The letter of intent should include a project description of the following (two pages max):

• A statement of the targeted problem area or opportunity space
• A description of the proposed solution
• A listing of all collaborators, including students, faculty, and clinicians.  Involving clinical collaborators is encouraged.

The two page project description should be combined with the signed coversheet and signed institutional letter of support into one document and then converted into a single PDF to submit online (full submission instructions available in November 2010).

Evaluation Criteria

Letters of intent should anticipate the following evaluation criteria of the final proposal submission (if invited).

Innovation:

• Originality (disruptive technologies are sought, unconstrained by the forces of current fee-for-service reimbursement patterns, but offering better outcomes)
• Leverage (applying innovations from fields outside of healthcare)

Impact:

• Impact (some measure of the scope of the impact on patient care)
• Practicality (e.g., materials, cost, power requirements if relevant, “fit” with medical culture)
• Accuracy (compelling case that false positives or negatives will be manageable, if the technology is diagnostic, or, of the technology is therapeutic, that the care will be safely and accurately delivered)
• Generalizability (flexibility to fit different venues of practice and clinical scenarios)
• Safety (contribution to reduction of current risk, and compelling case made that new risks would not be introduced)
• Patients’ viewpoint (identification of patient demand and/or need, with data, if possible, from the literature)
• Simplification of work processes
• Cost-effectiveness

Implementation:

• Time-to-market (identification of obstacles and appropriate tactics for surmounting them)
• Use of Funds (the monies will be used in ways that lead to a significant advance)
• Acceptance (clear explication that the innovation will contribute to patient comfort and convenience, while improving or speeding positive outcomes

How to Apply

• Submission instructions will be available in November 2010.
• Email cimitprize@partners.org with questions.
• Students may submit only application on behalf of their individual or team project. However, there is no limit on the number of applications a university or program can submit.

Timeline for the award process:

December 1, 2010:        Submission process opens
January 17, 2011:           Letters of intent due
February 15, 2011:         Ten finalists announced
May 31, 2011:                  Final proposals due
June 30, 2011:                Announcement of first, second and third prize winners

CIMIT Prize FAQs

View CIMIT Prize Frequently Asked Questions.

2010 CIMIT Prize for Primary Healthcare Winners, their schools and projects are as follows:

$150,000 First Prize:
Mark Hartman, Cornell University
Title: "Rapid multiplexed detection of pathogens with DNA nanobarcodes"

$100,000 Second Prize:
George Lewis, Cornell University
Title: "Wearable Low-intensity Ultrasound Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Technology Development and Clinical Evaluation"

$50,000 Third Prize:
Ming-Zher Poh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: "Webcam-based Technology for Non-contact, Multi-Parameter Physiological Measurements"

Read announcement.

The 2010 ten student finalists:

Peter Backeris, Stevens Institute of Technology
Title: "Digital Triage Assistant"

Jonathan Baran, University of Wisconsin Madison
Title: "EMRViz: A patient-centered, problem-oriented EMR visualization package"

Ryan Chang, Johns Hopkins University
Title: "Invention of non-invasive method and apparatus to deliver diagnostic devices into the gastrointestinal tract."

Nicholas Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title: "Improving Everyday Health Through Continuous Personal Instrumentation"

Mark Hartman, Cornell University, ($150,000 First Prize Winner)
Title: "Rapid multiplexed detection of pathogens with DNA nanobarcodes"

Syed Imaad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title: "Health Diagnostic Compact Disc (HDCD)"

George Lewis, Cornell University ($100,000 Second Prize Winner)
Title: "Wearable Low-intensity Ultrasound Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Technology Development and Clinical Evaluation"

Debkishore Mitra, University of California Berkeley
Title: "Sepsis Diagnostics using iMDs"

Muzaffer Yalgin Ozsecen, Northeastern University
Title: "Synchronized Blood Pressure Measurement Device"

Ming-Zher Poh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
($50,000 Third Prize Winner)
Title: "Webcam-based Technology for Non-contact, Multi-Parameter Physiological Measurements"