Call for Regulatory Science Talent Competition Entries

Students at the University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore campuses are invited to participate in the seventh annual America's Got Regulatory Science Talent competition, hosted by the UMD Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI). The competition aims to promote student interest in regulatory science – the science of developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products. Information about last year's competition is available online.

Each participating team presents a proposed solution to a current opportunity in regulatory science. Students should consult the FDA Center/Office Regulatory Science Research Priority Areas for the CERSI Program.

The 2019 competition will be held at the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Those interested in participating can enter as an individual or a team with any number of students, but each team member must contribute to the proposed solution or presentation. Presentations must be five minutes or less in duration. A presentation may be as simple as a verbal description or may utilize AV materials. Creativity is encouraged. Proposed solutions should also aim to have high regulatory impact. Each presentation will be followed by two minutes of Q&A from regulatory science experts.

Lunch will be served to competing teams, and prizes will be awarded to the top teams.

To participate, students must email a completed Information Sheet (.doc) to RegSciTalent@rx.umaryland.edu by January 30, 2018.

Example Proposed Solutions

Developing drugs, devices, and biologics is fraught with challenges. Likewise, there is a continuing need for new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products.

Examples of proposed solutions include:

toxicological assays (in vivo and in vitro) to compare toxicity across different types of tobacco products within the same class, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)
reducing healthcare-associated infection
methods to improve quality and safety of FDA-regulated products (e.g. methodologies for complex generic drugs, biosimilars, biological products, and medical devices; discovery and validation of minimally invasive biomarkers)
methods and tools to improve and streamline clinical and postmarket evaluation of FDA-regulated products (e.g. approaches to incorporating patient input into regulatory decision-making, approaches to leveraging large data to inform regulatory decision-making - including use of “real world” data sources and mobile technologies, product safety and efficacy in special populations)

Some previous winning ideas involved improving how to report an adverse medication event to FDA, counterfeit drug detection, and a mobile application to communicate drug/device risks.

Teams that wish to have a mentor from FDA must request a mentor by emailing RegSciTalent@rx.umaryland.edu by December 15th. If possible, please indicate your preferred topic for the talent event (e.g., drug safety, device design) and FDA will try to identify an FDA scientist who is willing to mentor; if a mentor is found, you will be contacted via email.

Eligibility

All full-time and part-time students (e.g., undergraduate, professional, graduate) at the Baltimore or College Park campus of the University of Maryland are eligible.

Presentation evaluation

Each presentation will be evaluated by a panel of judges from Maryland and FDA in terms of proposed solution and presentation quality. Elements of the proposed solution include novelty and potential significance. Short-term feasibility is a plus, but not a requirement. Elements of presentation quality include verbal communication, visual communication, impact of any AV materials or demonstrations, and Q&A responses.

Dates, Deadlines, and Parking
By January 30, please email RegSciTalent@rx.umaryland.edu with a completed Information Sheet for M-CERSI “America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent” Competition.

The competition will be held at Pharmacy Hall at the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Pharmacy Hall is located at 20 Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Parking information is available online. We suggest the Saratoga garage and Penn garage.

About M-CERSI

M-CERSI is an FDA-sponsored center at the Baltimore and College Park campuses of the University of Maryland ( www.cersi.umd.edu ). The mission of the Center is to foster the development of regulatory science – the science of developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products.

Published December 13, 2018