Funding
PACE provides funding and support for innovative, high value, high risk, early phase drug discovery and diagnostic projects. We want to smooth your path to progress. We blend the right funding with the right advice and the right people to give your idea the best chance of success.
2024 Diagnostic Innovations Funding Round (Closed)
We are looking to drive an exciting and diverse pipeline of early-stage in vitro diagnostics aimed at improving diagnosis of bacterial infections with high unmet need. Up to 8 applicants will be awarded grant funding, with projects expected to last up to two years. There will be awards of up to £300K for technical feasibility projects (Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3, and up to £1M for product development projects (TRL 4-5). For a visual representation of the TRLs eligible for this funding round, see the below graphic. We held an informational webinar and Q&A on the 2 October. A recording of the webinar and slides are available to view below.
Seeking projects with the greatest potential
We are looking for projects addressing unmet diagnostic needs for bacterial infections with the highest burden of antimicrobial resistance, which aim to:
1. Reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.
2. Provide faster results to indicate which antibiotic should be used.
3. Catalyse the move to personalised, narrow-spectrum treatments.
We are prioritising projects that are developing diagnostic solutions in Urinary Tract Infections, Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and Bloodstream Infections/Sepsis.
For guidance, you can find tables of test characteristics for each type of infection (UTI, LRTI, BSI/Sepsis), together with definitions of the associated health care levels referred to in the tables. Please note that these are the ideal test characteristics; proposals for products that do not meet all the criteria will still be considered.
Eligibility
PACE is not just about grant funding; we offer a truly collaborative approach to project development and delivery. Those who secure funding will feel the wider value of a network of potential project partners and receive advice and guidance from some of the best in the field. And we’re there for the long run, so whether you move to the next stage of development or are not successful in securing a grant this time around, you can stay plugged into our community and continue to benefit from our expert ecosystem.
Our funding is open to researches in academia and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide, including consortia (large diagnostic industry partners permitted, but must cover own costs). Applications should have a single lead applicant, however co-applications are welcome.
What we are looking for (in scope):
- New in-vitro diagnostics in development at TRL stage 3-5 (late TRL 2 considered).
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- Between Technical Feasibility and Early Prototype including field studies for generating data in relevant environment.
- Adaption of existing diagnostics that could be implemented in new healthcare settings/target regions/countries, or deployed for new indications/use-cases.
- Proposals that include potential for community care (e.g. pharmacy, care home, school, community diagnostic centre) or ‘at-home’ use.
- Analytes can be a direct measurement of bacterial markers or host-based biomarkers, or combination thereof.
- Applications providing solutions tailored to a intended setting. This includes those tailored towards resource-limited settings, including in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
What we are not looking for (out of scope):
- Later-stage diagnostic development (TRL6+), incl.
- Longer term studies in support of regulatory filings such as long-term stability studies.
- Manufacturing of the final instrument/scale-up activities.
- Marketing support including submission of marketing approvals.
- Tests that require central lab infrastructure.
- Standalone: pathogen ID, technology/method/device development, algorithm/ML model development, biomarker identification/validation, pilot lot production of reagents and instruments.
- Surveillance-only approaches and solutions to improve empiric treatment based on surveillance data.
- Diagnostics focused solely on fungal/viral/parasitic infections, sexually-transmitted infections or TB.
- Projects over 2 years in duration.
Application Process
The expression of interest phase is now closed. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to the full application stage in December 2024.
Catalyser will be available for all selected applicants to support them in developing their full applications, with an initial workshop to take place on 14 January 2025. Final funding decisions will be communicated in July 2025, with an expectation of project initiation within three months of receipt of the award letter. Key steps in the process are summarised.
2023 Antibacterials Therapeutics Funding Round (Closed)
Our first funding round (launched in October 2023) focused on early stage, novel antibacterial therapeutics.
Learn More
Launch Webinar Recording
To support the launch of the 2024 Diagnostic Innovations call, we held an informational webinar and Q&A on the 2 October. A recording of the webinar and slides are available to view.
Learn More