Montreal - Morgan Stanley has announced the winning projects of the 2024 Code to Engage hackathon benefiting Le Chaînon and the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines (RQMO).

Over 120 university students participated in the hackathon to develop innovative technological solutions aimed at addressing the urgent challenges faced by organizations on a daily basis. The technologists at Morgan Stanley will now transform the prototypes presented by the students into final products for these organizations as part of the firm's Technology Changemakers program.

"Code to Engage provides the next generation of technologists with a platform to tackle the technological challenges of non-profit organizations with the support of experienced mentors from Morgan Stanley," said Madeline Hutchinson, Global Head of Technology Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. "We are excited to deliver these prototypes to Le Chaînon and the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines, and we look forward to collaborating with both organizations over the next year to refine the solutions into final products."

The winning solution for Le Chaînon is an administrative dashboard with interactive reports and an intuitive user interface. The solution aims to provide women with more comprehensive access to their intervention plans and improve communication with their caregivers. The winning team, La ChaîNet, consists of students from Concordia University.

"Technology can make a difference for organizations like ours, but we often do not have access to the skills and resources needed to implement technology on our own," said Dany Lessard, Deputy General Manager of Le Chaînon. "Code to Engage has given us the opportunity to see what is technically possible for our organization and has helped us think outside the box to streamline our operations to better focus on serving the community."

The winning solution for the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines (RQMO) utilizes generative AI for dynamic responses, enabling more effective interactions between doctors and patients. All members of the winning team, Galactic Healer, are also students at Concordia University.

"We are inspired by the enthusiasm shown by the students in developing tangible technological solutions for our organization," said Jonathan Pratt, Executive Director of the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines (RQMO). "The solutions proposed in the hackathon will have a major impact within RQMO. They will allow us to raise awareness among the population and healthcare professionals about rare diseases and highlight the journey of many patients."

The annual Code to Engage hackathon provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with Morgan Stanley specialists and apply their technological skills for the benefit of local non-profit organizations. Since 2021, seven non-profit organizations in Montreal have been supported through the Code to Engage hackathons.

For more information about Morgan Stanley, visit www.morganstanley.com.

About Morgan Stanley Montreal:

As the firm's largest presence in Canada, Morgan Stanley Montreal is one of its most prominent technology hubs globally. The office currently houses thousands of IT professionals and world-class engineers in areas such as application development, software engineering, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital technologies. Morgan Stanley Montreal has also been recognized as an employer of choice and a strong contributor to the local community.

For further inquiries, please contact Matthew Feldman at matthew.feldman@morganstanley.com.