The Application Portal is now open for the ATS 2026 BEAR Cage Competition!
The ATS Drug Device Discovery and Development (DDDD) Committee invites you to apply to the 12th Annual BEAR Cage (Building Education to Advance Research) competition by February 9, 2026 deadline.
The top three submissions chosen by the DDDD Committee will pitch their highly innovative research 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 in May 2026 in Orlando, FL.
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.
**You will need to enter your ATS login information on the first page to get into the portal. If you do not already have an ATS login, you can create one on the login page.
For any questions about the application process or the competition for ATS 2026, please send an email to dddd@thoracic.org.
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”
Yi-An Hsieh, MSE presenting her winning proposal at the 2025 BEAR Cage
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”
BEAR Cage finalists with judges and moderators
12th Annual BEAR Cage Competition
The application is now open.
- Are you a new or early-stage investigator?
- Do you have a research project or device idea you’re excited about?
- Would you like to win money to further your research?
