The Open Targets Platform is turning 10, and we're throwing a celebration that's perfect for developers, scientists, and bioinformatics enthusiasts! We invite you to join our two-day hackathon, where your coding skills can make a real impact in drug discovery.

Why This Hackathon Matters

The Open Targets Platform integrates evidence from genome-wide association studies, functional genomics, rare disease genetics, somatic mutations, and machine learning models to systematically build target-disease associations. The Platform has recently undergone a significant transformation, uniting genetic evidence and target discovery information into a single resource with state-of-the-art machine learning models and comprehensive variant annotation. Your contributions could directly influence the discovery of the next generation of safe and effective therapeutic drugs, with evidence informing pharmaceutical pipelines worldwide.

What's in it for Developers?

Real-World Impact: Develop solutions that can be integrated into the pipelines used by pharmaceutical companies and academic researchers worldwide.

Cutting-Edge Data: Work with massive genomics datasets, machine learning models, and statistical genetics pipelines.

Expert Mentorship: Get direct guidance from leading experts in genomics, drug discovery, and bioinformatics throughout the event.

Open Source: All projects are open source (CC-BY/ Apache 2), meaning your work contributes to the global scientific community.

Project Ideas We're Excited About

Data Integration: Build new pipelines or improve existing ones for integrating diverse biological datasets
Interactive Visualisations: Create dashboards or novel ways to explore complex genomics data
Machine Learning: Develop models for target prioritisation or automated analysis
Platform Extensions: Add new features or tools that integrate with the existing platform

Two Ways to Participate

In-Person (Limited to 40 spots): Join us at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge, UK, with direct mentoring, networking opportunities, and catered meals.

Virtual (limited to 60 spots): Access all live-streamed sessions with dedicated virtual collaboration rooms and online Q&A with experts.

Key Dates

Registration Deadline: October 12, 2025
Hackathon: October 21-22, 2025 — Two full days of coding, collaboration, and innovation

Ready to Make an Impact?

Whether you're a seasoned bioinformatics developer or curious about applying your coding skills to biology, this hackathon offers the perfect opportunity to contribute to meaningful research while expanding your expertise.

The intersection of software engineering and drug discovery is where the next breakthrough might happen — and it could be yours.

Only 40 in-person spots available - they're filling up fast!

Register now: In-Person | Virtual

Submit your project idea: Project Submission Form

Questions? Contact us at outreach@opentargets.org More info: https://www.opentargets.org/hackathon

Join us in celebrating a decade of innovation and help shape the next 10 years of target discovery.

Join the Open Targets Hackathon: Celebrating 10 Years of Innovation in Target Discovery