ReadyDetect
Blood Sampling Competition
Advancing next-generation capillary blood collection and processing devices for diagnostics at the point of need — home, field, and resource-limited settings.
Ready to compete?
Diagnostics at the Point of Need
In a public health emergency, access to centralized testing can be limited. BARDA is advancing solutions that enable reliable detection of blood-borne pathogens at the point of need, whether in the home, clinic, or field. The ReadyDetect: Blood Sampling Competition supports the development of high-performance, low-cost, CLIA-waivable sample collection and processing technologies that integrate with diagnostic tests.
The Need - Maintain Testing when Lab Access is Limited
When centralized lab access is disrupted, testing capacity drops. Reliable, easy-to-use blood collection methods, including self-collection and caregiver use, are essential to maintaining diagnostic capability and enabling rapid response.
The Opportunity — Expand Testing Outside Labs
As healthcare shifts toward decentralized settings, diagnostic capabilities must extend beyond traditional laboratories. Blood, plasma, and serum collection technologies compatible with antigen and molecular tests will enable broader, faster, and more accessible testing.
The Vision — Testing that Works Anywhere
The same device used at home should also function in remote or resource-limited environments. ReadyDetect seeks solutions that enable whole blood collection and processing, including plasma and/or serum, that are compatible with diagnostic testing across BARDA-relevant priority pathogens (see PHEMCE Priority Threats List) and are suitable for both pediatric and adult populations, with a clear path to low-cost, scalable, and CLIA-waivable deployment.
Two Stages. $5,000,000 Prize Pool.
Concept Stage
- Submit a concept paper (≤10 pages) describing your innovation and development plan
- Include quantitative preliminary data and Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
- Outline a path to develop and validate a functional prototype
- Include a plan to demonstrate functional compatibility with at least one relevant antigen or molecular diagnostic test (preferably FDA-cleared)
- Describe planned approach for blood collection, processing, and sample integrity
- Address regulatory pathway, commercialization strategy, and IP access
Concept Stage Prize
$100,000
per winner · up to 5 winners
Applications Open: June 1, 2026
Deadline: July 31, 2026
Winners Announced: Fall 2026
June 1, 2026
Concept Stage Launched
The application window opens on June 1, 2026.
June 24, 2026
Virtual Webinar Option 1
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 2
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
July 31, 2026
Concept Stage Applications Due
Applications are due by July 31, 2026.
Fall 2026*
Concept Stage Winners Announced
Up to 5 winners receive $100,000 each.
June 1, 2026
Concept Stage Launched
The application window opens on June 1, 2026.
June 24, 2026
Virtual Webinar Option 1
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 2
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
July 31, 2026
Concept Stage Applications Due
Applications are due by July 31, 2026.
Fall 2026*
Concept Stage Winners Announced
Up to 5 winners receive $100,000 each.
*Specific dates will be announced when the Stage is launched.
Prototype Stage
- Submit a letter of intent and required regulatory documentation (clinical protocol, IRB, consent)
- Develop and test a functional prototype device
- Demonstrate performance in human subjects (N≥75, adult and pediatric)
- Show compatibility with at least one relevant antigen or molecular diagnostic test (preferably FDA-cleared)
- Provide a completion report (≤25 pages) with de-identified experimental data
- Include cost of goods (COGs) analysis at 100,000-unit scale and evidence of prototype use (photo/video)
Prototype Stage Prize
$1.5M
per winner · up to 3 winners
Applications Open: November 2026 (TBD)
Letter of Intent Due: February 2027 (TBD)
Completion Report Due: April 30, 2028
Winners Announced: Summer 2028
November 2026
Prototype Stage Launched
The application window opens in November 2026.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 1
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 2
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
February 2027
Prototype Stage Letter of Intent & Supporting Documentation Due
Letters of intent, clinical collection protocols, and IRB documentation are due.
Summer 2028
Prototype Stage Winners Announced
Up to 3 winners receive $1,500,000 each.
April 30, 2028
Prototype Stage Completion Reports Due
Completion reports and de-identified data packages are due by April 30, 2028 to be eligible for the prize.
March 2027 - April 2028
Progress Checks on Study Progress
Eligible applicants will submit a brief form every other month about their study progress.
November 2026 - March 2027 (Rolling)
Letters of Eligibility Sent to Applicants
As submitted documents are reviewed, applicants will receive letters of eligibility to formally enter the Prototype Stage. A letter of eligibility is required to be eligible for the prize.
November 2026
Prototype Stage Launched
The application window opens in November 2026.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 1
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
TBD
Virtual Webinar Option 2
Learn more about the opportunity and have your questions answered.
February 2027
Prototype Stage Letter of Intent & Supporting Documentation Due
Letters of intent, clinical collection protocols, and IRB documentation are due.
November 2026 - March 2027 (Rolling)
Letters of Eligibility Sent to Applicants
As submitted documents are reviewed, applicants will receive letters of eligibility to formally enter the Prototype Stage. A letter of eligibility is required to be eligible for the prize.
March 2027 - April 2028
Progress Checks on Study Progress
Eligible applicants will submit a brief form every other month about their study progress.
April 30, 2028
Prototype Stage Completion Reports Due
Completion reports and de-identified data packages are due by April 30, 2028 to be eligible for the prize.
Summer 2028
Prototype Stage Winners Announced
Up to 3 winners receive $1,500,000 each.
*Specific dates will be announced when the Stage is launched.
Eligibility Requirements
Open to U.S.-based commercial, academic, and non-profit entities. Academic and non-profit competitors must partner with a commercial entity (letter of intent, at minimum, required as evidence of partnership).
- Primary Entrant must be a U.S.-based concern / entity at time of submission and through prize issuance
- “U.S.-based Concern” = incorporated in the U.S. (including U.S.-incorporated subsidiaries of foreign parents), or unincorporated with its principal place of business in the United States
- Academic and non-profit entrants must provide a letter of intent evidencing a commercial entity partnership
- Subcontractors, consultants, CROs, and partners permitted — Primary Entrant must substantively lead the technical effort
- Participation in the Concept Stage is NOT required for eligibility in the Prototype Stage
- Demonstrated or planned access to required intellectual property for all product components (documented pathway required)
- Capability or documented partnership to conduct work in BSL-4 laboratories, as relevant to pathogen scope
- Prototype Stage: ability to recruit N≥75 human subjects with pediatric and adult age distribution, supported by IRB approval
- Planned manufacturing in the United States is strongly preferred
- AI-generated content in submissions must be clearly identified at the sentence level (e.g., via footnotes)
For additional information and questions, view our FAQs or contact ReadyDetect@biotoolsinnovator.org.
For additional information and questions, view our FAQs or contact ReadyDetect@biotoolsinnovator.org.