The KidneyX Empower: Living Link Prize Challenge Competition, seeks to develop informational resources, care models, and technological interventions designed to empower prospective donors, clinicians caring for them, people with kidney diseases, and their families
Seeking scalable interventions to bridge the gap between considering donation to giving the gift of life through kidney donation.
The KidneyX EMPOWER Prize Challenge, a $4 million initiative, is directly addressing the critical gaps in living kidney donation.
Kidney transplant is the gold standard for treating kidney failure, yet living donation has remained virtually flat for approximately two decades at fewer than 7,000 per year. This stagnation is set against a dire need, as nearly 100,000 Americans are currently waitlisted for a kidney transplant, and tragically, more than 10 Americans die each day while waiting.
Furthermore, the reliance on less effective treatments creates a significant burden for the taxpayer. By seeking bold, practical solutions to improve awareness and readiness, and overcome educational, logistical, administrative, and other barriers— specifically addressing the suboptimal support for prospective and actual living donors—the challenge aims to dramatically increase living kidney donation and improve outcomes for those suffering from kidney failure.
Participatory, community-based models for better identifying and supporting
donors.
Should focus on educational modules/tools
to provide donors with assurances about
outcomes and address fears of surgery or
long-term health risks.
Tools to help potential donors overcome
barriers like BMI management, smoking
cessation, and financial planning.
E.g. Strategies, tools, data collection and/or monitoring efforts to support donors in their health and well-being journeys long-term post-donation, providing reassurance and/or improved outcomes.
Focus on sharing of knowledge, e.g.,
successful center practices that could
benefit a wider geographic purview (for reducing administrative friction and institutional delays).
Official portal opens on the Challenge site.
Final entries due (12-page PDF limit).
The KidneyX EMPOWER: Living Link Prize is a single-phase, dual-track competition awarding a total prize purse of $4,000,000.
Submissions must go beyond “white papers” to provide defined end products that demonstrate scalability and potential for nationwide adoption.
Rewarding interventions put into practice with potential for
broader scalability -OR novel tools or care models with a validated proof-of-concept.
The single best solution across both tracks that demonstrates the highest potential for national impact and long-term sustainability
The entry process is designed to ensure solvers receive adequate technical guidance before the final submission.
Solvers must choose one of the following two tracks and submit the required “Challenge Entry” as a PDF document with no more than 12 pages (excluding the cover page and appendixes).
For interventions already piloted or active. Prepare your impact data and “Implementation Playbook” to demonstrate how your model can scale nationwide. This track requires:
All qualifying entries will be assessed by a panel of judges who are federal employees and external experts with expertise directly relevant to this Challenge. The process includes a preliminary evaluation for eligibility and completeness, followed by a review against the judging criteria.
Is the idea practical? Can it be implemented and scaled with existing resources without requiring excessive specialized equipment?
Does the application demonstrate a clear plan for making advancements permanent? Is the solution designed to thrive for years after the initial prize money is awarded?
No, there will not be another opportunity to submit an application for this specific prize challenge after the June deadline.
While we cannot predict the exact number of final submissions, we have seen a significant amount of interest since the challenge launched in April. Typically, the majority of applications are submitted during the final week before the deadline.
No more than 9 projects will be funded.
No, this is a prize award. Upon winning, there are no stipulations or specified timeframes regarding the use of the funds, allowing recipients to allocate them at their discretion.
This is a one time prize award, to be used as you best see fit.
The review panel will be a combination of federal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and additional external SMEs from outside the federal government. All reviewers will have experience and expertise relevant to this unique challenge.
No. This is a one-time prize award. Should you win, there are no restrictions or specific timeframes; you may use the funds as you best see fit to advance your work.
Any entity type—including teams from transplant centers—is welcome to submit, provided you meet all requirements outlined in the eligibility, legal, and administrative rules. Please note that this is a prize competition seeking solutions in use or promising prototypes/concepts, not a traditional research funding grant.
Yes. As long as the entity meets the requirements outlined in the eligibility and administrative rules, you are welcome to submit to either track.
Yes, a person or organization may submit more than one entry in one or both tracks, provided that each entry represents a distinguishable idea or concept.
If the early beta version has already been piloted, you should apply to Track A. If it is a prototype that has not yet been launched or piloted, you should apply to Track B.
Yes. As a public resource, you may use USRDS data to help illustrate the importance and impact of your solution.
The Human Co-Design Statement should provide documentation of how people with kidney diseases or donors were involved in the development and evaluation of the current model.
If it has already been tested and piloted, and your goal is to expand the solution into other areas, this falls under “Solutions already piloted” and is most appropriate for Track A. The solution will still need to meet all other criteria for Track A.
Providing a link within the PDF is allowed, however, judges are not required to click on links within a submission for judging purposes, so as part of your submission you are asked to include For Digital Tools: A functional beta version or detailed wireframes, including a technical architecture diagram.
Links are allowed to be included, however judges are not required to click on links within a submission for judging purposes.
The rules document does not explicitly require HL7 FHIR standards. However, for Track B, the compliance plan must specifically detail how the solution will meet Section 508 accessibility and FIPS 199 security standards.
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