This November, Cluj-Napoca, Romania hosted a new edition of EIT Health i-Days, a European innovation hackathon that brings together students from diverse fields to solve real societal challenges. This year’s event focused on one of Europe’s fastest-growing needs: improving the quality of life for seniors. Co-organised by North-West Regional Development Agency through the NOTRE project, together with EIT Health, the Babeș-Bolyai University (HIVE Innovation Center), FreshBlood HealthTech Community, and Zbor Hub, the event invited students to explore how technology, empathy, and creativity can support an ageing population. More than 60 students from public health, medicine, IT, engineering and business worked side by side for two intensive days, turning ideas into tangible solutions. The i-Days hakathon is built around challenge-based learning, a hands-on method that encourages participants to understand problems deeply, collaborate across disciplines, and think like innovators. For many students, it was the first time they worked in multidisciplinary teams or pitched an idea to an expert jury. Throughout the hackathon, they developed solutions inspired not only by research, but also by their own families, grandparents, neighbours, and older people in their lives whose daily struggles motivated them to design something meaningful. The challenges tackled by the teams, based on insights and good practices shared through the NOTRE project, focused on key areas of senior wellbeing: • Telemedicine and virtual care – making remote healthcare easy and trustworthy for older adults • Smart home safety – preventing falls and enabling independent living • Memory and dementia support – digital tools that provide structure and emotional comfort • Personalised non-medical care – daily routines and wellbeing tailored to individual preferences • Holistic and preventive care – improving mental, social and physical health These topics created a rich environment for innovation. Under the guidance of 13 mentors, experts in healthcare, public policy, entrepreneurship, and digital technologies, students refined their solutions, learned how to validate assumptions, and prepared for the final pitch. By the end of the second day, 15 teams presented their ideas to a jury of five specialists. The proposed solutions were practical, imaginative, and deeply rooted in users’ needs. Among the concepts developed were: • Smart reminders integrated into glasses or audio devices for medication and daily tasks • Safety sensors that detect unusual behaviour or prevent accidents for seniors living alone • Digital tools that encourage social connection, storytelling, or shared experiences • Telemedicine pathways supported by simple interfaces • Genetic testing-based personalised treatment suggestions to avoid harmful drug interactions The winning team will represent Cluj at the EIT Health i-Days European Finals in Paris, competing with students from across the continent. The hackathon did more than produce new ideas. It showed how young people, with guidance, teamwork, and the right challenges, can rethink the future of senior care. This aligns directly with the mission of the NOTRE project, implemented in the North-West Region of Romania by the North-West RDA. Insights from NOTRE directly shaped the themes and challenges of i-Days Cluj, ensuring that students worked on topics with concrete relevance for future innovators and entrepreneurs in the region.