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NOURISH (Nutrition for OUR Immune System Health): Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge

Personalized, Data-Driven Nutrition to Help the Autoimmune Disease Community Thrive

We are crowdsourcing the next generation of digital health applications to help people living with
autoimmune diseases monitor how their diet and nutrition impact their immune system health.

  • TOTAL PRIZE PURSE: $650,000
  • PHASE 1 LAUNCH: September 1, 2026
  • PHASE 1 SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 8, 2027, 8 pm ET
READ OFFICIAL RULES
REGISTER FOR CHALLENGE
THE VISION

A Call to Collaborate

Why Your Innovation is Needed Now. Autoimmune diseases affect over 8% of the United States population, representing one of the most common chronic disease entities in the nation. Between 23.5 and 50.0 million Americans are estimated to be living with these conditions, with an economic impact exceeding $100 billion per year.

Despite high prevalence and morbidity, autoimmune diseases are understudied. Patients and clinicians alike have identified a critical unmet need: practical, hands-on tools to monitor the interplay between diet, nutrition, symptoms, and flares. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is calling on the problem-solver community to help close this gap.

REGISTER FOR THE NOURISH CHALLENGE
THE BACKGROUND

Themes from the first NOURISH: Autoimmunity Challenge

The first NOURISH: Autoimmunity Challenge sought feasible, testable, and scalable ideas to empower patients living with and at risk of autoimmune disease to incorporate diet and nutrition into autoimmune disease research.

Winning proposals from the first NOURISH: Autoimmunity Challenge identified four core overarching themes.

Effectiveness of Dietary Intervention in Autoimmune Disease

Including submissions suggesting interventional studies testing specific dietary patterns or therapeutic diets.

Microbiome, Immune, and Multi-Omics Mechanisms

Submissions focused on mechanistic and biomarker-driven approaches linking diet, the gut microbiome, and immune activity.

Personalized, Data-Driven, and Predictive Nutrition

Concepts and submissions that propose the use of innovative data-driven methods for personalization, diet optimization, and real-world, real-time data capture and modeling to improve lived experience for people living with autoimmune diseases.

Community Voice, Landscape Assessment, and Patient-Centered Frameworks

Submissions proposing patient centered frameworks that bring lived experience to the forefront.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge

We are seeking submissions that propose innovative, data-driven methods for personalization, diet optimization, and real-world, real-time data capture and modeling to improve the lived experience of people living with autoimmune diseases.

Challenge Prizes

Phase Dates Prizes
Phase 1: Prototype Development October 1, 2026 – March 2027 10 prizes of $20K each
Phase 2: Optimization and Testing July 2027- March 2028 5 prizes of $30K each
Phase 3: Live Demonstration & Final Evaluation April 2028- September 2028 3 prizes of $100K each

Join the Launch Webinar

September 14th
at NOON ET

Sign up for the Webinar

Join us for an informational webinar introducing the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge, a national initiative led by the NIH Office of Autoimmune Disease Research in the Office of Research on Women’s Health (OADR-ORWH) to transform how people living with or at risk for autoimmune diseases manage their health through technology.

We are calling on the problem-solver community to design, develop, and implement cutting-edge digital health applications that bridge the gap between nutrition, symptom tracking, and daily physiological monitoring.

Zoom Webinar Registration Link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VM929YXAQfeJMZDmHOvXBQ 

A MULTI-PHASE JOURNEY

Compete across three phases to refine, validate, and launch your solution.

Phase 1: Prototype Development

October 1, 2026 - January 8, 2027

Design and implement initial digital health application prototypes.

Phase 2: Optimization and Testing

July 2027 - December 2027

Highly meritorious submissions from Phase 1 are invited to refine tools through beta-testing and end-user feedback.

Phase 3: Live Demonstration and Final Evaluation

April 2028 - August 2028

Highly meritorious submissions from Phase 2 will be invited to further develop and test their digital health tool with a focus on improving functionality, usability, and real-world applicability such that the tool is ready for detailed demonstration and final evaluation.

