The BEAR Cage (Building Education to Advance Research) Competition is hosted annually by the Drug, Device, Discovery, and Development (DDDD) Committee. The program is open to early-stage investigators with highly innovative, translational, human-focused research proposals. The top three submissions are chosen by the DDDD Committee and the finalists are invited to pitch their proposals to a panel of translational science experts representing academia, industry, and governmental sectors in front of a live audience at the ATS International Conference.

The panel, with audience participation, will “vet” these proposals with each presenter, providing a unique “shark-tank” like learning environment that fuels real-time feedback and propels the strategic thinking required for these novel ideas to become innovations. After each presentation, the live panel and audience will have sufficient time to ask questions to each of the top three contestants. Ultimately, the panel will award one grand prize winner a $10,000 prize and the two runner-up proposals $2,500 each.

For any questions about the application process or the competition for ATS 2026, please send an email to dddd@thoracic.org.

A Look Back at the ATS 2025 BEAR Cage Competition

The 2025 BEAR Cage event was well received and attended. Congratulations to 2025 BEAR Cage winners, Yi-an Hsieh, MSE and Joshua Freedman, MSE and the other finalists, all receiving cash prizes as well as mentorship for the next year.

Joshua Freedman, MSE and Yi-an Hsieh, MSE
Co-Founder & CEO (Freedman), Co-Founder & CTO (Hsieh)
Airalux Medical
“Digital Incentive Spirometer to Improve Patient Adherence and Clinical Workflows”

Felicia Seemann, PhD
K99 Investigator
National Health, Lung, and Blood institute (NHLBI)
“Determining the Origin of Pulmonary Edema Using MRI and a Low-Tech Low-Cost Exercise Device "

Qiwei Xiao, PhD
Field Service Instructor
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
“Aerospace-Driven Innovations in Phenotyping Obstructive Sleep Apnea”