Up to $7 Million in Prizes Available for Teams Demonstrating Real-World Readiness of Innovative Biomedical Research Methods

, /PRNewswire/ – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund, through NASA’s Tournament Lab, has announced the launch of the Complement-ARIE NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge facilitated by HeroX. Building on the success of the 2023 Complement-Animal Research in Experimentation (Complement-ARIE) concept challenge, this new competition invites teams to move promising New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) from theory to validated practice, with up to $7 million in total prizes awarded across five progressive achievement tracks.

Illustration of the types of research supported (in vitro, in silico, in chemico, and data ecosystems)

The Reduction to Practice Challenge represents the next critical phase in transforming biomedical research. While the initial Complement-ARIE challenge generated innovative concepts for human-based research methodologies, this follow-on competition focuses on verification, validation, and demonstrating that these approaches are ready for real-world scientific application. Participants will advance promising NAMs, including microphysiological systems, computational models, and other human-biology-centered approaches, through rigorous testing and qualification processes.

Traditional research models remain valuable in many contexts, but NAMs offer unique advantages for understanding human biology with greater precision and relevance. However, for these methodologies to gain widespread adoption in the scientific community, they must undergo thorough verification and validation. Accelerating this validation process requires contributions from a variety of innovators across multiple disciplines.

The challenge is structured around five progressive tracks that reflect increasing levels of technical maturity and scientific rigor:

• Phase 1 (Proof of Concept and Feasibility Studies): up to 20 awards up to $80,000 each, for demonstrating initial feasibility
• Phase 2 (Prototype Development): Awards across two milestones of up to $150,000 and $200,000, respectively for creating functional prototypes and achieving milestone requirements
• Phase 3 (Prototype Delivery for Validation and Verification): Awards up to 3 runner-up prizes of $500,000 each for systems ready for independent testing, and a potential grand prize winner taking home $1,000,000.

Evolving from the earlier concept-focused challenge, this competition requires participants to demonstrate tangible progress through documented evidence, reproducible results, and adherence to established validation frameworks. Submissions must show substantial advancement in readiness for regulatory consideration or widespread scientific adoption.

Eligibility: The challenge is open to individuals and teams worldwide, with the requirement that the team captain be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. International team members are welcome, subject to U.S. federal sanctions restrictions. Participants may be from any professional background, including academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, or independent research groups.

Key Dates:

• Submissions Opened: September 30, 2025
• Phase 1 Deadline: March 1, 2026, 11:59PM EST
• Additional milestones and deadlines are available on the challenge website.

To learn more about the Complement-ARIE NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge and submit your team’s work, visit www.herox.com/Complement-ARIE-RTP.

**About the NIH Complement-ARIE Program: **The NIH Common Fund’s Complement-ARIE program is designed to pioneer the development, standardization, validation, and regulatory use of NAMs that will more accurately model human biology and disease states.

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**Media Contact: **Jamie Elliott (218) 559-4868 [email protected]

SOURCE HeroX