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Background Innovation processes in healthcare settings are costly, time-intensive and inaccessible to some cohorts of professionals. UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Sandpit Events are widely used in different healthcare and engineering settings to facilitate interdisciplinary research and innovation. We describe an innovative approach to classical Sandpit Events that overcomes these limitations effectively.Method A novel structure for a 1-day Sandpit Event was designed by a local panel of leaders in research and innovation based in a UK National Health Service hospital and an academic engineering department. The processes of event communication, participant invitation and selection of the winning project were planned to complement this 1-day design without losing the principal elements of Sandpit innovation specified by the EPSRC. The hospital charity donated a £20 000 fund towards developing the winning innovation.Results A varied mix of participants including academic engineers, medical, surgical and allied health professionals attended the event. Three clinical problems that could be researched and solved in collaboration with academic engineers were put forward by clinicians. All attracted support from engineers and three interdisciplinary project groups were formed. Each group presented their research ideas at the end of the 1-day event and one proposal was selected to receive funding as a research and innovation project. This project achieved its aim by creating a prototype for a tracheal intubation device.Conclusion Condensed Sandpit Events promote inclusive participation in innovation and are an effective strategy in healthcare innovation.