2026 SPARC Drug Discovery Collabofest Challenge

SPARC will launch a Drug Discovery Collabofest Challenge to bring together UAB investigators, research cores, collaborators, and translational partners around high-potential drug discovery ideas.

The initiative will offer three awards of $20,000 in SPARC drug discovery services. UAB teams will be invited to submit short three-page proposals describing:

• A new target

• Scientific rationale

• SPARC support needed

• A plan for wet-lab validation

The goal is to help promising projects move from computational discovery to experimental validation, while increasing SPARC’s visibility and demonstrating the value of its tools and expertise.

This challenge will create new collaborations, generate pilot data, support future grants and publications, and position SPARC as a central hub for drug discovery innovation at UAB.

Submission deadline: September 30, 2026

For full application details, eligibility, review criteria, and submission instructions, please visit: https://2026collabofest.ubrite.org/

Register Now

Virtual Information Session

Interested applicants are invited to attend a virtual information session to learn more about the Drug Discovery Collabofest Challenge, including eligibility, proposal requirements, available SPARC support, and the review process.

Date: July 31, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM CT

Format: Virtual via Zoom

Registration: Meeting Registration – Zoom

Questions?Please contact Dr. Swathi Thaker at snthaker@uab.edu

We will invite all eligible teams to participate and contribute to advancing drug discovery innovation. Stay tuned!