Overview

We invite Expressions of Interest for the design of a clinical trial protocol evaluating the effectiveness of far-UVC (200–235 nm) light to prevent indoor transmission of respiratory infections in congregate settings. This program aims to accelerate the generation of rigorous, high-quality evidence on the safety and efficacy of far-UVC for infection prevention, advancing the global biosecurity community’s understanding of this emerging technology. 

While far-UVC has demonstrated strong potential to inactivate airborne pathogens safely in occupied spaces, human clinical evidence remains limited. The FIR Protocol program seeks to fill this gap by funding teams to draft robust, publishable clinical trial protocols that could serve as the foundation for future funded trials.

This call is open to qualified teams globally, including those from academia, industry, and public health institutions. We welcome submissions from groups experienced in infection prevention, control, and clinical research, including teams new to far-UVC.

Opportunity

Read the full RFP here.

We will fund multiple groups to develop detailed, high-quality protocols for large-scale human studies evaluating far-UVC’s potential to prevent airborne transmission of respiratory infections.

Selected teams will:

• Receive funding to design and draft a complete clinical trial protocol, including detailed study design, sample size and power estimates, and implementation plans.
• Receive additional support for open-access publication of their finalized protocol in a peer-reviewed journal.

Blueprint Biosecurity will provide strategic technical guidance and access to a global network of scientific and implementation experts, as needed.

Please note that this opportunity funds the development of protocols only—not execution of the clinical trials themselves.

Anticipated awards

Blueprint Biosecurity expects to fund multiple awards covering the people-time required to design and write full, detailed protocols.There is no fixed number or size of awards. The scope and budget will vary based on project complexity, design requirements, and team structure.

Awardees are expected to:

• Deliver a full clinical trial protocol in NIH or similar format.
• Include a proposed budget and estimated timeline for conducting the future trial.
• Commit to publishing outputs in open-access or open-source journals.

Indirect costs are capped at 10% of direct costs, consistent with Blueprint Biosecurity’s administrative overhead policy.

Important Dates and How to Apply

RFP Launch Date: November 5, 2025

Expression of Interest Submission Deadline: January 23, 2026

Please email submissions to FIR-Protocol@blueprintbiosecurity.org

Submissions are encouraged, but not required, to use the Expression of Interest template available for download here. Expressions of Interest should be limited to two-pages, single spaced. For details on the required contents for the Expressions of Interest, please refer to the full RFP document linked above. 

Blueprint Biosecurity may invite selected applicants to provide more detailed protocol proposals prior to these dates as part of a rolling review process.

Questions?

Contact Brian Renda, Far-UVC Director at brian.renda@blueprintbiosecurity.org with any questions about this call for proposals or to discuss your ideas before submitting.