The Eye Hackathon 2026 (هاكاثون العيون 2026)
01–03 Oct 2026 · Crowne Plaza Hotel, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · In-Person · Free to participate
King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) and Research Centre is running a three-day national hackathon dedicated to accelerating ophthalmology research through the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The event convenes researchers, ophthalmologists, developers, data scientists, students and anyone interested in healthcare innovation to build meaningful, publishable, deployable research outputs in seventy-two hours.
The theme: responsible AI for eye care
The Eye Hackathon is deliberately not a generic coding competition. Its focus is on using AI tools responsibly across every stage of the scientific research pipeline — from idea generation and study design, through medical data analysis, to manuscript preparation. Teams work with real clinical data made available securely by the hospital, under a framework built on four commitments:
- Privacy and PDPL — full compliance with the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law
- Transparency — explainable AI models, not black boxes
- Real data — genuine ophthalmic datasets provided securely by KKESH
- Multidisciplinarity — medicine × AI × data × software engineering in every team
Format
- Three days, 1–3 October 2026, on-site in Riyadh
- Teams of 5–6 members, combining clinical, data and engineering skills
- Mentorship from KKESH clinicians and research staff throughout
- Final pitches judged on scientific rigour, clinical impact, technical execution and responsible-AI practice
Prizes and incubation
Cash prizes and certificates of appreciation are awarded to the top three projects, and the winning project is offered an incubation opportunity to further develop and implement the solution — a rare route from hackathon prototype to deployed clinical research tool.
Registration
Participation is free. Registration opened 09 August 2026 and closes 22 August 2026; applicants create an account and complete a short application form online. Places are competitive, and teams are encouraged to register with a complete, multidisciplinary roster.
Who should apply
Ophthalmologists and ophthalmology residents, optometrists, biomedical and clinical researchers, machine-learning engineers, data scientists, software developers, and medical, computer-science and engineering students. Individual applicants can be matched into teams.
Contact
Enquiries: Hackathon@kkesh.med.sa
