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Crohn's & Colitis Foundation - IBD Ventures Initiative - Letter of Intent
Sponsor: Crohn's & Colitis Foundation 		Closing Date: 31-Jan-2019
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation seeks to accelerate the development of products that aim to improve the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Key Dates
Letters of Intent due to UQ R&I: 17 January 2019
Letters of Intent close with Crohn’s & Colitis: 31 January 2019

Overview

• Aim
The mission of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. In order to pursue this mission, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation seeks to support and accelerate the discovery and development of research-based products with potential for positive impact for patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The Foundation hereby solicits proposals from companies and academic investigators seeking support for the discovery and development of such products. Proposals will be reviewed in order to determine whether programs are eligible for Foundation support through the IBD Ventures (IBDV) Initiative to fund the discovery and development of products with potential for benefit in the IBD field. Funded programs may be led by investigators at companies or academic institutions. The IBDV program is not a traditional research grant mechanism. Its objective is to identify and support organizations that will benefit from partnership with the Foundation in pursuit of product discovery and development. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation also seeks to engage with companies and investigators who are not necessarily interested in or eligible for the IBDV funding at this time, but who are actively seeking to discover and develop products for positive impact in the IBD field. Such companies and investigators are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent as an initial step in the identification of Foundation resources that may be of interest, including future funding opportunities.

• Eligibility
The following types of organizations are eligible to apply for this funding if the following criteria are met. Applicants not meeting the specified criteria based on the Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted will not be considered for funding.

• Company (preferred). The majority of applicants in this category will be small for-profit biotechnology companies; nonprofit organizations meeting the criteria may also apply. This category does not include organizations whose primary mission is education, clinical care and/or basic research (e.g. universities, academic medical centers or basic research institutes). In order to qualify as a company applicant, an organization must meet the following criteria at the time of LOI submission:
- Independent organization with a primary focus on product discovery and/or development.
- Business plan specifying organization’s mission and projected milestones.
- The proposed project must be consistent with the organization's business plan.
- Funds must be available for essential company operation during the project period.
- Full-time personnel are employed by organization.
- Necessary infrastructure is accessible for proposed research activities.

• Academic or research institution. Projects led by investigators at universities, research institutes and medical centers may be proposed. Academic applicants must demonstrate commitment to, and experience with, commercialization-oriented activities, and access to appropriate resources for commercialization. Such resources may include SBIR award(s), intramural accelerator programs, industry-sponsored research, drug discovery core facilities, contract research organizations, entrepreneur-in-residence programs, etc. Basic research programs are not eligible unless described work is directly related to a product discovery/development objective. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the application with relevant institutional officials (e.g. technology transfer officer). Preferably, at least one full-time staff member should be dedicated to the proposed project. Projects associated with invention disclosures, patent applications and/or other IP (e.g., proprietary assays) are preferred.

For both applicant categories, collaborative projects will be considered, including projects involving an academic investigator and an industry partner. Applications should identify one organization as the primary applicant. Collaborating organizations should also be identified at the time of application. International applicants are welcome.

In addition, the following are required for eligibility for all IBDV applicants:
- Principal investigator & key personnel with appropriate expertise
- Demonstrated commitment to product discovery/development
- Core intellectual property (IP) for the proposed product

• Funding
The duration of IBD Ventures Initiative is 1 year, with funding up to USD $500,000 (inclusive of all direct and indirect costs).

• Eligible Expenses
The budget should be milestone-based and reasonable for the proposed activities.

• Overheads
The maximum rate of overheads allowed by Crohn’s & Colitis for this scheme is 10%.

How to Apply

Step 1. Completing the application
Please see http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/science-and-professionals/research/ibdventures.html for further information, application submission via proposalCENTRAL.

Step 2. UQ R&I internal review and feedback
For UQ R&I internal review and feedback, email your application and completed Funding Application Coversheet to your UQ R&I Office of Sponsored Research RAO.
Website: http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/science-and-professionals/research/ibdventures.html

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