Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC)

What is the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC)?

The Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) is a Department of Defense Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) consortium that funds prototype medical countermeasures, diagnostics, delivery devices, and enabling technologies against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Members compete for awards through Requests for Prototype Projects (RPPs).

The main customer is the Medical Countermeasures Systems (MCS) Joint Project Management Office within the Joint Program Executive Office for CBRN Defense (JPEO-CBRND). Other customers, including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office (DTRA JSTO), also release solicitations through MCDC. Advanced Technology International (ATI) manages the consortium.

Because MCDC awards are made under an OTA instead of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, they can be executed faster than traditional contracts, and the consortium actively recruits non-traditional defense contractors. That makes it one of the most direct routes for commercial biotech, pharma, diagnostics, and medical device companies to win DoD prototype funding for dual-use products.

Key dates and funding

• Deadline: Rolling. Membership is open year-round. Each RPP sets its own due date, and every RPP closes at 12:00 noon with no late submissions.
• Current status: As of early October 2026, MCDC lists no open RPPs, draft Statements of Objectives, or RFIs. Two opportunities are forecast for FY2027.
• Award size: Varies by RPP. Prototype awards MCDC posted in 2025 and 2026 ranged from about $3.2 million to $47.8 million. Member commercialization awards are up to $50,000.
• Funding instrument: Prototype project agreements under the MCDC OTA, executed through the consortium management firm.
• Membership fee: $250 per year, renewed each fiscal year.

What MCDC opportunities are coming next?

MCDC publishes a forecast of possible future solicitations. These dates are tentative, and the Government decides later whether to run each one through MCDC.

Threat Agnostic Host Directed MCMs (tentative Q2 FY2027)

Requiring office: JPM CBRN Medical. A CBRN resilience effort seeking medical countermeasures that act on the host rather than a single threat, helping the body withstand, mitigate, and recover from the overlapping physiological effects of CBRN exposure.

Advanced Differential Diagnostics (tentative Q4 FY2027)

Requiring office: JPdL-Diagnostics and JRO-CBRND. A host response based test that predicts how severe an illness will become.

What technologies does MCDC fund?

MCDC's published technical areas of interest include:

• Therapeutic medical countermeasure prototypes against viruses, bacteria, and biological toxins, plus the technologies that enable them
• Single and multiple drug autoinjector delivery devices
• Vaccine manufacturing platforms
• Products for prophylaxis, treatment, and diagnosis of CBRN threats, including Acute Radiation Syndrome and chemical nerve agents
• Systems that make agent identification and disease diagnosis faster, more accurate, and more reliable
• Advanced development and manufacturing capabilities

Past MCDC RPPs show the range: mRNA vaccines, monoclonal antibody platforms, broad spectrum therapeutics, autoinjectors, point of need and breath-based diagnostics, multi-organoid toxicity models, animal model development, and manufacturing optimization.

Who is eligible?

• Large businesses, small businesses, traditional and non-traditional defense contractors, academic research institutions, and nonprofits can join MCDC.
• Membership is limited to U.S. companies or U.S.-based affiliates of foreign companies, because every member must hold a DD Form 2345 (Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement).
• You must be an active member in good standing to submit as the prime on an RPP.
• Applications move fastest when your SAM.gov, UEI, CAGE, and DD2345 are already current.

How do I apply to MCDC?

• Step 1: Get your registrations in order. Confirm SAM.gov, UEI, and CAGE are active and obtain a DD Form 2345 if you do not have one.
• Step 2: Join the consortium. Submit the online member application and pay the $250 annual fee. A complete application can be processed in 1 to 2 business days.
• Step 3: Engage on the draft Statement of Objectives. Before most RPPs, the Government posts a draft SOO to members. Submitting a one-page abstract can earn a one-on-one session with the requirement owner and candid feedback before you invest in a full proposal. MCDC calls this step imperative if you plan to propose.
• Step 4: Submit to the RPP. Final RPPs go to members and are submitted through the MCDC BIDS portal by 12:00 noon on the due date.
• Step 5: Selection and negotiation. Selected offerors receive a Selection Announcement Letter, followed by statement of work and cost negotiations. Some proposals not selected right away go into a basket and can be pulled for award later.

Communication with the Government is permitted and encouraged, except during the evaluation period after a submission deadline.

Is MCDC a fit for your company?

MCDC is a strong fit for biotech, pharma, diagnostics, and medtech companies whose products serve both a commercial health market and a military CBRN need: infectious disease therapeutics and vaccines, host response and point of need diagnostics, drug delivery devices, and biomanufacturing platforms. Companies working on host directed therapeutics or severity-predicting diagnostics should join now so they are ready for the FY2027 draft SOO engagements.

Not sure whether your technology maps to an MCDC requirement, or how to position a commercial product for a DoD prototype award? Book a call with BW&CO to talk through your funding fit.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC)?

MCDC is a Department of Defense Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) consortium that funds prototype medical countermeasures, diagnostics, delivery devices, and enabling technologies against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Its main customer is the Medical Countermeasures Systems (MCS) Joint Project Management Office under JPEO-CBRND, and DTRA also releases solicitations through it.

How much funding does MCDC award?

Award size depends on each Request for Prototype Projects (RPP). Prototype awards MCDC posted in 2025 and 2026 ranged from about $3.2 million to $47.8 million, and its member commercialization awards are up to $50,000.

Who can join MCDC and how much does it cost?

Large and small businesses, traditional and non-traditional defense contractors, universities, and nonprofits can join. Membership is limited to U.S. companies or U.S.-based affiliates of foreign companies, because every member needs a DD Form 2345. The membership fee is $250 per year.

Do I have to be an MCDC member to submit a proposal?

Yes. You must be an active MCDC member in good standing to submit as the prime on an RPP. Subcontractors and research partners can support a member's proposal.

Is there an open MCDC solicitation right now?

As of early October 2026, MCDC lists no open RPPs, draft Statements of Objectives, or RFIs. Two opportunities are forecast for FY2027: Threat Agnostic Host Directed MCMs (tentatively Q2 FY2027) and Advanced Differential Diagnostics (tentatively Q4 FY2027).

How long does it take to become an MCDC member?

MCDC says a complete application can be processed in as little as 1 to 2 business days. It can take several weeks if you still need a DD2345, need to renew SAM.gov, UEI, or CAGE registrations, or operate under foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI).

Additional resources

• About MCDC
• MCDC business opportunities, forecasts, and past awards
• How to join MCDC