With $190,000 in prizes for 2025, the DEBUT Challenge is open to undergraduate student teams working on innovative solutions to unmet health and clinical problems.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and VentureWell have come together to support and expand the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, a competition that recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation.
DEBUT challenges teams of students in undergraduate biomedical education to solve real-world problems in healthcare. Prizes of up to $20,000 will be awarded.
Strong DEBUT submissions will demonstrate a mastery of analytical and design skills and capabilities; the ability to manage the product development process; the ability to work effectively in teams; and technical communication skills.
Submissions will be judged on the following criteria:
- Significance of the problem being addressed
- Impact of proposed solution on potential users and clinical care
- Innovative design
- Working prototype
Additional prizes will be awarded to entries that also demonstrate:
- Market potential and economic feasibility
- Patentability
Prizes
Fourteen DEBUT prizes (plus honorable mentions) will be awarded. Prize categories and amounts are listed below. For more details about each prize, please view the “Prizes” section of the application guidelines.
NIBIB-sponsored prizes include:
First Prize: The Steven H. Krosnick Prize: $20,000
Second Prize: $15,000
Third Prize: $10,000
HIV/AIDS Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the NIH Office of AIDS Research)
Healthcare Technologies for Low-Resource Settings Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Institute of Minority and Health Disparities); located in the United States or U.S. territories or possessions)
Technologies for Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis or Treatment Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Cancer Institute)
Rehabilitative and Assistive Technologies Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Technologies to Empower Nurses in Community Settings Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Institute of Nursing Research)
Kidney Technology Development Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders)
New! Technologies to Improve the Health of Women Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health)
New! Technologies to Foster Healthy Aging Prize: $15,000 (with funds from the National Institute on Aging)
Additionally, five Honorable Mentions will be awarded with prizes of $1,000 each. All NIH prize winners will be offered commercialization training.
VentureWell-sponsored prizes include:
Venture Prize: $10,000
Design Excellence Prize: $5,000
New! Rising Star Prize: $5,000
These prizes are made possible with support from The Lemelson Foundation, in partnership with IEEE EMBS, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the Council of Chairs of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Programs.
Ready to apply? Before you begin, please read the application guidelines.
Winning teams will be honored at an award ceremony during the Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, October 2025.
All applications must be submitted online.
Questions? Please contact us at grants@venturewell.org.
Meet Our 2024 Debut Winners
UroFlo from Rice University won the first place Steven H. Krosnick Prize in 2024. Meet all of last year’s winners and explore their innovations.
