Prize Rules

The Longitude Prize will reward a competitor that can develop a transformative point-of-care diagnostic test that will conserve antibiotics for future generations and revolutionise the delivery of global healthcare. The test must be accurate, rapid, affordable, easy-to-use and available to anyone, anywhere in the world.

1. Needed

The test must improve the targeted use of antibiotics for one or more common globally occurring infections (including in the UK) by ruling out unnecessary antibiotic use and/or providing all of the necessary information to identify an effective antibiotic or combination of antibiotics.

The test must address the described problem appropriately so that it improves antibiotic treatment decisions and public health. The test must improve on currently available existing diagnostic approaches.

2. Accurate

The test must be accurate enough to eliminate harmful treatment decisions, inform more targeted antibiotic use, and give users, e.g. patients, health workers, the confidence to act upon its result.

3. Affordable

At forecasted full scale manufacture the test, including any instrumentation, must be affordable for purchase and use in its intended global market(s). Less expensive tests will be favoured. Please provide evidence of affordability in each multiple applicable markets.

4. Rapid

The time from sample collection to reporting of the result to the treatment decision–maker must be less than thirty minutes. More rapid tests will be favoured.

In the event that after the final submission in September 2022, no team meets the above criteria, the Prize Advisory Panel will reassess all applicants to the September 2022 deadline, with the adjusted RAPID criteria below. All other criteria will continue to apply.

The time from sample collection to reporting of the result to the treatment decision-maker must be less than 60 minutes. The test’s time-to-result must be in line with current clinical practice in its chosen clinical pathway or competitors must lay out how they intend to overcome this issue. 

Please read the Prize Rules for further details.

5. Easy-to-use  

Globally applicable – the test must be suitable for point–of–care use in as many global healthcare settings where the test could be used to inform treatment decisions as possible.

Minimally reliant on healthcare resources – the test must require minimal healthcare resources and training to be used effectively and
safely.

Easy–to–use and interpret – the test must be easy to use and interpret safely and effectively, in the global settings and locations where it
will be used. Please provide evidence to support your claim that the relevant user of the test would be able to use it effectively. Please
consider issues of language and literacy.

6. Scalable

Ready for manufacture and distribution – there must be a feasible product commercialisation plan for full–scale manufacture and global
distribution.

Original – you must take reasonable steps to find out whether your technology infringes on the intellectual property rights of others.

7. Safe

The risks associated with a test will be judged against the benefit it can provide. Please tell us the main risks associated with your test and
how you would address each of these.

8. Connected

Tests which have an in–built data recording and transmitting capacity will be favoured. A test does not need to have this capacity in order
to win the prize.