Dragons' Den Competition

OBJECTIVE

Clinical studies, and especially randomized controlled trials (RCT), frequently require international collaboration and participation from multiple clinical centers to meet sample size requirements in a timely manner. Conducting clinical research in multiple countries offers the advantages of faster participant recruitment and study completion, and greater generalizability of results.

INVENT aims to be the international driver and accelerator for patient-oriented, investigator-initiated clinical venous thromboembolism (VTE) research and aims to be the key facilitator for international collaboration among VTE clinical investigators.

Call for Applications: 2025 Competition

INVENT will host a public competition for INVENT Study Endorsement & Funding at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) 2025 Congress meeting in Washington, D.C, USA.

Applicants will be invited (see ‘Eligibility’ and ‘Application Process’ below) to present a proposal of their research study to potentially be endorsed by the INVENT network and/or be awarded an International Collaboration grant. Each applicant will have 5 to 7 minutes (dependent upon the number of applicants) to present their proposal. After each presentation, the presenter will be probed by three INVENT Dragons, three prominent international clinical trialists, who will ask probing questions to each presenter geared towards determining if the proposed study is well designed, feasible, and will be practice-changing while the audience simultaneously votes on the study's potential to change practice using an interactive polling system.

• INVENT Council, based on an independent review process, will vote on the winners. Applicants may still receive endorsement even if they are not awarded any prize money.
• The winner of the competition will be awarded a $40,000 (CAD) International Collaboration grant. 

We are now accepting applications for the 2025 Dragons' Den Competition. Please review the Call for Applications for complete details.

Application deadline: April 16, 2025.

Eligibility

• Applicants: The proposed study must be supported/developed by members of two or more INVENT national VTE research network members. Applicants must be committed to international collaboration, ethical research practices, and fair recognition of co-investigators’ research contributions.
• Study stage: Research at any stage of development is eligible for endorsement by the INVENT Network. Investigators may apply for approval a preliminary protocol, a study with a fully developed protocol, or one that is actively recruiting participants.
• Research design: Academically-driven clinical research studies that are seeking to recruit participants in multiple countries must be one of the following designs:
  • 1. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) or a pilot trial to inform an RCT;
  • 2. Quasi-experimental (non-randomized) study evaluating a treatment, intervention, management strategy or diagnostic strategy. Participants in one or more groups are managed uniformly as prescribed by the protocol, with a specific hypothesis, e.g., “risk of recurrent VTE will be less than 2% over 90 days if using this strategy”.
• Competing studies: Ideally, the proposed study is unique and does not replicate or compete with an ongoing study. Applicants are expected to make efforts to identify other studies that are in progress that are seeking to answer the same or a similar research question. Justification for undertaking a similar study must be provided.
• Endorsed studies: The competition is open to studies already endorsed by the network; however, preference will be given to new studies not yet endorsed by the network.

Application

The applicant sends an application package consisting of the following documents:

1. A Study Endorsement Application form
2. A Study Endorsement Form OR a one-page structured study summary
3. Full study protocol (in whatever form is available at time of application)
4. A letter or e-mail from the Applicant’s National Network indicating national support for the study. 

Please send complete applications to info@invent-vte.com by April 16, 2025

If only a preliminary proposal is being submitted for consideration, it is not necessary to submit a full protocol.

Study Endorsement

All studies presented at the Dragons’ Den competition will be subjected to the INVENT study approval process intended to identify studies that align with the Network’s aspirations and which the Network will endorse. The formal review process (see ‘Review and Approval Process for Study Endorsement’ below) provides a mechanism for INVENT Council Members to jointly determine which applicants will be invited to participate in the Dragons’ Den competition, and which studies the network will eventually promote and support, as well as select for an international collaboration grant.

INVENT offers Endorsed Studies the following:

• Letters of endorsement will be provided (upon request, the letter may be tailored to include in a funding application, etc.).
• A study summary will be posted on the INVENT website (lay summary encouraged).
• The study will be promoted to members via e-mail and social media platforms.
• INVENT Council Members will actively promote endorsed studies within their national networks.

more information

If you have any questions or would like more information about the competition, please contact us by email: info@invent-vte.com.