Ecotox Target Challenge

Develop high quality, low-cost tools that assess global gene expression in common aquatic toxicity test organisms

Ecotox Target Challenge requires respondents to develop prime quality, low value, applied sciences/platforms for evaluating international gene expression in samples from 4 frequent aquatic toxicity check organisms: Pimephales promelas (a fish), Daphnia magna (a crustacean), Chironomous dilutus (an insect; previously Chironomous tentans), and Raphidocelis subcapitata (a inexperienced algae). These characterize species and related trophic ranges most regularly examined when evaluating the ecological hazards of chemical compounds. Whereas there are various extant, viable, applied sciences for measuring international gene expression, the numerous technological leap and problem to the solver neighborhood is to offer these capabilities at a price and scale of economic throughput that may accommodate the evaluation of hundreds or tens of hundreds of samples per year. A goal worth level is $50 per pattern or much less.

By registering, Solvers agree to the following terms of participation:

Solvers will not receive compensation for resources or time invested in addressing the challenge with innovative solutions. Only the winning Solution will receive a cash award.
Only the top-ranked Solution will receive the award.
Solvers retain their rights to all intellectual property (e.g., details and design of their technology) that may be disclosed to the sponsors over the course of the challenge. Technical details and designs will not be disclosed or published without permission from the technical point of contact named in the registration.
Sponsors retain the right to disclose reference sample data, performance criteria, and other evaluation criteria summarized in the technology description template to provide a transparent reporting of how the winning solution was selected.
Sponsors retain the right to publish, present, and/or otherwise publicize results of the challenge competition that does not involve the disclosure of intellectual property of the Solver(s). Solvers will be afforded opportunity to review publications, presentation, or other publicity to protect against unwanted disclosure of intellectual property.
Solvers reserve the right to remove themselves from the competition at any time, up to final submission of results for evaluation, by notifying the sponsor in writing. The technical point of contact must make the request in writing on behalf of his/her team.
Registration for the challenge does not confer any obligation to deliver results. However, any solvers removing themselves from the competition prior to evaluation forfeit the rights to publish results obtained for the reference samples supplied for the competition unless they obtain written consent from the challenge sponsors.
Solvers that do not submit their results and technology description template by the submission deadline will be automatically removed from the competition and subject to the same terms as if they had forfeited in writing. The submission deadline may be extended at the discretion of the sponsors, but any extension will apply to all registered solvers.