Due to limited funding, we do not fund startup companies or observational studies and no indirect costs are allowed. We only fund outpatient trials that have the near-term potential to significantly reduce hospitalization and/or mortality rates. Read more ›
We may also fund science that leads quickly to outpatient trials (such as reformulating niclosamide or monoclonal antibodies).
If you have a trial that fits that criteria we’d love to hear about it! Please include/note the following in your proposal:Data, references, and mechanism that supports your study. Don’t assume we know how the drug works.Be sure your study is accessible via the URL you provide without additional authentication. Your grant request URL will only be shared with the SAB members and their colleagues.Assurance from manufacturer that drug is available for trial and information on the company's plan for drug developmentinformation on IND status (yes, we know that funding will prioritize your application)We will reject proposals involving only nasal irrigation (which won't work) and proposals involving chloroquine (there are already lots of these with little evidence of efficacy)We will not fund more than 3 independent studies of the same drug unless there is a compelling reason.We strive to have a very quick turnaround with minimum paperwork.
We’ll take whatever format you’re already using. The scientific basis and supporting data are important. For example, we’ve turned down ivermectin for lack of credible data (favorable newspaper articles and anecdotal stories don’t count, but rigorous observational studies do). In the proposal, please be sure to include the CV of the principals. However, for popular drugs we are very familiar with (like lambda, favipiravir, camostat, and others listed on this site), this is not needed unless you have new data or insights.
On average, our SAB spends 25 man-hours looking at each qualifying grant application. Even if you have IRB and FDA approval, it does not guarantee that your grant will be approved. While working on your grant, we may ask you questions via e-mail or do a zoom conference. If we deny your grant, we will tell you why and give you multiple opportunities to fix it. Our objective is to help you get a “yes” answer. If you are a grant recipient, we require that you share what you learn with others. This is not a competition of who gets the credit. We are all in this together.
NOTE: There are some drugs that are designed to be given on an outpatient basis, but which may be more cost effectively tested on an inpatient basis. We are open to funding this work as well since it leads to an effective outpatient drug. Read less
