Congratulations to the winners of the 2024-2025 Big Ideas Pitch Event!
The intent of the Big Ideas Program, presented by the Healthcare Innovation Lab and the Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics (I2DB), is to support novel and innovative projects that are clinically relevant, technically feasible, and operationally sustainable. Annually, the program provides an opportunity for collaborative clinical, operational, and research teams to develop innovations in informatics and healthcare delivery.
Applicants first submit a Letter of Intent sharing a high-level view of their Big Idea. Accepted intent proposals will be invited to submit a Full Application and present their Big Idea at the Pitch Event. The Pitch Event gives teams five minutes to convince the judges and audience why their Big Idea is worth funding.
Applicants may request up to $50,000 in grant funding.
The intent of the Big Ideas competition is to support innovative projects that are clinically relevant, rigorously evaluated and operationally sustainable. Applications should explain how their proposed project speaks to these characteristics. Successful proposals could, for example, reflect the following strategies:
- Improve inpatient nursing turnover
- Improve ED and hospital patient flow
- Improve primary care patient experience and outcomes
- Improve maternal patient experience and outcomes
- Improve patient placement post discharge (transitions to home, home health, nursing home, etc.)
Some examples of successful project ideas might include:
- How might we help our patients navigate our system?
- How might we better communicate with our patients?
- How might we better educate our patients?
- How might we help inpatients get home and stay home?
- How might we help at-risk moms during their pregnancy and post-partum period?
- How can we use AI to deliver the right information to the right provider in the right place and time and improve the quality, safety, and outcomes of care?
The competition encourages applications from all individuals affiliated with BJC HealthCare and/or the Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), with a preference for projects that involve collaboration across the two organizations. The Lab and I2DB administrations are happy to help facilitate connections between BJC and School of Medicine partners, if needed.
- High impact proposals that do not involve multiple sites or organizations will also be considered for funding.
- The proposal should highlight how funding will be used to advance healthcare delivery.
The Big Ideas Grant Program runs on an annual cycle. The anticipated program lifecycle can be found below with specific dates and timeframes modified slightly each year.
The relevant dates and deadlines for the 2025-26 Big Ideas Cohort can be found here:
| Office Hours | TBD |
| Letter of Intent Due | March 7, 2025 |
| Applicants Notified of Pitch Event Participation and invited to submit a Full Application | March 21, 2025 |
| Full Application Due | April 18, 2025 |
| Pitch Event | April 23, 2025, 2 – 4:30 p.m. |
| Winners Selected and Notified | Week of May 5, 2025 |
Interested teams must submit a Letter of Intent by March 7, 2025. Accepted intent proposals will be invited to submit a Full Application and present at the Pitch Event on April 23, 2025.
To learn what information is part of the Letter of Intent and Full Application Process, please visit the Application page.
Do I need to attend Office Hours?
We encourage teams new to Big Ideas to attend Office Hours prior to submitting their Letter of Intent and/or Application but do not require this to be eligible. Office Hours allows teams to learn more about successful proposals, receive feedback on strengthening their project proposal, and connect with additional BJC and/or WUSM partners, if needed.
If I was a part of a prior winning team, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes – you are eligible to apply if you were the Project Lead/PI or part of a winning team.
Do we need to have both BJC and WUSM team members?
No, this is not required. However, collaboration and communication between departments and organizations can only strengthen a team’s ability to produce robust results.
What does the process look like for teams not selected for Big Ideas funding?
All teams, whether they are selected for funding or not, receive feedback from the reviewing team to help guide the team’s next steps. In addition, teams can be connected with other resources in the BJC/WashU ecosystem to continue to move their ideas forward.
Who reviews the Letters of Intent and Application? How are judges for the Pitch Event selected?
Reviewers and judges are selected from individuals with a strong background in innovation, technology, healthcare, and operations. Past reviewers and judges have included leadership from the Healthcare Innovation Lab, the Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics, BJC Center for Clinical Excellence, WashU Department of Medicine, BJC hospitals, BJC and WashU Technology, and beyond. Every effort is made to include a broad spectrum of perspectives ranging from executive leadership to clinical area subject matter experts.
How are winning teams selected?
Please visit the Scoring page for information on how proposals are scored and how winning teams selected.
For more information or to ask questions, please contact us at bigideas@wustl.edu.