SPARK Pediatric Medical Countermeasures Summit Prize Competition 2026

SPARK for Innovations in Pediatrics, a BARDA Accelerator Network hub led by Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC, is now accepting applications for the SPARK Pediatric Medical Countermeasures Summit Prize Competition 2026.

This opportunity supports innovative solutions that advance pediatric medical countermeasures, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health tools, and enabling technologies that address pediatric health security threats such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases.

Focus areas include:

• Track 1: Diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, vaccines, and digital health tools that address BARDA mission‑relevant pediatric health security threats.
• Track 2: Enabling technologies that facilitate evidence generation for the expansion of pediatric labeling of a specified BARDA mission-relevant medical countermeasure (e.g., digital twins, organoids, organ‑on‑chip systems, PK/PD models, clinical trial simulation platforms).

Key details:

• Up to $50,000 in non-dilutive funding available.
• Application deadline: July 22, 2026.
• Finalists will be invited to pitch live at the SPARK Pediatric Medical Countermeasures Summit in Washington DC on September 22, 2026.

Access the full RFP.

Please reach out at sparkhub@childrensnational.org with any questions.