Challenge IPO Porto 2026: When innovation happens inside the hospital.

The Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto follows more than 56,000 patients and receives around 10,000 new patients per year. For each patient, the hospital functions as an integrated system, in which pathways, scheduling, documentation, spaces, and professionals must work in a coordinated manner. Whenever this coordination fails, the impact is concrete: avoidable waiting times increase, resource utilization efficiency decreases, and constraints are created in healthcare circuits.

It is in this context that the Challenge IPO Porto 2026 was born.

From September 21st to 23rd, 2026, IPO Porto, with the support of Lean Health Portugal, is organizing a three-day Lean Hackathon at the hospital facilities. Students of Industrial Engineering and Management, Biomedical Engineering, Geospatial Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, Digital Health, and Hospital Administration from the Universities of Porto, Minho, Aveiro, and ENSP will have access to various services to develop applicable solutions for three specific operational problems.

  The Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is not an academic simulation. It is applied innovation, with real data, expert supervision, and the potential for implementation within the hospital itself.

The three case studies in this edition

The challenges were identified by the IPO Porto services themselves as critical areas, with a direct impact on the oncology patient experience and operational efficiency:

Non-urgent patient transport: Develop solutions that allow for the computerization of transport requests, as well as explore ways to optimize route planning;

Clinical Records: Develop solutions that ensure a safe and sustainable transition of clinical records, including the implementation of certified digitization processes;

Scheduling: Develop solutions that optimize the scheduling process for various medical procedures, ensuring more efficient management of the hospital’s physical resources.

The methodology: Lean applied to a real hospital setting.

The Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is not a theoretical exercise. Its structure follows short PDCA cycles adapted to the hospital environment, with direct access to Gemba, the real space where the work happens.

Day 1, September 21st: Immersion and Diagnosis

Opening ceremony, institutional presentation of IPO-Porto, presentation of the Lean methodology by LHPT, detailed presentation of the three challenges by the services involved, formal constitution of the six multidisciplinary teams and visits to the gemba .

Day 2, September 22nd: Ideation and Prototyping

Building a map of the current state, identifying opportunities, generating divergent ideation, selecting and developing solutions, with monitoring by mentors and those responsible for the challenges.

Day 3, September 23rd: Validation and Pitch

Finalization of development, preparation of presentations, final pitches to the jury, closing ceremony, announcement of the solution(s) selected for piloting, and awarding of prizes and certificates.

  The winning solutions for each theme will not be presented in a single presentation: IPO Porto reserves the right to implement them internally and monitor the pilot project. Participants retain intellectual property rights over their work.

Who is the selection process for and how does it work?

The Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is aimed at national and international higher education students, aged 18 and over, enrolled in the following courses at partner universities:

▸  Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management

▸  Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering

▸  Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Geospatial Engineering

Integrated Master ‘s  Degree in Medicine

Bachelor ‘s  Degree in Nursing

Bachelor ‘s  Degree in Digital Health

▸  Specialization Course in Hospital Administration (ENSP)

The recommended capacity is 36 to 48 participants, organized into six multidisciplinary teams. Each team includes, whenever possible, at least one member from the clinical area, one from engineering, and one from hospital administration. This composition is deliberate: diversity of perspectives is part of the method.

Applications are submitted individually. The final team composition is the responsibility of the organization, with the aim of ensuring multidisciplinarity.

Supervision: method and knowledge of the problem.

Each team benefits from two complementary support profiles throughout the three days:

▸ LHPT Mentors: between 3 and 6 members of Lean Health Portugal with training and experience in Lean applied to healthcare. They rotate among the teams and are responsible for methodological coaching.

▸ Challenge Managers (IPO Porto): IPO Porto professionals designated for each of the three challenges, with in-depth knowledge of the problem and the authority to oversee the future implementation of the solution.

The mentor brings the method. The person responsible for the challenge brings the knowledge of the problem. The two roles are complementary and irreplaceable.

Recognition and appreciation of the participants

To all participants:

▸  Certificate of participation issued by IPO Porto and Lean Health Portugal

▸  Google Skills license for three months

Access  to Lean tools and AI Studio Premium during the event.

To the winning teams in each category:

Symbolic trophy of the Porto IPO (Portuguese Oncology Institute) . 

▸  Possibility of monitoring the actual implementation of the solution in the hospital.

Registrations

Registration opens in the last week of July 2026 and closes on September 11, 2026 (00:00), and will be communicated through the official channels of IPO Porto and Lean Health Portugal.

To apply, you need:

▸  Be enrolled in one of the eligible courses at one of the partner universities.

▸  Must be fully available for all three days of the event (elimination criterion)

▸  Submit your resume

▸  Indicate your challenge preference (ranking from 1 to 3)

Register here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply if I study at a university that is not on the partner list?

For this edition, several higher education institutions will be invited to participate, namely the University of Porto (U.Porto), the University of Minho (UMinho), the University of Aveiro (UA) and the National School of Public Health (ENSP). Follow the official channels of IPO Porto and Lean Health Portugal for information on future editions or expansion of partnerships.

Is the application individual or as a team?

You can apply individually. The final team composition is always the responsibility of the organization, to ensure multidisciplinarity.

Do I need to have Lean knowledge to participate?

No. The mentors from Lean Health Portugal provide the methodological framework on the first day of the event. What you need is curiosity, observation skills, and full availability for all three days.

What happens to the solutions developed during the Challenge IPO Porto 2026?

The solutions are presented to the jury on the third day. Those selected may be piloted at IPO Porto, with monitoring by service managers. Participants retain their intellectual authorship. IPO Porto may implement the solution within the scope of its activity, without needing additional authorization from the participants.

Are there participation fees?

No. Participation in the Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is free. The organization provides three lunches and six coffee breaks throughout the three days. Personal expenses outside of this are the responsibility of each participant.

What is Gemba and why is it important?

Gemba is a term from the Lean methodology that means ‘the actual place where the work happens’. In the context of the Challenge IPO Porto 2026, Gemba refers to the hospital’s service area, where each team will directly observe the workflow, identify inefficiencies, and contact the responsible professionals. This visit is one of the most distinctive moments of the event: it is not possible to develop a good solution without first understanding the problem on the ground.

Is the event in person? Can I participate remotely?

The Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is entirely in-person, taking place at the IPO Porto facilities. Full attendance on all three days is an elimination criterion for applications.

About Lean Health Portugal

Lean Health Portugal is a consulting and training company specializing in Lean Healthcare and Value Health Data analysis. It works with hospitals, health centers, and entities within the healthcare ecosystem in Portugal and Europe, focusing on operational efficiency, process improvement, and patient-centered health outcomes.

The Challenge IPO Porto 2026 is a concrete expression of Lean Health Portugal’s mission: to build bridges between academia, healthcare services, and applied innovation, with methodological rigor and real impact.

Consult the regulations. 

If you have any questions, you can send an email to: challenge_IPOP@ipoporto.min-saude.pt