New Translational Models of Psychiatric Diseases

1. The Challenge and qualification for the award

According to statistics compiled by the World Health Organization, about 500 million people worldwide are affected by a mental disorder. Symptoms include abnormal thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and relationships with others. Diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder is difficult because there are overlapping disease definitions. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) were chosen to classify mental disorders with the premise that these illnesses are the manifestation of brain circuit dysfunction. Boehringer Ingelheim (the Seeker) desires creative solutions for a translational rodent model based upon the RDoC framework that either 1) identifies circuits and behaviors in animals that could be manipulated to generate responses corresponding to quality of life and daily functioning in psychiatric patients or 2) enables the study of the prodromal phase of schizophrenia. 

All submitted solutions will be considered for the award. There will be a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution. The total payout will be $21,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $12,000 and no award being smaller than $3,000. 

2. Additional application for Research Funding

In addition to consideration for the award for the submitted solutions, Solvers with appropriate qualifications and expertise having access to a suitable research laboratory and equipment can apply for research funding (“Research Funding”) to execute a research plan that is proposed in the solution. The requested funding should not exceed a funding period of 2 years and a total budget of $250,000. The selection of candidates for Research Funding will be conducted after completion of this Challenge and will require the submission of additional information. The decision to fund research will be at the discretion of the Seeker. 

Submissions to this Challenge including additional optional application for Research Funding must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on February 17, 2016. Late submissions will not be considered.

THE CHALLENGE

A variety of symptoms are consistent with a schizophrenia prodrome, including difficulties with maintaining attention, cognitive decline, and social withdrawal. Yet these same symptoms are also indicative of other conditions such as major depressive disorder or bipolar affective disorder to name a few. Therefore, the study of brain circuitry may lead to a greater understanding of the underlying differences that impair the systems of emotion, cognition, motivation, and social behavior observed in patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.  Boehringer Ingelheim (the Seeker) desires creative solutions for a translational rodent model based upon the RDoC framework that either 1) identifies circuits and behaviors in animals that could be manipulated to generate responses corresponding to quality of life and daily functioning in psychiatric patients or 2) enables the study of the prodromal phase of schizophrenia. 

This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique features:

• There is a guaranteed award.  The award(s) will be paid to the best submission as solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $21,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $12,000 and no award being smaller than $3,000. 

• Submission forwarding occurs during the Challenge.  Since submissions will be forwarded to the Seeker throughout the Challenge, please make sure you upload only a finished proposal. You can submit an updated version of your proposal only as a new submission. If you submit an updated version of your proposal, please clearly indicate the new items and/or edits compared to your previous submission. This will allow the Seeker to quickly find the new information and determine how it improves your submission. 

• The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker.  Rather, by submitting a proposal, the Solvers grant to the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use any information included in this proposal according to the terms and conditions as laid down in the InnoCentive Ideation Challenge-Specific Agreement.

• APPLICATION FOR RESEARCH FUNDING

  Solvers with appropriate qualification and expertise having access to a suitable research laboratory and equipment can, in addition, apply for Research Funding to execute the research plan that is proposed in the solution. The requested funding should not exceed a funding period of 2 years and a total budget of $250,000. The selection of candidates for Research Funding will be conducted after completion of the Challenge and will require the submission of additional information. The decision to fund research will be at the sole discretion of the Seeker. 

  InnoCentive will inform Solvers considered for Research Funding within 60 days after completion of the Challenge and will provide Seeker contact information to negotiate a research collaboration. The definitive research plan, amount of funding, and the contractual details of the research collaboration will be negotiated with the Solver and his/her responsible institutional representatives after acceptance of the research plan. 

  Solvers may be awarded for the (i) submitted solution and may be (ii) selected for Research Funding independently of being awarded. In particular, selection of a solution for the award does not automatically lead to a selection for Research Funding and vice versa.

After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided. 

ABOUT THE SEEKER

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 146 affiliates and a total of more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing, and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine. For over 90 years, Boehringer Ingelheim has been a leader in the treatment of respiratory disease. The company has developed and continues to explore a pipeline of unique compounds to help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), lung cancer, and other respiratory diseases.