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Research & Innovation Institute

Scientific programme

Agenda and session guide

Session-by-session programme for the day, including the parallel hackathon track.

Date
Sunday, 24 January 2027
Time
8:00 AM – 4:50 PM
Venue
Venue to be announced

The day at a glance

Health Research and Innovation Excellence Award Day 2027

In the presence of His Excellency the General Director of the Medical Services of the Ministry of Defense, who will address the assembly during the opening ceremony.

Date
Sunday, 24 January 2027
Time
8:00 AM – 4:50 PM

Two halls in use from 1:25 to 3:25 PM

Venue
Venue to be announced

Programme

The running order

Timings are held strictly. Two halls run in parallel between 1:25 and 3:25 PM.

  • Lecture
  • Competitive
  • Ceremony
  • Hackathon
  • Break
  • Logistics

Morning and early afternoon

Single hall · 8:00 AM – 1:20 PM

  1. 8:00 – 8:30

    Registration and welcome coffee

    Logistics
  2. 8:30 – 9:00

    Opening panel: It All Started with a Research Idea — Success Stories from Across MODHS

    Dr. Haifa Al Otaibi · Dr. Mervat Al Asnaj

    Lecture
  3. 9:05 – 9:25

    Lecture 1: Winning Grants — What Makes a Competitive Health Research Proposal

    Invited speaker, Saudi National Institute of Health (SNIH)

    Lecture
  4. 9:30 – 9:50

    Lecture 2: From Research to Approval — Navigating the Saudi FDA Regulatory Pathway

    Invited speaker, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA)

    Lecture
  5. 9:55 – 10:25

    Oral Presentation Session 1

    Competitive session

    Competitive
  6. 10:25 – 10:40

    Break — hall preparation for the Opening Ceremony

    Break
  7. 10:40 – 10:45

    Recitation from the Holy Quran

    Opening ceremony

    Ceremony
  8. 10:45 – 10:55

    Welcome address

    Dr. Haifa Al Otaibi

    Opening ceremony

    Ceremony
  9. 10:55 – 11:25

    Keynote lecture: How to Be a Professional Clinical Researcher

    Prof. Waleed Alhazzani

    Opening ceremony

    Ceremony
  10. 11:25 – 11:35

    Address by His Excellency the General Director of MODHS

    His Excellency the General Director, MODHS

    Keynote address of the ceremony

    Ceremony
  11. 11:35 – 11:50

    Honouring of guests and partners · official ceremony photograph

    Master of ceremonies

    Opening ceremony

    Ceremony
  12. 11:50 – 12:00

    Transition to the dining area

    Logistics
  13. 12:00 – 13:00

    Lunch and prayer break

    60 minutes

    Break
  14. 13:00 – 13:20

    Lecture 3: The MODHS Innovation Journey — From Where We Stood to Where We Are Today

    Dr. Lamia Aljamea

    Lecture

Parallel sessions

Two halls running at the same time · 1:25 – 3:25 PM

  1. 13:25 – 13:45

    Lecture 4: Research Ethics and Governance in Saudi Arabia — From Ethical Principles to Regulatory and National Requirements

    Main hall

    Lecture
  2. 13:50 – 14:20

    Oral Presentation Session 2

    Main hall · competitive session

    Competitive
  3. 14:25 – 14:45

    Lecture 5: What AI Gets Wrong in Research

    Main hall

    Lecture
  4. 14:50 – 15:20

    Oral Presentation Session 3

    Main hall · competitive session

    Competitive
  5. 13:25 – 15:25

    Digital Health Hackathon

    Hackathon room · parallel track

    Two hours · five teams maximum, pre-registration required

    Hackathon

Close of the day

Single hall · 3:20 – 4:50 PM

  1. 15:20 – 15:40

    Coffee break — poster viewing · judges' deliberation

    Break
  2. 15:40 – 16:10

    Awards ceremony: winning researches, posters and innovation awards

    Scientific Review Committee

    Competitive
  3. 16:10 – 16:20

    Closing remarks and group photograph

    Organizing committee chair

    Ceremony
  4. 16:20 – 16:50

    Networking and poster viewing

    Logistics

Parallel track

Digital Health Hackathon

Teams of five or six work for two hours on a real digital health problem of their own choosing, supported by a table mentor, and pitch the result to a panel. Five teams maximum, pre-registration required; no real patient data is used in the room.

  1. 0113:25 – 13:35

    Briefing and team formation

    Rules, timing and judging criteria in full.

  2. 0213:35 – 13:50

    Problem framing

    Each team agrees one problem statement, signed off by a mentor.

  3. 0313:50 – 14:20

    Solution design

    What the solution does, who uses it, and what it connects to.

  4. 0414:20 – 14:50

    Prototype and feasibility

    A paper prototype, then a feasibility challenge from the table mentor.

  5. 0514:50 – 15:05

    Pitch build and rehearsal

    One page or one slide, rehearsed once against the clock.

  6. 0615:05 – 15:25

    Pitches to the panel

    Three minutes for each team and one for questions, strictly held.