France Launches Investing in the Future R&D Call for Projects on COVID-19
France Launches Investing in the Future R&D Call for Projects on COVID-19
The Investing in the Future programme (Investissements d’Avenir – PIA) was set up by the French government to finance innovative and promising investments in France. The funds are intended for projects on higher education and research, health, and industrial innovation, among others.
The PIA call Structural Research and Development Projects for Competitivity – COVID-19 is administered by Bpifrance, France’s public investment bank. It will provide funding to collaborative structural research and development projects to develop preventative or curative therapeutic solutions to coronavirus/COVID-19. Direct economic and technological effects in the form of new products, services or technology are expected.
All therapeutic strategies are eligible (vaccines, antivirals, combined approaches, etc) as well as all types of technology (chemistry, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, exploiting big data or medical tools, if applicable). One particular objective of this call is to finance research and development work on phase 1 or phase 2 clinical trials undertaken with French academic partners and intended to evaluate the proposed therapeutic strategy.
Projects must be carried out by consortia that include industry and research partners. Research establishments cannot be project leaders. Financing of between €4 million and €50 million is available per project. The financing of projects can take the form of a combination of grants and repayable advances and may include a possible profit-sharing component. In return for the aid provided, the State may be granted preferential access rights to the results of the project such as, for example, access to the final products developed. As part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the preferred method of return for the State.
Projects must be submitted online by the deadline of 30 September 2020.
More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.