Implemented by 
| Supported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse
Implemented by Capital Consulting Corporation, Supported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Frequently Asked Questions
To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, an applicant must be an individual, a group of individuals, an entity, or a group of entities.
Applicants:
- Must register to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by NIDA as published in this announcement
- Must comply with all the requirements of federal law and as described in the Challenge announcement
- Must, in the case of a private entity, be incorporated and maintain a primary place of business in the United States and, in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United However, non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part). Their participation as part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced
- May not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment (this includes, but is not limited to, federal employees working on their applications or submissions during assigned duty hours)
- Please see Challenge rules for additional eligibility requirements.
Participants can submit the concept paper for consideration through the challenge website. Participants will be taken to the contestant portal where they will create an account, complete the submission form, upload their document, and submit their solution.
When entering your submission, please follow the Submission Requirements.
The submission and judging period dates are as follows:
Dates:
- Challenge Launch: July 20, 2022
- Submission Start: August 1, 2022, 9:00 AM ET
- Submission End: September 23, 2022, 5:00 PM ET
- Judging Period: September 26, 2022 to October 14, 2022
- Winners Announced: October 18, 2022
*Please note all dates are subject to change
The total prize purse is up to $100,000 with up to four awards of up to $25,000 each.
Both are acceptable. Please see the eligibility requirements listed on the website covering both individuals and organizations. The NIDA CODE Challenge is dictated by the America COMPETES Act, which states that applicants who represent a private entity shall be incorporated and maintain a primary place of business in the United States. An individual, whether participating alone or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. However, non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part). Please note that there are tax implications for citizens who receive prize money.
As an entrant, you retain all intellectual property rights not expressly granted under the Challenge agreements. However, by participating in the Challenges, you, as an entrant, irrevocably grant NIDA a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license and right to reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display and use the submission for internal HHS business, and to the extent necessary to administer the Challenge, and to publicly perform and publicly display the submission, including, without limitation, for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Challenge.
No protected information will be made public.
The reason that NIDA is requesting the limit to the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is to establish potential upper limit for a cost effective screening device.
To sign up for updates or to learn about current progress, please visit the Challenge.gov website signup page.
Yes, universities and local community-based organizations can participate and receive prizes. The challenge is open to broad public participation. To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, an applicant must be an individual, a group of individuals, an entity, or a group of entities.
Please refer to the rules section of the Challenge.gov posting to learn more about the eligibility criteria and Challenge rules.
All questions related to participating and/or competing in the Challenge should be sent to NIDAChallenge@nih.gov.
Yes, please sign up on the challenge page by clicking “Apply on external website ” and then follow the steps to create an account. You will then be able to create your submission.
Technically, yes an individual or team could submit separate entries to the Challenge, under different accounts. This may not however increase your chance of winning. All submissions must undergo the same eligibility, and judging scrutiny.
Yes, the competition is open to individuals or existing companies with existing solutions as well.
Each entrant retains title and full ownership in and to their Submission. Entrant expressly reserves all intellectual property rights not expressly granted under this Agreement. By participating in the challenge, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants to Sponsor and Administrator a limited, non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide, license and right to reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display, and use the Submission to the extent necessary to administer the challenge, and to publicly perform and publicly display the Submission, including, without limitation, for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the challenge.
Challenge advisors and judges will evaluate all eligible submissions individually using the categories below:
- (0-15 points)
- (0-15 points)
- Scalability Potential. (0-10 points)
Refer to the Judging Criteria for more information.
There are no restrictions on how prize funds can be used. You and your organization may be required to report the funds receipt for tax purposes, but NIDA imposes no constraints on how prize monies can be used.
Solutions must demonstrate their sustainability beyond the challenge competition. Challenge advisors and judges will consider how likely the solution will achieve commercial growth to secure sustainable funding sources. Commercial viability is not the only consideration for sustainability.
Please use the How To Enter outline on the challenge website.
It is not an absolute requirement, however we strongly recommend you use the format that is provided.
The SBIR Solicitation and this Challenge are complimentary in that both are part of a NIDA initiative to develop novel postmortem toxicology screening tools that would be used to inform and streamline suspected drug overdose death investigations and to improve drug specification in overdose death counts.
Solvers are invited to apply for both. Submissions to the Challenge and to the SBIR solicitation are independent and have different submission requirements. Solvers are encouraged to apply for both but may elect to apply to only one as well as to both. However, it should be noted that the SBIR solicitation is restricted to small businesses and is focused on research and development activities. The Challenge is open to all eligible individuals and entities and solicits novel concepts. Please note that winning the CODE Challenge does not guarantee an SBIR award.
Your device should be able to identify specific drugs for each of those drug classes and these should be measured semi-quantitatively or quantitatively. Outside of those specific drugs, you could have a qualitative analysis. You may want to include how you plan to potentially expand your device’s capacity to measure other drugs within the various classes. The goal is to not have the end-user purchasing many different types of devices for their measurement needs.
Challenge competitions differ from grants/contracts. You do not need to include a budget or description of how the money will be used. It is a prize award.
However, while a detailed budget is not required, solvers should demonstrate that they understand the realistic costs to develop the device (e.g., cost of parts and technology) to ensure that their Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $25,000 or less is achievable.
One aspect would be to demonstrate the ability to produce the device at the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $25,000 or less. Other approaches would be to indicate resources/staffing that you will devote to this, as well as the background of the individuals who will work on the development of the device.
The limit of detection is not required. However, your submission should describe how you plan to reach that through the development process.
NIDA understands that there will be differing specifications across the various technologies, as well as emerging technologies. NIDA encourages and welcomes a variety of solutions to be submitted and recognizes that there may be differing benefits across each of the technology types.
Implemented by | Supported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse
Implemented by Capital Consulting Corporation, Supported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)