Organized by the SPARK Hub at Children’s National, in partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and co-hosted at Johns Hopkins University, the SPARK Pediatric Medical Countermeasures Summit will bring together leaders from government, industry, academia, healthcare, and the biotech innovation ecosystem. Focus will be on advancing medical countermeasures, strengthening preparedness, and improving health security for pediatric populations.

The Summit is a full-day event divided into two segments.

Closed-Door Expert Roundtable (By Invitation Only): The morning session is a closed-door expert roundtable. Invited pediatric and medical countermeasure (MCM) experts will each present a defined unmet need in pediatric MCM development, followed by a facilitated discussion on the challenges and potential approaches to address them.

Public Summit (Open with Registration): While the morning Expert Roundtable is limited to invited participants, the afternoon sessions are open to a broader audience (registration required) and will feature a panel discussion on key challenges and opportunities in pediatric medical countermeasure development, pitches from finalists competing in the SPARK Pediatric Medical Countermeasures Summit Prize Competition for up to $50,000 in non dilutive funding, a report highlighting priority unmet needs identified by leading pediatric and health security experts, and a networking mixer designed to foster new partnerships and collaborations.

This summit provides a unique opportunity to connect with innovators, decision-makers, investors, and funders who are shaping the future of pediatric preparedness.