2022 ISPE Pharma 4.0™ DACH Emerging Leader Hackathon

The ISPE Hackathon program is an integral part of ISPE's success as it brings together and connects the world's young talent with each other and with the experienced leaders of the pharmaceutical industry. We must continue to invest in our next generation because these young people will support and drive ISPE's mission - providing medicines to patients worldwide - in the future.

Thomas Hartman

Past President and CEO of ISPE

ISPE

The three-day event started on Sunday, 4 December with an informal dinner at the Brandauer restaurant in Vienna, Austria, where around 50 people came together to network and enjoy Austrian cuisine.

The event continued Monday, 5 December at 0730 with a drive to Takeda's biotech campus in Orth an der Donau, Lower Austria. The biopharmaceutical company's facilities provided a live experience in the on-site labs where participants could work on innovative solutions for specific industry problems. The event attracted almost 100 participants in the roles of company coach, judges, work stream managers, and emerging leaders and students.

The hackathon aimed to explore different aspects of Pharma 4.0™ and conceptualize a holistic manufacturing blueprint that could be applied to the pharmaceutical industry. The participants

worked on various projects and presented their innovative solutions to a jury of experts who evaluated the proposals and awarded a prize to the winning team.

The five work streams focused on innovative and patient-centered outcomes with a focus on priorities in the manufacturing and enterprise environment, including data-driven and paperless production, automated workflows, in-process controls, plug and produce, real-time monitoring and release, and quality by design. Each work stream was supported by industry partners and coaches from different companies such as Hamilton Bonaduz AG, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Österreich, Endress+Hauser GmbH, Ing. Punzenberger COPA-DATA GmbH, Biopharm Services Ltd, Sartorius Stedim Austria GmbH, DataHow AG, Tulip Interfaces, Inc., FrontWell Solutions GmbH, and Applied Materials UK Ltd.

The industry partners and coaches provided valuable expertise and support, helping the participants to explore new ideas and develop effective solutions. In addition, experts from Takeda provided manufacturing insights and ensured hands-on applicability.

Takeda is committed to driving innovation in its processes and technologies. Data science, digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence are important tools. Regular interaction with the next generation of experts, such as at the Orth Hackathon, is important to gain new perspectives and continuously improve our processes to serve patients worldwide.

Michael Graninger, Head of Biotherapeutics Technology Development and Implementation at Takeda.

With the dedicated work stream setup, the hackathon underlined the importance of cross-sector exchange and collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. The work streams provided solution supporting the industry in facing challenges such as rising healthcare costs, increasing regulatory requirements, and growing demand for more personalized and efficient healthcare

solutions. To meet these challenges, new ways of working are required. Therefore, the pharmaceutical industry is encouraged to continue working closely with all stakeholders from the digitalization ecosystem to develop innovative solutions that can improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, increase quality, and enhance operational efficiency.

The winning team presented new approaches in the areas of simulation and data analysis and presented a business case with the aim of increasing productivity in manufacturing and reducing time-to-market of products.

The ISPE Pharma 4.0 Emerging Leader Hackathon was an excellent example of how cross- sector collaboration can lead to innovative solutions. The event brought together participants from different fields of study and countries, including engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, and medicine, to work on innovative solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.

It was a great pleasure to see so many motivated, dedicated, and well-trained talents at work. We were very proud to host this hands-on hackathon in Austria for the first time and to allow the participants to work on-site in our development labs. The tasks were challenging and all five groups did a great job. The solutions developed are innovative and show the possibilities of Pharma 4.0.

Marian Bendik, Head of the Takeda site in Orth an der Donau

A big thank you again to our sponsors and coaches:

Hamilton Bonaduz AG, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Österreich, Endress+Hauser GmbH, Ing. Punzenberger COPA-DATA GmbH, Biopharm Services Ltd, Sartorius Stedim Austria GmbH, DataHow AG, Tulip Interfaces, Inc., FrontWell Solutions GmbH, and Applied Materials UK Ltd, Takeda Pharma Ges.m.b.H.

The ISPE EU Emerging Leaders Community is excited to announce the upcoming 2023 ISPE EU Hackathon will take place 6-7 May 2023 in Amsterdam RAI, preceding the main program of the ISPE EU Annual Conference.

Participants with less than five years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry are invited to take part in this exciting event.

The winning team will have the opportunity to present their work during the 2023 ISPE Europe Annual Conference. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn and network with industry professionals while gaining hands-on experience in a competitive environment.

Join us for the 2023 ISPE EU Hackathon and take part in shaping the future of the pharmaceutical industry!

Register Now!