Research partners
Milestones and sample kits
Milestones are the checkpoints that define what you need to complete during a study. Your compliance score — calculated from verified milestones — determines your compensation eligibility. For studies that involve samples, kits are shipped to you and tracked end to end.
How milestones work
Each study defines a set of milestones organized by week. A milestone represents a required task, checkpoint, or submission within the study protocol. Examples include:
- Complete a baseline intake survey
- Return a stool sample kit
- Log symptoms daily for one week
- Complete a midpoint questionnaire
- Confirm wearable data sync
Milestones are not generated in your dashboard until the study commences. Once the research team launches the study, your milestone checklist appears with due dates calculated from the study start date.
Milestone types
There are two types of milestones:
Self-report — You mark the milestone as completed. The research team then reviews and verifies your submission. Until it is verified, the milestone shows as "Submitted — awaiting verification."
Team-confirm — The research team marks this milestone as completed (e.g., the lab confirms it received your sample kit). You will see "Waiting for confirmation" until it is verified.
Milestone statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Not yet due or not yet started |
| Submitted | You have marked it complete, awaiting verification by the research team |
| Verified | The research team has confirmed completion |
| Rejected | The research team did not accept your submission — you may need to redo it |
| Overdue | Past due date but not yet missed |
| Missed | More than 7 days overdue — counts against your compliance |
Sample kits
If your study involves samples (e.g., stool, saliva, blood prick), Biome handles the kit logistics. A typical kit flow looks like this:
- 1A kit is dispatched to your address — you can track it from your dashboard
- 2You collect the sample following the instructions included with the kit
- 3You return the kit using the prepaid return packaging (drop-off or scheduled pickup, depending on your region)
- 4The lab confirms receipt, and the linked milestone is verified
Every kit is tracked with a chain-of-custody record from dispatch to lab receipt, so both you and the research team can always see where a sample is. Kits are labeled with your Participant ID — never your name.
Compliance scoring
Your compliance score for a study is calculated as:
compliance = verified milestones ÷ total milestones
There are no weights. Each milestone counts equally. The score is binary per milestone: verified counts as complete, everything else does not.
Each study has a compliance threshold set by the research team during study setup. Your compensation eligibility depends on meeting this threshold.
Reminders
Biome sends reminders for upcoming and overdue milestones:
- 2 days before a milestone is due: in-app notification
- 1 day after a milestone is overdue: in-app notification and warning in dashboard
- 7 days overdue: milestone automatically marked as "missed"
If you have enabled email notifications in your settings, you will also receive email reminders.