Applications Invited for Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge

About the Organization:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is the Seeker of the Challenge. The EPA is an agency within the United States Federal Government with a mission to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment. A key aspect of this mission is to conduct research and encourage the advancement of technology that will promote environmental protection, including water quality. The U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Army, Water Research Federation, and Greater Cincinnati Water Works collaborated with EPA on one or more aspects of this Challenge, including Challenge design, review, and judging.  

Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge:

In the interest of advancing technology that can be used to evaluate water quality, the Seeker is looking for a design of a sensor that can detect the presence of one or more contaminants in water by measuring their impact on one or more toxicity pathways. The sensor would avoid the need for performing multiple laboratory measurements for the detection of target compounds. The sensor should be able to quantify the degree of activation of the toxicity pathway. The sensor may be a new technology or an improvement to existing technology.This Challenge consists of two stages:

• Stage 1 is a Theoretical Challenge. Participants will be asked to submit an idea, along with detailed descriptions, specifications, supporting data or literature, and requirements necessary to bring the idea closer to becoming a product.
• If Stage 1 produces winning concepts, Stage 2 is planned as a subsequent Reduction to Practice Challenge with a larger prize purse. Participants will be asked to present their technology and submit a working prototype that puts their idea into practice. More details will be provided after Stage 1.

Eligibility:

• If awarded, Winning Solvers must certify they do not have identical or essentially equivalent work currently funded by a United States Federal agency.
• Federal employees acting within the scope of their employment are not eligible to participate. A Federal employee acting outside the scope of his or her employment should consult his or her ethics official before participating in the Challenge.
• The potential award for this Challenge is $15,000 for a proposal that meets all requirements. The Seeker intends to award up to three prizes. Solvers are not required to give up any of their intellectual property (“IP”) rights to the Seeker to be eligible to receive an award.

Award: $45,000

Deadline: 26^th July, 2021

For more information, please check the Link