Release Date: September 14, 2023
Submission Start Date: weptember 18, 2023
Submission End Date: November 17, 2023
Related Announcements
None.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Purpose
The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Technology (RADx Tech) Fetal Monitoring Challenge will award up to $2.0 million in prizes to accelerate the development of diagnostic and monitoring technologies to reduce the risk of fetal morbidity and mortality and thus improve fetal and neonatal health outcomes. Successful technologies developed in this Challenge will directly measure one or more parameters of fetal health status during the late antepartum and/or intrapartum periods of pregnancy. These parameters will be used to provide actionable information that can be used for clinical decision-making and be implementable at either the point of care or in a home-based setting. Examples of desired technologies include, but are not limited to, wearable devices, smartphone-enabled diagnostic tools, integrated sensing and/or imaging technologies, digital health platforms, and in vitro diagnostic devices or tests. Importantly, technologies must have a reasonable likelihood of market entry within the next 5 years and must have strong potential for accessible, cost-effective use and impact in low-resource settings, such as low- and middle-income countries as well as areas of high-income countries where there is limited access to high-quality prenatal healthcare.
Background
Fetal morbidity and mortality are major but often overlooked public health issues. Globally, there are approximately 2 million stillbirths every year with over 40 percent occurring after the onset of labor, the majority of which could be prevented with better quality and respectful care during childbirth. Within the U.S., 21,000 families suffer a stillbirth each year. Additionally, U.S. fetal mortality rates continue to vary by race and ethnic origin with rates being highest for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and Black women, followed by American Indian or Alaska Native women. This is an unacceptable state of fetal health outcomes both here and around the world that calls for immediate action and, among other changes, improvement in the diagnosis and monitoring of the physiological causes of and factors associated with fetal morbidity and mortality.
Prize Competition Details
Complete details of the RADx Tech Fetal Monitoring Challenge including submission requirements and instructions are available on the Challenge.gov website at: http://www.challenge.gov/?challenge=radx-tech-fetal-monitoring . In brief, Innovators participating in this Challenge will initially submit a detailed description of their fetal health diagnostic or monitoring technology, anticipated clinical impact, and plans for continued development and implementation in low-resource settings. Winners of Phase 1 will be invited to deliver a live presentation and technology demonstration in Phase 2. Winners of Phase 2 will receive a cash prize and advance to the Phase 3 technology development sprint where they will compete for substantial cash prizes by de-risking and further maturing their technologies with support by a RADx Tech Project Team of healthcare technology commercialization and content experts.
This Challenge is co-sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. NIBIB is conducting this Challenge under the authority provided by Section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), as added by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-358).
C. Taylor Gilliland, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Innovation Programs
Office of the Director
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
NIBIBchallenge@mail.nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
