Pandemic Antiviral Discovery (PAD) is a global philanthropic initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Open Philanthropy in the US, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) in Denmark.

The aspiration of PAD is to catalyze the discovery and early development of antiviral medicines in preparation for future outbreaks of infectious diseases with pandemic potential. With equitable access as a core principle of the initiative, the founding partners are committed to ensuring that discoveries and innovations supported by PAD are accessible for people in low- and middle-income countries. By focusing on small molecules for oral delivery, these efforts can help ensure the world is prepared to quickly develop and deploy effective, accessible antiviral drugs next time the world faces a pandemic threat.

Frequently asked questions about the PAD initiative: Frequently Asked Questions: PAD Initiative – Pandemic Antiviral Discovery

Eligibility

Applications should meet the following requirements:

• PAD seeks to actively engage researchers from all over the world as part of the drug discovery process, but applicants must be established investigators with their own line of research and must be employed for the duration of the project at the administrating institution registered in the proposal.
• The administrating institution/organization must be able to accept and manage the potential grant. Projects can be anchored at any type of research organization, including not-for profit and commercial organizations.
• The scope of the project must be within the scientific scope of this RfP and support the PAD aspirations.
• An applicant may submit only one proposal to this specific RfP.

Funding

A total of up to USD $10 million is expected to be allocated to proposals submitted to this RfP, but this amount is not fixed and may be depending on the quantity and quality of the applications. The number of proposals supported will depend on the quality and expected budget, e.g., PAD may support 5 exploratory projects of approximately USD $2 million or one later-stage validation project of approximately USD $10 million.

Application process

The application and evaluation process consists of three different phases. The entire process from first application to potential grant is outlined in the ‘Information and guidelines for applicants – PAD – Henipavirus – Request for proposals 2022.’ Please read these guidelines carefully before initiating the application process.

The application must be completed in English and submitted using the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s online application and grant management system, NORMA, which can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Apply’ button.