningful partnerships. As a Problem Provider, you'll be at the forefront of bio-innovation!
-
There is no fee to submit a challenge or participate as a Problem Provider.
-
The application deadline for natHacks Ignite is July 15, 2025.
To apply, just fill out our short interest form and we will follow up with next steps.
-
You’ll participate in our virtual Pitch Night, presenting your challenge and its potential for technological solutions to hundreds of innovators. It’s a great opportunity for exposure, both for your problem and yourself, as you connect with a team that could help solve it.
-
While we encourage in-person involvement during key stages of the event, virtual engagement is also an option.
-
After the hackathon, you’ll have the opportunity to take the solution forward. Many past projects have led to long-term partnerships, further development, and even commercialization. We highly encourage you to stay engaged with your team if the solution shows promise!
-
You’ll have access to a team of motivated students and young professionals who are eager to innovate. Throughout the process, you can provide guidance and insight while we handle logistics, from team coordination to tech support.
-
Yes! However, each problem must have its own dedicated Problem Provider to guide the assigned team.
Problem Provider Interest Form
Want to learn more about becoming a Problem Provider? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly!
