MedTech Innovator Vantage Non-Dilutive Funding Program
Awards of up to $200,000 for the development, evaluation, and validation of diagnostic and medical device technologies to advance health security and enhance preparedness and response.
— PROGRAM OVERVIEW —
Non-Dilutive Funding to Accelerate Diagnostic and Medical Device Solutions for Preparedness and Response to Health Security Threats
MedTech Innovator Vantage is seeking breakthrough diagnostic and medical device technologies that enable and accelerate the diagnosis and response to health security threats. Vantage invites startups and university-backed projects to submit proposals for non-dilutive funding for up to $200K. This funding will support technical development, evaluation, and validation projects towards innovative solutions aligned with BARDA’s mission to enhance preparedness and response to health security threats.
MedTech Innovator Vantage is seeking breakthrough diagnostic and medical device technologies that enable and accelerate the detection, surveillance, and response to public health emergencies. Vantage invites startups and university-backed projects to submit proposals for non-dilutive funding ranging from $50K to $200K. This funding will support technical development, evaluation, and validation projects towards innovative solutions aligned with BARDA’s mission to enhance pandemic preparedness and health security.
If you’re building tools that will define the next frontier in biology and medicine, apply to join the VANGUARD cohort and accelerate your path to impact with expert support, funding, and strategic visibility.
Applications for 2025 are now closed. Join the waitlist to be notified when 2026 fall applications open.
Applications Open on September 1
We accept applications on a rolling basis for enabling technologies that align with BARDA priorities. As new funding becomes available, or if BARDA identifies an urgent need, your application may be reviewed off-cycle. Submit an application
- Development
- Evaluation
- Validation
Of novel approaches for enabling the diagnosis and overall response to health security and the consequences of the threats in BARDA’s mission space
We are especially interested in platforms that improve the sensitivity, speed, accessibility, or deployability of diagnostic and medical device solutions for diagnosis and response to health security threats. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Continuous patient monitoring platforms that integrate advanced sensors (e.g. for monitoring of blood pressure) and health data to improve patient outcomes; radiation injury cases such as acute radiation syndrome are of particular interest.
- High sensitivity point-of-care multiplexed rapid tests capable of detecting analytes at femtomolar concentrations. Applications focused on detection of Botulinum toxin, distinguishing all 8 serotypes, are of particular interest.
- Low-cost deployable diagnostic tools and devices suited for rural, resource-limited, or point-of-need settings
- Diagnostic tools for rapid triage with particular interest in rapid, low-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms that allow pathogen identification/investigation with 1–10 samples/run
For more information on BARDA areas of interest, please reference BARDA’s webpage and DRIVe’s webpage target product profiles.
Startups and projects will receive project management support and regular mentoring from subject matter experts over the 6-month award duration.
Funds Can Be Used To
Demonstrate proof-of-concept for a BARDA-relevant use case for an existing platform technology
Demonstrate proof-of-concept for “high-risk” breakthrough technologies
Advance technologies currently in development to the next value inflection point
BARDA primarily develops medical countermeasures to diagnose and counter health security threats and does not support research and development or acceleration in the areas of oncology or other chronic disease. However, BARDA does partner with innovators and companies developing platform and multi-use technologies. Applicants can include data from other use cases so long as BARDA funding will be used to support research and development of the BARDA-relevant use cases. This funding opportunity does not support gain of function research or research that involves the manipulation of pathogens resulting in potential gain of function. Proposals will be evaluated for the appropriate use of strain(s) in proposed studies.
The next application cycle will open in the fall of 2026
Looking for off-cycle funding?
We accept applications on a rolling basis for enabling technologies that align with BARDA priorities. As new funding becomes available, or if BARDA identifies an urgent need, your application may be reviewed off-cycle. Submit an application
— APPLICATIONS —
Application Process
September – October 2026
Proposal Due
Proposals can be submitted from September 1 through October 15, 2026.
January 2027
Guided Proposal Revisions
Applicants will work with subject matter experts to revise, derisk, and strengthen their submitted proposal prior to final funding decisions.
March – April 2027
Award Selection
First awards are anticipated to be announced in March – April 2027.
Who should apply?
MedTech Innovator Vantage is seeking proposals for the development of innovative enabling technologies, in alignment with BARDA’s mission to promote health security. The Vantage initiative supports early-stage startups and new technology pipeline development to evaluate and validate diagnostic and medical device technologies for potential health security applications.
To learn more about the Vantage funding solicitation, please join us for a livestreamed informational webinar hosted by our team on Zoom.
Award Terms and Potential Subsequent Work
MTI Vantage reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to negotiate final award amounts, milestone structures, and total funding levels with selected applicants. Funding ranges or maximum amounts identified in the solicitation should be treated as estimates and do not represent a commitment to award any particular amount. Final awards may be greater or less than the amounts stated, based on the technical merit of the proposed work, programmatic priorities, negotiations, and the availability of funds.
Applicants should not assume uniformity in award amounts or milestone structures across selected performers.
MTI Vantage may also negotiate the addition, modification, or sequencing of milestones to reflect the most promising technical approaches and to ensure alignment with program objectives and evolving programmatic needs.
Additionally, this solicitation expressly contemplates the potential for subsequent development activities, including the award of additional funding, expanded scope within the overall objectives of the program, or subsequent phases of effort to selected performers based on successful performance, achievement of milestones, or exceptional progress. Such subsequent development activities may be pursued, including on a non-competitive basis where appropriate, consistent with the terms of this solicitation and consistent with applicable law. Subsequent development activities are not guaranteed and may be pursued at MTI Vantage’s discretion with one or more selected performers.
All awards and any subsequent modifications or subsequent development efforts will be made based on MTI Vantage’s assessment of programmatic need and overall value.
vantage@medtechinnovator.org