Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics Foundation Grants 2023
Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics

In 2022, the Doherty Institute received a significant philanthropic donation from Mr Geoff Cumming to establish the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics (Cumming Global Centre). This mission-driven, globally connected research centre will enable rapid design and development of treatments for pathogens of pandemic potential.

The Centre will provide long-term research funding through a variety of research programs, transforming the management of future pandemics and saving lives. In alignment with the Cumming Global Centre mission, the 2023 Foundation Grants have been launched to fund projects which aim to identify approaches to develop novel therapeutics at far greater speed than current technologies allow.

Internal investigators were invited to apply through the first round, which has now closed and was open exclusively to Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, and Royal Melbourne Hospital applicants.

The second round has the same research parameters but is open globally, with support for three years of funding.

Work on all pathogens is welcome, providing the research is directly relevant to a pathogen of pandemic potential. High throughput screens for small molecules or rational drug design that are only focused on a single pathogen and not families of pathogens will not be funded. Clinical trials will also not be funded.

Main focus areas will include:

• Development of platform technologies that will develop therapeutics for pathogens of pandemic potential at speed
• Fundamental virology, bacteriology or immunology that will identify novel targets for therapeutics for pathogens of pandemic potential
• Development of therapeutics that have activity across viral or relevant bacterial families e.g. therapeutics that have activity against all sarbecoviruses not just SARS-CoV-2
• Innovation in relation to enabling capabilities such as animal models, organoid systems, assay development, bioinformatics, genomics or biomarkers or other capabilities that can support therapeutic development

This second round is open to investigators from organisations and institutions globally.

Additional comments: Applicants must complete and submit their EOI form via the Smarty Grants online application form. These EOIs will be reviewed for alignment with the Cumming Global Centre mission, and for distribution across subject areas. A shortlist of applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal.

How to apply? For further eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit: Official Funding website

This entry has been last updated: 2023-11-14 11:15:58