The National Institutes of Health is seeking potential startup founders who have ideas for biomedical research or innovations that could help patients suffering from substance abuse disorder.
"The National Institute on Drug Abuse is excited to announce the first competition for biomedical scientists with the goal to support research ideas that would further an understanding of neurobiology as it relates to substance use disorder and that are intended to be the basis for the development of a new and potentially successful start-up," the NIH announcement reads. "This Challenge is unique because NIDA intends to fund the 'would be' startup Founders much earlier than most investors, incubators or traditional modes of research funding."
The idea must be broad enough to be built out into a product or platform of some kind. The NIH also requires it have the capability to address multiple conditions or diseases consistent with substance use disorder, which was added to the DSM-V in 2013 to encompass all substance dependency or addiction disorders, including opioid abuse, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Find the full details of the challenge here.