Image

Thanks to the symposium organized by Scientific Priority 4 of the Pasteur 2030 strategic plan, held at the end of last year, brilliant ideas for ageing research have emerged, but finding the time, the right collaborators, and the perfect pitch to get them funded is hard to do alone.

What if you could spend one day doing only what you love most about science: thinking big, being creative, and building something new?

A one-day interdisciplinary Ageing Hackathon will be organized on June 25. You will team up with researchers from completely different fields to rapidly prototype an ageing research project from scratch. That would allow you to write a strong grant proposal with new people in just one day!  

▶︎ Why you should come

• Practice new skills: Pitch your ideas in 60 seconds, form teams fast, present a compelling project - skills you will use throughout your entire career,

• Find your future collaborators: Meet that bioinformatician, neuroscientist, or metabolomics expert you have been meaning to find,

• Get real momentum on your idea: Walk away with a polished project concept, new teammates, and support from senior PIs,

• See your impact: The strongest projects will be developed into full proposals for philanthropic funders in 2027.

No idea or coding experience required – you will co-create and develop projects on the spot in a dynamic hackathon-style setting! 
 

▶︎ What to expect

Evening before: casual aperitif to meet fellow participants and start thinking about ideas

Hackathon Day (9.30am - 5pm):

- Morning (9.30am - 12.30pm)

• Lightning 60-second pitches: Share your idea or expertise you are offering,
• Team formation: Self-organize into interdisciplinary groups (3-5 people),
• Ideation sprint: Start building your project with rotating senior PI mentors.

- Afternoon (1.30pm – 5pm)

• Focused work: Create your project proposal prototype (including experimental design/computational analysis/data visualization/curation – whatever proves your concept),
• Polish your pitch: Get feedback from mentors,
• 4.30pm: Final presentations (5-10 minutes per team).

What you'll create: A compelling pitch deck and a tangible proof-of-concept that demonstrates feasibility.

What we provide: Coffee, lunch, snacks, workspace, and expert mentors (senior PIs, core facility researchers, grants office representatives) rotating through to help you refine your ideas.

▶︎ What happens to the best projects?

Everyone gets: New collaborators, a polished project proposal with solid ideas/data curated, and connections across departments.

Top 2-3 teams get:

• Direct support to present your proposal to the Scientific Affairs Division and the Department of Philanthropy in 2027,

• Hands-on grant writing support from the Grants Office.

This is for you if…

• You are a PhD student, postdoctoral fellow, or young PI working on anything ageing-related
• You have had ideas but you couldn't pursue them alone
• You have wondered “what if I had the right collaborators?”
• You miss the creative part of science
• You want to meet the interesting people in other buildings

The requirement: Willingness to work outside your comfort zone. We are forming interdisciplinary teams - that's where the magic happens!

Space: approximately 30 participants (first-come, first-served)

To register

Deadline: March 30, 2026

Questions? Please contact Dalila Saulebekova (dalila.saulebekova@pasteur.fr) and Sandra Corre (sandra.corre@pasteur.fr)

Looking forward to seeing your ideas!

Organizing team: Scientific Programming and Incentive Actions Department (SPAIS), Scientific Priority 4 and Dalila Saulebekova