
UVC Light Disinfection of Endoscopes Awarded Grand Prize at 2022 IDea Incubator Competition
The IDSA Foundation, in collaboration with Industry Partners Quidel, Janssen and Johnson & Johnson Innovations – JLABS, awarded $17,500 in funding through the 2022 IDea Incubator competition to three finalists for their promising innovations aimed at advancing the field of infectious diseases.
“At the IDea Incubator, the infectious diseases community comes together to encourage and celebrate big thinkers who are getting creative in their approach to improving global health through science and technology,” said Javeed Siddiqui, MD, MPH, host of this year’s pitch-style competition.
The 2022 winner is Bak and Mermel LLC. Leonard Mermel, DO, ScM, AM (Hon), of Rhode Island Hospital, and Jimmy Bak, BS, of Bak and Mermel LLC, presented their idea on a new tool to fight contamination in previously high-level disinfected endoscopy tubes.
Finalists
- Leonard Mermel and Jimmy Bak
- Rachel Rivera
- Juan Walterspiel
Master of Ceremonies
- Dr. Javeed Siddiqui, MD, MPH
Infectious Diseases Chief Medical Officer at TeleMed2U
Judges
- Rachel R. Rath
Director of BARDA Alliance, Interim Head JLABS at TMC - Jim Baldrica
Director of Molecular Business at Quidel - Yali Friedman, PhD
Founder of Drug Patent Watch - Supriya Munshaw, PhD
Senior Lecturer at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School - Ashim Subedee, PhD
Director of Catalyst Office, BARDA Ventures at BARDA
ABOUT IDEA INCUBATOR
IDea Incubator encourages innovators and early-stage ventures to apply for funding for original inventions and ideas with the potential to improve ID care. The finalists share their concepts with the ID community and judges in the fields of business, medicine and technology industries each year during IDWeek.
competition rules
- The IDSA Foundation, its affiliates and sponsors are not responsible for any intellectual property submitted and/or presented at any time for its IDea Incubator program during IDWeek 2022. Any individual, group, organization or company is solely responsible for securing intellectual property protection. Learn how to secure your intellectual property by reviewing our resources below.
- IDea Incubator applicants are not required to be registered for IDWeek. Finalists are required to register for IDWeek once they have accepted to participate in the live IDea Incubator session. This includes scientific attendees, exhibitors, invited speakers and guests.
- Applications will be reviewed after the application cut-off date. An incomplete application will be disqualified. See the important dates section.
- Accepted presenters will be notified by the week of Sept. 15, 2022. This information will include the presenter(s) rehearsal and presentation times. If accepted but unable to present, then a 30-day notice is required.
- Presentations will be up to 5 minutes in length, followed by a 5-minute-long question and answer period with the judges.
- A winning idea will be chosen by the judges. Cash prizes will be awarded to all finalists. 1st place will receive $10,000, 2nd place will receive $5,000 and 3rd place will receive $2,500.
JUDGEMENT CRITERIA
- The statement of the problem/unmet need is well defined and articulated (scale of the problem, quantified number of patients, money spent on health care costs, societal costs).
- The target population is clearly defined and quantified.
- The innovation has the potential to solve the problem/meet the needs of the target population. The solution is economically viable (i.e. won’t be too expensive to be accessible).
- The expected health impact is reasonably estimated. The solution to the problem is novel and innovative.
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Major Sponsor: Quidel

Additional Support Provided by Janssen and JLABS


SECURING YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The following articles may assist with securing intellectual property. Many other sources are available on the internet:
- “How to Protect Your Product or Idea When Pitching It to a Company.” The Wall Street Journal, 3 September 2008, http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/running-a-business/how-to-protect-your-product-or-idea-when-pitching-it-to-a-company/
- Fitzsimmons, Kelly. “10 Ways to Protect Your Intellectual Property.” Inc., 19 September 2012, https://www.inc.com/kelly-fitzsimmons/ten-ways-to-protect-your-intellectual-property.html