ELIGIBILITY & RULES

Who Can Compete?
The NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge is open to everyone including:
  • People living with and at risk for autoimmune diseases
  • Advocacy groups
  • Caregivers
  • Organizations
  • Scientists
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Dieticians
  • Nutrition specialists
  • Lifestyle medicine experts
  • Software developers
  • Engineers
To be eligible to win a prize, you must:
  • Register as a NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge participant and comply with the competition participant agreement.
  • Be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the U.S. (for entities) or be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (for individuals and members of a team).
  • Not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of your employment.
For full eligibility and rules please read the Challenge Announcement
Note: Participants grant the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere but retain all other intellectual property rights. Participants must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses to the federal government.
Ready to build the future of autoimmune health?
REGISTER FOR THE CHALLENGE

PARTNERS & ORGANIZERS

  • The NIH Coordinating Committee for Autoimmune Disease Research
  • National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • NIH Office of Nutrition Research (ONR)
  • NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is eligible to participate in the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge?

To be eligible, individuals and members of a team must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Each Participant under 18 (and not an emancipated youth) MUST complete and include the signed parent or legal guardian consent form to participate. Private entities must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the U.S. Federal entities and Federal employees acting within the scope of their employment are not eligible. Each individual may participate in only one submission (whether as an individual, team member, or on behalf of an entity).

The NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge is open to everyone, including:

  • People living with and at risk for autoimmunity
  • Advocacy Groups
  • Caregivers
  • Organizations
  • Scientists
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Dietitians and nutritionists
  • Lifestyle medicine experts
  • Software developers
  • Engineers
 
Eligible participants must be:
 
  • U.S. citizens or permanent residents
  • U.S.-based entities (companies, nonprofits, universities, etc.)
 
Federal employees (acting in official capacity), NIH staff, and NOURISH Challenge judges may not participate. See the NOURISH Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge Announcement Rules for full eligibility details.

No, you will not be required to transfer your intellectual property rights to NIH to receive an award. However, by participating, you must grant the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free, nonexclusive worldwide license to publish, post, link to, share, and display your submission publicly.
Participants must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses to the federal government. You retain all other intellectual property rights.

  1. Participants (whether individuals, teams, or entities) may not use federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
     
  2. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
     
  3. Each individual may participate in only one submission, whether as an individual, team member, or on behalf of an entity.
     
  4. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any
    injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
     
  5. Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance, or demonstrate financial responsibility, or agree to indemnify the federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities in order to participate in this Challenge.
     
  6. A Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participants participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
     
  7. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) warrants that they are sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are wholly original with the Participant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is aware.
     
  8. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) grants to the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or
    elsewhere. Participation in the Challenge constitutes the Participant’s consent to NIH and authorized employees, contractors and authorized representatives’ use of the winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, and submission details for promotional purposes in connection with the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge, in any media, without further payment or consideration. Participants who wish to opt-out of promotional activities will need to request this in writing by contacting OADRInfo@nih.org. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant’s rights to the federal government. To receive an award, Participants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH, but Participants must grant to the federal  government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein.
     
  9. Each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and  policies.
     
  10. Each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.
     

  11. Each Participant under 18 years of age (and not an emancipated youth) at the time of submission MUST complete and include the signed parent or legal guardian consent form to participate and accept a cash prize on their behalf if awarded prize funds.

     

  12. For Participants under 18 years of age who are emancipated youth, the requirement for parent or legal guardian consent is waived. Emancipated youth MUST self-certify their status as an emancipated youth with their submission using the Emancipated Youth Self Certification form. If a Participant who is an emancipated youth is selected as a winner, they will need to provide documentation of their status prior to award.
     
  13. As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within 20 business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.
     
  14. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in development of submission for the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge is permitted, provided that all AI usage is fully disclosed in the submission materials. Participants should demonstrate their individual contributions to the development and testing of the application and are advised to pay careful attention to the judging criteria to ensure development involves engagement with community members with lived experience. Source code may be requested for validation and evaluation purposes but will not be publicly released.

Yes, provided that all AI usage is fully disclosed in the submission materials. Participants should demonstrate their individual contributions to the
development and testing of the application. Source code may be requested for validation and evaluation purposes but will not be publicly  released.

No. Participants are not required to obtain liability insurance, demonstrate financial responsibility, or agree to indemnify the federal government against third-party claims to participate.

