KidneyX

KidneyX

The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases. Through a series of prize competitions, KidneyX is stimulating and accelerating innovation. KidneyX brings together people with kidney diseases, researchers, innovators, and investors to transform the future of kidney treatment and care.

KidneyX at a glance:

  • Delivered six competitions in its first five years
  • Awarded over $17 million to KidneyX winners in 26 different states

  • 2024

    KidneyX celebrates five years of impact and continues driving innovation with more prize competitions.

  • June 2023

    KidneyX awards $9.2 million in prizes across eight winners in the Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 2.

  • November 2021

    KidneyX awards $3.9 million in prizes across six winners in the Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 1.

  • April 2021

    KidneyX awards $300,000 in prizes across 15 winners in the COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge.

  • July 2020

    KidneyX awards $3 million in prizes across six winners in Redesign Dialysis Phase 2.

  • March 2020

    KidneyX awards $70,000 in prizes across 25 winners in the Patient Innovator Challenge.

  • April 2019

    KidneyX awards $1.125 million in prizes across 15 winners in Redesign Dialysis Phase 1.

  • April 26, 2018

    HHS and ASN announce the Kidney Innovation Accelerator.

  • February 2017

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and ASN host the inaugural Kidney Innovation Summit.

  • June 2016

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and ASN host the inaugural Kidney Innovation Summit.

Strategic Priorities

KidneyX is catalyzing change through three strategic priorities:

  1. Support innovation: KidneyX prize competitions shape and support disruptive approaches to kidney care.
  2. Advance solutions: KidneyX promotes the innovators and innovations that improve quality of life for people with kidney diseases.
  3. Build community: KidneyX creates an ecosystem to strengthen and sustain collaborations among all innovators.

A Call for Innovators and Breakthrough Solutions

KidneyX accelerates innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases through prize competitions. The most ambitious prize to date is the Artificial Kidney Prize to fast-track the development of artificial kidneys toward human clinical trials. The partnership invites people with kidney diseases and their care partners, researchers, innovators, companies, and investors to accelerate the development of breakthrough innovations for the 850 million people worldwide with kidney diseases.

To learn more about KidneyX prize competitions and how to get involved, visit KidneyX.org.

September 2024 - The KidneyX Sustainability Prize launches, seeking innovations to reduce water or power used during dialysis care.  The single phase competition will award up to seven winners to each receive an equal share of up to $7.25 million.”

August 2022—Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 2 launches, inviting submissions focused on either developing prototype bioartificial kidneys or a new tool or component that can help enable the development of bioartificial kidneys. The two-track competition awards $9.2 million in prizes across eight winners.

November 2020—COVID-19 Kidney Care Challenge launches, seeking solutions that reduce the transmission of coronavirus among people with kidney diseases and/or reduce the risk of kidney damage among people who contract the virus. The two-round challenge awards $300,000 in prizes across 15 winners.

October 2020—Artificial Kidney Prize Phase 1 launches, seeking solutions that enable and advance the functionality, effectiveness, and/or reliability of artificial kidneys. The first phase awards $3.9 million in prizes across six winners.

November 2019—Redesign Dialysis Phase 2 launches, seeking prototype solutions, or components of solutions, that could replicate normal kidney functions or improve dialysis access. The second phase awards $3 million in prizes across six winners.

July 2019—Patient Innovator Challenge launches, inviting solvers to submit ideas for improving therapeutic options and quality of life for people with kidney diseases. The two-category challenge awards $70,000 in prizes across 25 winners.

October 2018—Redesign Dialysis Phase 1 launches, asking participants to design solutions or components of solutions that can replicate normal kidney functions and improve quality of life for people with kidney diseases. The first phase awards $1.125 million in prizes across 15 winners.

The Approach

HHS serves as a scout, convener, connector, and accelerator to move transformative kidney-care solutions to market, KidneyX connects its solver community and American innovators with interdisciplinary networks, government data stewards, and resources for technology transfer from lab to market. The guiding KidneyX principles are:

  • Achievable: Ground in scientifically driven technology development.
  • Additive: Address barriers to innovation that are not already addressed by the public or private sectors.
  • Catalytic: Reduce risks to incentivize further investments in kidney innovation.
  • Collaborative: Foster multidisciplinary and multisector teamwork.
  • Mission-driven: Ensure all product development is human-centered.
  • Urgent: Create a sense of urgency to meet the needs of people with kidney diseases.

Stay Informed

  • Challenge.gov, home of U.S. open innovation that posts KidneyX challenges
  • Follow KidneyX on X (formerly Twitter) at @KidneyX for social media updates
  • KidneyX.org for news, events, and additional information
Content created by Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)
Content last reviewed