CARB-X is backing a market-shaping effort to accelerate the development of point-of-care diagnostics for neonatal sepsis. A Center for Global Development (CGD) program called NeoTest will use a hybrid “push and pull” funding design with $60 million over 10 years to bridge the gap between diagnostic innovators and real-world adoption. CGD and CARB-X identified 43 firms developing neonatal sepsis tests or diagnostics that could potentially be adapted for newborns at or near point of care, and they interviewed 24 candidates in advanced stages of development. The planned facility includes $20 million in milestone payments for innovation, $10 million for implementation support to unlock demand, and $30 million reserved for advanced uptake through per-test top-ups. The target product profile emphasizes rapid, low-complexity assays that can rule in or rule out sepsis in newborns up to 59 days old in low-resource settings. Program leadership framed the structure as particularly suited to antimicrobial resistance priorities. The initiative matters for biotech diagnostics because it attempts to de-risk both R&D milestones and commercialization economics—often the two bottlenecks that prevent otherwise promising tests from reaching routine clinical use.