Ferring Research Institute - Innovation Grants Programme

In 2015, Ferring Pharmaceuticals awarded five grants, and two of the recipients were from Australian institutions.

Under the new program, applicants are required to submit a pre-application. The Grant Portal opened on 13 June 2016 and will accept pre-applications through 15 July 2016.

Ferring Innovation Grants Overview:

What is of interest to Ferring?

FRI is interested in funding exploratory, discovery and preclinical research into novel extracellular drug targets that are addressable with peptides and/or proteins. For indications within our core therapeutic areas:

· Reproductive Health

· Urology

· Gastroenterology

· Endocrinology

The Ferring Innovation Grants are awarded annually and are not renewable.

What the program will not fund

The following types of studies are beyond the scope of the program:

· Clinical studies

· Studies which require the collection of human biopsies

· Studies to develop small molecules

Available Funding

The program will provide a limited number of research grants in the following categories: 

· Exploratory grants: support feasibility studies that will confirm the target’s role in the proposed indication.

· Discovery grants: support further research on targets with existing in vitro data validating its utility in the proposed indication. The planned research should provide data to support transferring the target to a drug discovery program.

· Competitive Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Fellowships: support research in one of FRI’s areas of interest.

· Funding levels will range from $50,000 to $100,000.

· Reasonable indirect costs may now be included for consideration as a part of the research grant award.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property ownership shall be determined in accordance with U.S. patent and copyright laws, and may be subject to the policies of the research grant recipient’s institution. Prior to funding of the research grant, the recipient and a designated representative of the recipient’s institution must execute an agreement (Ferring Innovation Grants Agreement), which sets forth intellectual property rights, publication, and other requirements relevant to the proposed research.

For more information about the Ferring Innovation Grants scheme, please visit http://ferringri.wpengine.com/ferring-grants/overview/