BEAR Cage Competition Open for Proposals from Early-Stage Investigators

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Early-stage investigators seeking funding for their next research project or device idea still have until Monday, Feb. 10, to apply to enter the 11th Annual ATS BEAR Cage competition at the ATS 2025 International Conference.

Chantal Darquenne, PhD
Chantal Darquenne, PhD

Each year, the ATS Drug Device Discovery and Development (DDDD) Committee reviews all submitted applications and is tasked with selecting three finalists to present their proposals to a panel of translational science experts representing academia, industry, and governmental sectors in front of a live audience during the International Conference.

The live “Shark Tank“-style pitches from the finalists are a signature piece of the BEAR Cage competition. After each presentation, the panel of judges and the audience can ask each finalist questions, which can catalyze real-time feedback that supports the strategic thinking required to turn novel ideas into practical innovations.

After the finalists’ presentations have concluded, the panel will announce the grand prize winner of $10,000 and two runners-up, who will each receive $2,500. Because BEAR Cage prize money is not grant funding, the winners are free to invest their winnings into projects at their discretion.

Chantal Darquenne, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and Kathryn Hibbert, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, are new co-chairs of the BEAR Cage competition.

“Helping early-stage investigators move their ideas and research projects forward is very motivating to me,” said Dr. Darquenne. “These investigators represent the future of our field, and I am looking forward to being able to facilitate this process.”

ATS 2024 BEAR Cage finalists (from left) Michael Miller, MD; Eno-Obong Essien, MD; Julio Huapaya, MD, MHS.
ATS 2024 BEAR Cage finalists (from left) Michael Miller, MD; Eno-Obong Essien, MD; Julio Huapaya, MD, MHS.

In 2024, Eno-Obong Essien, MD, won the 10th Annual BEAR Cage and the $10,000 prize with her pitch, “Endothelial-Targeted mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles; A Novel Therapeutic for Treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).”

“I appreciated the BEAR Cage opportunity,” Dr. Essien said. “It gives people doing high-risk, high-reward, nontraditional types of research an opportunity and a stage for them to showcase their innovative ideas. I like that it’s a forum that is welcoming to adventurous projects.”

Dr. Darquenne urged all inspired early-stage investigators to submit their ideas to the DDDD Committee.

“If you have a new idea and/or concept that you believe in, apply,” she said. “You don’t need to have it fully fleshed out yet. This is the whole concept of the BEAR Cage competition. The application process is not very onerous, and it may give you an opportunity to discuss your idea in front of a captive audience and to get some valuable feedback.”

For any questions about the application process or the competition for ATS 2025, please send an email to [email protected].

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