BARDA opened a $100 million prize competition to accelerate development of broad-spectrum small-molecule antivirals targeting Togaviridae and Flaviviridae families. The multi-stage program aims to attract novel chemistries and rapid development plans for treatments that could address multiple viral pathogens and improve pandemic preparedness. The prize structure is intended to derisk early discovery and incentivize platform approaches that are translatable across viral families. BARDA’s move signals sustained government appetite to fund countermeasures outside traditional grant models and may draw private-sector investment into antiviral chemotypes and preclinical pipelines. Winners will need to demonstrate robust mechanism data, scalable chemistry and a clear path to clinical development to capture prize stages. Industry watchers say the program could catalyze partnerships between small-molecule discovery shops and larger biopharma developers focused on infectious disease readiness.