September 2026 Cycle Report

Published 11 Sept. 2026

💡 Did you know…¶

…that Grand Challenge supports DICOM as an image format? You can upload DICOM without conversion to MHA or TIFF, and build algorithms that take DICOM as input. This makes it possible to validate commercial algorithms in a challenge or benchmark, and to run inference directly on DICOM.

…that algorithms can now be run in invoke mode? This separates model initialisation from inference, so you can run multiple inference tasks over an extended period. Useful for large cohorts, where initialising once keeps costs down. We'll be rolling out invoke mode for challenges in the coming months, removing the need to stack smaller images.

…that you can now annotate 4D images? You can mark the same structure at each timepoint, so you can follow how it moves or changes over time.

…that we updated our invoicing policy? Challenges are now billed in two parts: a prepaid invoice at a standard rate, and a postpaid invoice for the compute and storage actually used.

…that it's easier to find your own work? The dropdown under your profile now has a Your work section linking to your algorithms, challenges, reader studies, uploads and archives.

…that Grand Challenge is a node in the Euro-BioImaging network? Through this network, researchers can access imaging technologies and services across Europe.

…that Euro-BioImaging is offering €5,000 grants? Start-ups and SMEs from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply to become a user of one of the nodes, including ours. More details can be found on the Euro-BioImaging news site

…that Grand Challenge is on LinkedIn? Follow us for challenge highlights, benchmarking projects, publications and other news.