Deadline: 22-Nov-22
The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) is seeking proposals to support research designed to develop novel small-molecule antivirals targeting pandemic influenza.
PAD – Pandemic Antiviral Discovery – is a global philanthropic initiative launched by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Open Philanthropy in the US, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) in Denmark. The aspiration for PAD is to help researchers worldwide identify and develop phase 2-ready antiviral drug candidates targeting pandemic threat viruses, including coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, and orthomyxoviruses. This will greatly improve the chances that effective antivirals can be developed and deployed much faster next time the world faces a pandemic threat.
Areas
Proposals should be consistent with at least one of these 4 areas:
- Direct acting antivirals with data demonstrating clear differentiation from currently marketed influenza antiviral products
- Host targeted therapies with data demonstrating clear benefit over currently marketed influenza virus therapeutics
- Compounds that target multiple pathways or mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of resistance emergence
- Compounds demonstrating activity against drug resistant influenza variants
Funding Information
- A total of up to USD 25 million is expected to be allocated to proposals submitted to this RfP, but this amount is not fixed and may be updated depending on the quantity and quality of the proposals. The number of proposals supported will depend on the quality and expected budget. Exploratory projects should not exceed a budget of approximately USD 2 million and later-stage validation projects should not exceed a budget of approximately USD 10 million.
- It is expected that the projects applied for will be between 1 and 3 years in duration. Under exceptional circumstances a longer project period can be negotiated with the PAD partners later in the application process.
Eligibility Criteria
If the eligibility criteria listed below are not adhered to in the submitted proposal, it will receive an administrative rejection:
- PAD seeks to actively engage researchers from all over the world as part of the drug discovery process, but applicants must be established investigators with their own line of research and must be employed for the duration of the project at the administrating institution registered in the proposal.
- The administrating institution/organization must be able to accept and manage the potential grant. Projects can be anchored at any type of research organization, including academia, not-for profit and commercial organizations.
- The scope of the project must be within the scientific scope of this RfP and support the PAD aspirations.
- An applicant (i.e., the principal investigator (PI) responsible for the project and submitting the proposal) may submit only one proposal to this specific RfP. Different PI’s can be anchored at the same institution/organization. Co-applicants can be a part of more than one proposal to this RfP, and an applicant on one proposal can be a coapplicant or collaborator on other proposals.
For more information, visit https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/grant/pad-antivirals-for-pandemic-influenza-request-for-proposals-2022-2023/