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2026 SPARC Drug Discovery CollaboFest

Turn a compelling biomedical insight into a testable therapeutic strategy.

Three teams each receive up to $20,000 in scoped SPARC drug-discovery services, plus a $3,000 Grand Prize from the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. Awards are service commitments, not cash grants.

Teams submit a concise three-page proposal addressing Targets, Chemicals, Patient Cohorts, or a path across all three. Every team needs at least one co-investigator at UAB or a CCTS Partner Network institution.

​Important Dates

  • Info session  ·  July 31, 2026

  • Submissions close  ·  September 30, 2026

  • Winners announced  ·  by October 20, 2026

Want to know more about the challenge?

Step 1: Register your team (required)

Step 2: Build your submission package

Part 1: Team members (name, title, institution, primary contact)
Part 2: Readiness documents (SPARC service budget and Southern Research service agreement)
Part 3: 3-page proposal plus references (references don't count toward the page limit)

​Complete Step 1 first. Submissions are only considered if your team has registered.

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