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2016 CRACK IT Challenges Competition is now open

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The 2016 CRACK IT Challenges were launched on 8 September at an event in central London.

The Challenges were outlined and the Sponsors met with potential applicants and the CRACK IT team.

There are four 2016 Challenges:

Each of the Two Phase Challenges offers up to £1 million funding and a research contract for up to three years and up to £0.1 million funding for each of the Single Phase Challenges.

More details on the Challenges, the competition and how to apply can be found on the CRACK IT website.

About CRACK IT

CRACK IT is the NC3Rs response to the changing environment in the biosciences. The aim is to accelerate the availability of technologies which will deliver i) measurable 3Rs impacts, ii) new marketable products and iii) more efficient business processes.

The pharmaceutical, chemical and consumer products industries are increasingly outsourcing research, collaborating pre-competitively to reduce attrition and open to novel approaches to reduce animal use. Greater knowledge of the limitations of the animal models, for example, the lack of translation of findings in animals to humans has led to an urgent need for more predictive, human-relevant systems for efficacy and safety research. Often, industry seeks solutions to this challenge from the academic and SME sectors.

CRACK IT has been developed with two parts, CRACK IT Challenges and CRACK IT Solutions, to maximise both scientific and commercial benefits of new and emerging technologies.

CRACK IT Challenges: A competition that funds collaborations between industry, academics and SMEs to solve scientific and business challenges involving animals. There are benefits for all participants; industry gets access to scientific and technological innovations emerging from the science base and an end product which meets their needs; academics have a pathway for exploiting their research; and SMEs are provided with a ready-made market.

CRACK IT Solutions: A technology partnering hub designed to accelerate the translation of technologies with potential 3Rs impacts (referred to as 'Solutions') out of the science base and into application to maximise the scientific and commercial benefits. The hub showcases Solutions helping to identify new partners and customers to use, develop and validate the technology.