Executive Summary
NIH's kidney institute (NIDDK) offers $100,000 in cash prizes for AI methods that find new patterns in kidney pathology data from the Kidney Precision Medicine Project. U.S. companies and individuals can enter. Submissions are open November 5, 2026 to April 29, 2027.
The challenge runs on HeroX under a NASA contract. Prizes are up to $50K, $30K and $20K, and NIDDK may award fewer.
Solicitation at a Glance
- Agency: NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), on HeroX through NASA CoECI
- Funding: $100,000 total prize purse
- Window: November 5, 2026 to April 29, 2027
Think your company qualifies? Talk with BW&CO before the April 29 deadline.
Eligibility Requirements
- Companies: Must be incorporated in the U.S., with their main place of business there
- Individuals and team captains: Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to win cash
- Funding sources: Federal grant, cooperative agreement or contract funds cannot be used to develop entries
How to Apply
- Register: On HeroX
- Review: The data access terms
- Submit: Your entry in the portal by April 29, 2027
Is This Opportunity a Good Fit for Your Company?
It fits teams building computer vision or machine learning for pathology or biomedical data.
How BW&CO Can Help
BW&CO has helped deep-tech and dual-use founders secure more than $350M in non-dilutive funding. For prize challenges like this one, we help you:
- Check eligibility and funding-source rules
- Review your entry against the judging criteria
- Tighten the write-up
- Plan follow-on NIH funding
- Time your submission
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the prize purse?
$100,000 total.
Can I use SBIR funds to build the entry?
No. Federal funds cannot be used.
Can BW&CO help with an entry?
Yes. We review entries against the judging criteria and plan follow-on NIH funding. Book a call with our team.
Source: NIH challenge page