What is Painhack
The IASP Early Career Network (ECN) will launch IASP’s first Painhack taking place 25 - 26 October at the 2026 World Congress on Pain in Bangkok, Thailand.
Painhack is a two-day interdisciplinary hackathon that will bring together scientists, clinicians, and people with lived experience to develop innovative, open-science projects addressing key challenges in pain research and management. Selected teams will collaborate in a fast-paced, creative environment designed to foster new ideas, methods, and collaborations that can extend beyond the World Congress.
Call for Projects Now Closed
Projects were submitted regardless of background, demographics, or career stage, for consideration in the Painhack Project Track.
Submission Deadline: 21 November
If your project is selected, you will be designated a project leader. Project leaders are expected to:
- Plan to register and attend the 2026 World Congress on Pain.
- Plan to register, attend the two-day Painhack, and participate fully throughout the event.
- Present their project at Painhack.
- Lead a small interdisciplinary team of up to 5 participants.
Team members can be scientists from different backgrounds, clinicians, or persons with lived experience. - Promote open-science practices such as data sharing and reproducibility.
- Engage in collaboration during and beyond the event.
- Ensure that all ethical requirements and resources needed to complete the project are available before the event.
If you are interested but don’t want to submit a project, or if your project is not selected, you will still be able to register to participate in one of the selected Painhack projects. Up to 5 participants will be involved in each project, with a representative mix of career stages, professional background, and demographics.
If you have any questions, please contact earlycareer@iasp-pain.org.