Funding Available
Innovators with the most promising solutions may receive award funding from a total pool of up to USD 350,000.
The award is subject to the applicable QuickFire Challenge terms and conditions and execution of an award agreement.
Overview
The Johnson & Johnson Expanding Access to Immunology Clinical Trials QuickFire Challenge is seeking innovative solutions that can help make clinical research more accessible, inclusive and representative, particularly for patients in resource-limited communities.
The challenge recognises that some populations remain underrepresented in clinical trials because of barriers such as study design, logistical challenges, limited community access and insufficient investigator and site readiness.
Innovators are therefore invited to propose tools, platforms and technologies that can improve:
- Participant outreach
- Clinical trial enrolment
- Participant retention
- Trial-site readiness
- The ability to conduct more inclusive clinical research in resource-limited settings.
What Is Johnson & Johnson Looking For?
The challenge is looking for tangible innovations, rather than research projects without a viable solution.
Solutions can be at different stages, including:
- Ideation
- Prototyping
- Piloting
- Commercial launch
Submissions should have a path to commercialisation and demonstrate how the proposed solution can advance toward practical implementation.
Priority Area 1 — Reimagining Clinical Trial Design
Solutions may use data, models and participant-centred approaches to make trials more inclusive.
Inclusive Eligibility Modelling
Examples include:
- AI/ML-enabled approaches to redesign inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Model-informed simulations to assess feasibility, efficacy and inclusion.
- Approaches specifically considering resource-limited communities.
Standardised Patient Characterisation
Solutions may support:
- Harmonised phenotyping and endotyping.
- Capture of site- and patient-level baseline information.
- Understanding of comorbidities, prior therapies and disease heterogeneity.
- Broader eligibility and subgroup-specific insights.
Participant-Centred Trial Experiences
Solutions may incorporate:
- Patient and participant lived experience.
- Participant perspectives in trial design and implementation.
- Approaches that improve trust, awareness, relevance and engagement.
- Improved participant retention and long-term involvement.
Priority Area 2 — Infrastructure, Insights & Capabilities
The challenge is also interested in technologies and approaches that help operationalise inclusive clinical trials at scale.
Benchmarks & Metrics for Inclusive Trials
Examples include:
- Tools and dashboards measuring outreach effectiveness.
- Enrolment and retention measurement.
- Site-readiness metrics.
- Comparable benchmarks across populations and geographies.
Participant Insights & Real-World Data
Solutions may involve:
- Ethically sourced participant-insight databases.
- Real-world data.
- Data that can inform outreach.
- Trial design and engagement strategies for immune-mediated diseases.
Education, Communication & Site Enablement
Areas of interest include:
- Visualisation and imaging technologies that improve understanding of immune-mediated diseases.
- Scalable training models for investigators.
- Training for research staff in resource-limited communities.
- Approaches that strengthen local clinical-trial capacity.
DISEASE AREAS OF INTEREST
The challenge specifically identifies interest in solutions addressing:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn's disease
Rheumatology
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Sjögren's syndrome
Dermatology
- Psoriasis
- Atopic dermatitis
- Hidradenitis suppurativa
Maternal-Fetal Autoantibody Diseases
- Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn
- Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT)
Respiratory Diseases
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
WHO CAN APPLY?
The challenge accepts applications from innovators around the world.
Applicants can include innovators developing solutions at different stages, from early ideas through to commercial launches.
The challenge is not limited to academic research. Solutions should be tangible and should have a viable potential pathway to commercialisation.
Important Eligibility Consideration
The challenge notes that applicants who are:
- Healthcare Providers (HCPs)
- Government Officials (GOs)
- Organisations affiliated with HCPs or GOs, including certain 501(c)(3) and/or 501(c)(4) entities
will be subject to additional review and may ultimately be ineligible to participate or receive an award.
Applicants in these categories should therefore carefully review the applicable QuickFire Challenge terms before applying.
GEOGRAPHIC ELIGIBILITY
Global
Applications are accepted from innovators around the world.
This makes the opportunity relevant to innovators developing solutions for clinical-trial access in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other resource-limited settings, provided the applicant meets the challenge requirements.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Solutions will be evaluated on:
- Strategic alignment with the QuickFire Challenge areas of interest.
- Feasibility of the idea or methodology.
- Patient and healthcare provider user experience.
- Applicability on a global scale.
- Identification of key resources and a clear plan to advance the idea.
- Team quality and capabilities.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
This is a no-strings-attached arrangement.
Johnson & Johnson will not acquire the applicant's intellectual property.
Any creation and protection of intellectual property remains the sole responsibility of the inventors.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Applicants should not submit confidential information.
Information submitted to the challenge will be treated as non-confidential.
Applicants should therefore ensure that confidential or proprietary information is appropriately protected before submission.
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Applicants are encouraged to provide supporting materials, which may include:
- Slide decks
- Research papers
- Videos
- Other materials that help explain the proposed innovation.
USE OF AWARD FUNDING
Applicants must explain in their application:
- How they intend to use the award.
- How the funding will accelerate the solution.
- Which milestones the funding will help achieve.
Award funding must be used solely for the legitimate advancement of the innovative solution described in the application.
Examples of Impermissible Uses
Award funds cannot be used for:
- Brick-and-mortar costs.
- Lobbying.
- Providing healthcare services.
- Passing funds through to healthcare providers or government officials/employees.
- Paying for past development activities.
- General overhead unrelated to advancing the innovation.
A progress report on the use of funds is required at the end of the award period.
KEY DATES
Challenge Launch: 30 July 2026
Application Deadline: 18 September 2026
Award Announcement: December 2026
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants create an account through the Johnson & Johnson QuickFire Challenge application portal.
The application can be saved and completed later, so applicants do not need to complete it in one sitting.
Technical enquiries can be directed to:
IMPORTANT APPLICANT CONSIDERATIONS
Applicants should understand that this opportunity is looking for practical, scalable solutions, not purely academic research.
A strong proposal should demonstrate:
- A clear problem relating to access, outreach, enrolment or retention in immunology clinical trials.
- A tangible solution.
- A credible implementation approach.
- Strong patient and healthcare-provider experience.
- Potential to work across different geographies.
- A capable team.
- A clear path toward commercialisation.
- Specific milestones that the award funding would accelerate.
COUNTRY
Global / International
The challenge explicitly states that applications are accepted from innovators from around the world.
Opportunity Type: Innovation Challenge / Competition
Type of Funding: Award Funding
Funding Pool: Up to USD 350,000
Country: Global / International
Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences
Primary Focus: Expanding access, inclusion, outreach, enrolment and retention in immunology clinical trials
Application Deadline: 18 September 2026
Award Announcement: December 2026
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