SPRIND calls for revolutionary ideas in the battle against antimicrobial resistance
Request for Information: Seeking innovative, non-traditional technologies to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
The Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, SPRIND, seeks to understand what novel and unconventional technologies exist to provide an effective and efficacious treatment against bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR). SPRIND is requesting information about out-of-the-box approaches for combating AMR, which will inform our future investment strategy.
These unconventional approaches can be bactericidal or bacteriostatic and should significantly reduce or eliminate any future potential for developing antimicrobial resistance against these new approaches.
These unconventional approaches can be bactericidal or bacteriostatic and should significantly reduce or eliminate any future potential for developing antimicrobial resistance against these new approaches.
Background
Conventional bactericidal or bacteriostatic treatments include small molecules that directly act against the bacteria’s ability to multiply and secrete to the human harmful toxins. The library of available antibacterial agents continues to dwindle as bacteria develop resistance against the existing small molecule libraries. The pipeline of new small molecule agents is neither robust enough to treat the increasing number of bacterial infectious (and likely to succumb quickly to newly developed antimicrobial resistance) nor effective enough to combat the ever-growing prevalence of AMR. It is for this reason that radically new approaches are needed, which do not rely on decades old technology or existing bacterial targeting preferences (i.e., cell wall or membranes of the bacteria, replication machinery of the bacteria, or ribosome and associated proteins synthesis of the bacteria).
SPRIND is looking to understand what other approaches are available that do not include those aforementioned existing solutions. This RFI is also looking for broad spectrum platforms that can target a range of bacterial strains, instead of just a narrow range of bacterial strains.
SPRIND is looking to understand what other approaches are available that do not include those aforementioned existing solutions. This RFI is also looking for broad spectrum platforms that can target a range of bacterial strains, instead of just a narrow range of bacterial strains.
RFI Overview
Please note that this Request for Information (RFI) is for information purposes only, and no contract will be awarded as a result. A company or organization’s response to the RFI – or the lack thereof – will have no impact on the evaluation of responses to any subsequent SPRIND Funke or SPRIND Challenge that may be released. Responses will be used solely for information and planning purposes.
Submission Details
Respondents should provide an example of a technology that is available today and has, as a proof of concept, demonstrated a potential value towards disrupting the existing antibacterial treatment paradigm, while offering a solution to effectively combat AMR. The solutions submitted should be referenced with publications and/or original data. The RFI response should include pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters (e.g., absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion data) to demonstrate a genuine approach.
This Request for Information is not constrained to a specific research area, Technology Readiness Level, or bacterial species. Interdisciplinarity is highly valued, as are very early-stage or high-risk approaches. Institutions from all countries worldwide can participate in the RFI that is for information purposes only. If SPRIND releases a subsequent Challenge or Funke, Teams are eligible to apply if their headquarters are in the European Union or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Individual team members or collaboration partners may be based outside of these regions. The official point of contact for the RFI is the SPRIND Challenge team.
The SPRIND Challenge team is the only authorized contact permitted to communicate on behalf of SPRIND about this RFI. You can contact the SPRIND Challenges Team at challenge@sprind.org.
Please submit your responses to this RFI via the submission portal in English before the due date 03.03.2024.
This Request for Information is not constrained to a specific research area, Technology Readiness Level, or bacterial species. Interdisciplinarity is highly valued, as are very early-stage or high-risk approaches. Institutions from all countries worldwide can participate in the RFI that is for information purposes only. If SPRIND releases a subsequent Challenge or Funke, Teams are eligible to apply if their headquarters are in the European Union or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Individual team members or collaboration partners may be based outside of these regions. The official point of contact for the RFI is the SPRIND Challenge team.
The SPRIND Challenge team is the only authorized contact permitted to communicate on behalf of SPRIND about this RFI. You can contact the SPRIND Challenges Team at challenge@sprind.org.
Please submit your responses to this RFI via the submission portal in English before the due date 03.03.2024.
GET TO KNOW SPRIND
A HOME FOR PEOPLE WITH RADICAL NEW IDEAS
We look forward to the future – and want to help shape it. Therefore SPRIND is looking for answers to the social, ecological and economic challenges of our time. Our goal is to create new disruptive innovations that benefit the people. That means products, services and systems that make all our lives noticeably and sustainably better.
To achieve this, we bring together new thinkers from science and business, people with outstanding ideas, special expertise and passion.
More information: About us.
We look forward to the future – and want to help shape it. Therefore SPRIND is looking for answers to the social, ecological and economic challenges of our time. Our goal is to create new disruptive innovations that benefit the people. That means products, services and systems that make all our lives noticeably and sustainably better.
To achieve this, we bring together new thinkers from science and business, people with outstanding ideas, special expertise and passion.
More information: About us.
Do you have further questions?
Please feel free to contact us at challenge@sprind.org.
Please feel free to contact us at challenge@sprind.org.
Jano Costard, Challenge Officer