Need

The Seeker for this Innocentive Prize Challenge is seeking proposals for alternative synthetic methods for the preparation of a clinical candidate small molecule.

A successful solution will present a short, cost-efficient, and scalable route for the preparation of the compound, suitable for multi-tonne manufacture and feasible for implementation in standard pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

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Prize/IP

Your IP Rights are protected in this Prize Challenge; the Seeker must pay you an award to obtain them.

The best solution has the opportunity to win the award of $50,000 for meeting all must have solution requirements. This Challenge requires a written proposal to be submitted and Awards will be contingent upon the theoretical evaluation and experimental validation of your proposal by the Seeker against the Solution Requirements. To receive an Award, Solvers are required to assign exclusive ownership to the Intellectual Property (IP) in their proposed solution. Solvers will retain all rights to any proposal not Awarded.

At the end of the initial evaluation stage of about one month, any proposal selected for experimental validation (finalists) could be subject to up to 6 months of further evaluation.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on June 29th, 2026.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

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Seeker/Eligibility

The Seeker is a pharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for neuropathic pain and related conditions, with a focus on delta opioid receptor agonists.

The challenge is open worldwide to individuals, teams, start-ups, academic groups, SMEs, and organizations with expertise in synthetic, process chemistry and other direct or adjacent know-how.

Challenge

Background

Neuropathic pain affects 7–10% of the general population, with peripheral neuropathic pain accounting for approximately 75% of all cases. Current treatments often provide inadequate relief and have safety or tolerability issues.

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Solution Requirements

The Seeker requires the right to investigate promising route proposals in the laboratory before making any award.

Must-haves

• The full chemical structure.
• Allow for purification to 97% and to perform an assay (the compound is achiral).
• The process should be scalable to multitonne production.
• The process should be feasible to implement in standard pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities under GMP.
• Class 3 solvents are of course preferred, but Class 2 is acceptable.
• Raw materials (including starting materials) must be readily commercially available off-the-shelf in large (tonne) quantities, preferably from at least two suppliers.
• The route must be convergent and as short as possible, allowing low cost of goods (COGS).
• COGS shall be below 3,000 EUR/kg API and preferably below 1,000 EUR/kg API.
• The approach must be unique and not previously considered or evaluated by the Seeker. Unfortunately for IP reasons we are unable to disclose already considered approaches.
• Highly energetic intermediates and cryogenic chemistry are less desirable and should be avoided if possible.

Nice-to-haves

• Avoidance of highly toxic or high-energy materials.
• Inclusion of literature references.
• Proposed conditions for each step to facilitate experimental evaluation.
• Cost estimates and a process flow diagram.

Out of Scope / Things to Avoid

• Submissions consisting only of literature reviews.
• Solutions relying on highly energetic intermediates or cryogenic chemistry as a core feature.

TRL Range

Solutions with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 4–6 are invited.

Your Submission

Submissions must be completed using the standard online form and in English. Each submission should include:

1. Participation type – you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Solution Level - the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your solution.
3. Problem & Opportunity - highlight the innovation in your approach to the Problem, its point of difference, and the specific advantages/benefits this brings (up to 500 words).
4. Solution Overview - detail the features of your solution and how they address the SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS (500 words, there is space to add more in the summary field, and attach supporting data, diagrams, etc.).
5. Solution Feasibility – Supporting Information and Rationale, such as references and precedents, that will help the Seeker evaluate and validate the feasibility of the solution (up to 500 words).
6. Experience - Direct or adjacent expertise and real-world use cases you or your organization have in relation to the challenge need (up to 500 words).
7. Partnering - there may be an opportunity to partner at the conclusion of this Challenge. Please indicate if partnering is of interest to you.
8. Solution Risks - any risks you see with your solution and how you would plan for this (up to 500 words).
9. Timeline, capability, and costs - describe what you think is required to deliver the solution, estimated time and cost (up to 500 words).
10. Online References - provide links to any publications, articles or press releases of relevance (up to 500 words).

Participation Guidance

1. Login and register your interest: To view the confidential information in relation to this challenge and to start solving!
2. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on June 29th, 2026.
3. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.
4. Multiple submissions, 3 Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only 3 submissions – the final 3 submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted before evaluation.
5. Submission form and attachments: Your submission will be evaluated by the evaluation team first reviewing the information and content you have submitted at the submission form, with attachments used as additional context to your form submission. Submissions relying solely on attachments will receive less attention from the evaluation team.
6. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, the Seeker will review and select the winning ideas/solutions according to the timeline in the Challenge header. Everyone who submits a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions.
7. Use of AI: Please note that any submissions produced solely with generative AI are not of interest.
8. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Innocentive Challenges.