Complete the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge Registration at this LINK

We are looking for prototypes of digital health applications that provide people living with or at risk for autoimmune diseases with practical tools to monitor how diet and nutrition affect their immune system health. Part of the design could include connectivity to other digital health tools such as mobile health apps, wearable devices (like smartwatches and biosensors), continuous monitoring tools (like continuous glucose monitors), remote patient monitoring platforms, digital symptom diaries, and AI-enabled decision support tools. While tools that operate on either iOS or Android platforms are eligible for submission to phase 1, there is an expectation that proposals that advance to phase 2 will be capable of operating on both iOS and Android platforms.

The submission period for Phase 1: Prototype Development opens on October 1, 2026, and closes on January 8, 2027, at 8 PM ET.

  1. NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge Registration Form. Please complete the electronic Challenge Registration Form. Once your idea is developed, submit the following through nourishchallenge.org by January 8, 2027, 8 PM ET:
  2. PDF narrative (max 6 pages, English, 11-pt Calibri, 1-inch margins). Please include your Entity, Individual or Team Leader’s name and idea title in the header of this document. The narrative must cover: (1) Understanding of the Problem, Scientific Rationale, and Scope of the Solution, (2) Engagement, (3) Potential Impact, (4) Feasibility, and (5) Innovation.
  3. Video demonstration of the prototype (3-5 minutes). Please include a video which visually and clearly demonstrates the proposed digital health tool. The video should address the same core areas outlined in the pdf narrative and focus on how the prototype functions in practice. The video does not need to be highly produced, but it should be clear, legible, and easy for reviewers to follow.

NIH will award up to $650,000 in total prizes, allocated as follows:

  • Phase 1 – Prototype Development: up to 10 prizes of $20K each
  • Phase 2 – Optimization and Testing: up to 5 prizes of $30K each
  • Phase 3 – Live Demonstration and Final Evaluation: up to 3 prizes of $100K each

Judges will evaluate phase 1 ideas, equally weighing each of these criteria:

  1. Understanding of the Problem, Scope of the Solution and Scientific Rationale
  2. Engagement
  3. Potential Impact
  4. Feasibility
  5. Innovation

Full judging criteria can be found on the NOURISH: Autoimmunity Digital Health Challenge announcement.

Entries will be judged by a group of judges. All criteria will be weighed equally.

  • Judging Period: January – February 2027
  • Winners Announced: March 2027
  • Invited submissions from Phase 1 advance to Phase 2

Yes, the six-page limit for the PDF narrative includes any references, appendices, figures, and tables. All content must fit within this constraint.

Eligibility to win a prize is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, or entities incorporated in and maintaining a primary place of business in the U.S. Please carefully review the detailed eligibility rules here.

Email nourishchallenge@ensembleconsultancy.com  for instructions.

Each individual may participate in only one submission, whether as an individual, team member, or on behalf of an entity.

Challenge Registration Form

Section 1

If permitted by the Challenge rules 4 and consistent with the purpose and the terms and conditions of the award, do you intend to use Federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop your Challenge submission or to fund efforts in support of your Challenge submission? NOTE: If you check YES, then you must register as an ENTITY (see Section 4) and participate on behalf of the entity that is the awardee or recipient of the grant or cooperative agreement.
Indicate whether you are registering as an

a.) To be eligible to win a monetary prize under this Challenge, a Participant registering on behalf of themselves (i.e. as an INDIVIDUAL) must be a citizen or permanent  resident of the United States. Non-U.S.  citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part).
b.) To be eligible to win a monetary prize under this Challenge, a Participant registering on behalf of a group of individuals (i.e. as a TEAM) must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
c.) For a legally established organization, institution, or corporation (i.e. an ENTITY) to be eligible to win a monetary prize under this Challenge, the ENTITY must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States.

d.) Participants may not use Federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions unless use of such funds is consistent with the purpose, terms, and conditions of the grant award or cooperative agreement. Participants intending to use Federal grant or cooperative agreement funds must register for and participate in the Challenge on behalf of the awardee institution or organization (i.e. as an ENTITY).If a participant uses Federal grant or cooperative agreement funds and wins the Challenge, the prize must be treated as program income for purposes of the original grant or cooperative agreement in accordance with applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR § 200). Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.