Free Protein Design Project
We are giving one team a complete de novo protein binder design campaign at no cost. In return, you run the functional testing in your own lab, and we publish the whole project in the open.
Applications close June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific
Ideas for what you could build
A de novo binder is a small protein built to stick to your target. That makes it a flexible building block across research and product work.
Research reagents
Detection, pull-downs, and immunoprecipitation for assays that need a specific, renewable binder.
Diagnostics and biosensors
Capture and detection elements for lateral-flow tests, ELISAs, and biosensor surfaces.
Affinity purification
Custom affinity reagents that pull your target out of a complex mixture.
Therapeutic starting points
Early leads for blocking, neutralising, or modulating a target of interest.
Targeting and delivery
Homing modules that direct a payload to a specific protein or cell-surface marker.
Protein modulation
Tools to stabilise, inhibit, or perturb a protein to study or control its function.
We design, you test, the world sees the results
Apply
Submit your target and how you plan to test it, before June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific.
We select one
We read every application and choose a single project that is a strong fit for open binder design.
We design
Our team runs the computational design campaign and delivers a ranked set of candidate binders.
You test
You express and functionally test the candidates in your own lab within 90 days of delivery.
We publish together
The target, the designs, and your results are released openly for anyone to build on.
A full design campaign, at no cost
This is the computational design work that normally sits inside a paid program, run for you for free.
Two conditions to take part
The offer only works if you can validate the designs and let the project be public.
Teams with a target and a way to test it
Companies and startups
Teams with a wet lab and a target that matters, looking for a binder to move a project or a product forward.
Industrial and applied teams
Biosensing, ag-tech, food-tech, and materials groups that need an affinity reagent and can validate it on the bench.
Whichever you are, you also need a wet lab that can express and assay the candidates, a target you are free to make public, and the capacity to finish testing within 90 days of delivery.
Open call questions
Is it really free? +
Yes. The design campaign and our time are on us. No money changes hands. You cover only your own wet-lab costs for expressing and testing the candidates we deliver.
Who owns the designs and the intellectual property? +
This is an open project. The designed sequences, the predicted structures, and the assay results are released to the public so anyone can build on them. Neither side claims exclusive rights over the designs. If you need private, confidential design work, the Binder Pilot is the paid path for that.
What if the binders do not work? +
Null results are still published. A clear negative is a real data point about the target, and putting it in the open is part of the point. There is no guarantee that the candidates will be functional, and we say so plainly.
What kind of target qualifies? +
A protein target you are free to disclose publicly, with a structure or a high-confidence model, that is amenable to de novo binder design. Soluble and displayable targets are the best fit. Submit nothing under NDA.
Do I need my own lab? +
Yes. The whole offer rests on you being able to express and functionally test the candidates we deliver, within the testing window. We provide the computational design; you provide the bench.
When do applications close? +
This is a 48 hour open call. Applications close June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific. We select one project shortly after and reach out directly.
The fine print of the open call
This is an open science collaboration, not a commercial contract. The terms below set out what is offered, what is expected, and how the results are shared.
- 01
The offer
One selected applicant receives a free computational de novo protein binder design campaign from Ranomics. No payment is exchanged. The value provided is the design work and the accompanying expertise.
- 02
Eligibility
Open to companies, seed-stage biotech, and applied research teams that have the wet-lab capability to express and functionally test protein binders, a target they are free to disclose publicly, and the ability to complete testing within the testing window.
- 03
Selection
Ranomics selects a single project at its sole discretion and is under no obligation to select any application. The decision is final. Applications close June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific; the selected applicant is notified directly after the call closes.
- 04
Your commitments
The selected applicant agrees to: (a) functionally test the delivered candidates in their own lab within 90 days of delivery, at their own cost; (b) allow the target, the designed sequences and structures, and the assay results to be published openly; and (c) report results back to Ranomics, including negative results.
- 05
Intellectual property and licensing
The designs and data produced through this project are released openly to the public. Neither party asserts exclusive intellectual property over the designs. By applying, you grant Ranomics permission to publish the results, the target, your participation, and the name of your organisation as part of the published results.
- 06
No warranty
All design work is research-grade and experimental. There is no guarantee that any candidate will be a functional binder. Everything is provided as is, and Ranomics accepts no liability for any downstream use of the designs or data.
- 07
Data and privacy
Application details are handled through our form provider and are used only to administer this open call. We do not share your contact details outside that purpose.
- 08
Changes and cancellation
Ranomics may modify the terms of this open call, extend or shorten its window, or cancel it entirely at any time before a project is selected.
- 09
Acceptance
Submitting an application, and checking the agreement box on the form, means you have read and accept these terms.
Submit your target
Tell us what you want a binder against and how you will test it. The strongest applications have a clear target, a real functional assay, and a realistic timeline.
One project will be selected after applications close on June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific. We will reach out to the selected team directly.
Application received
Thank you for applying. We will review every submission after the call closes and reach out to the selected team directly.
Applications are closed
The open call has ended. Thank you to everyone who applied — we will review every submission and reach out to the selected team directly.
See the Binder Pilot →Apply by June 12, 2026, 9pm Pacific
One team, one free design campaign, one public result. If you have a target and a way to test it, send it our way.
Want to scope your epitope first? Try Epitope Scout, our free in-browser tool, before you apply.