UK-based pharmaceuticals giant GSK is contributing to a US$10 million ($1.5 million a year) Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery, now being established in Brazil.
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and Glaxo SmithKline Brasil (GSK) signed on June 24th, 2014, a new cooperation agreement. This lays down conditions for selection and funding of scientific and technological research involving collaboration between scientists working in public or private research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil and scientists from GSK. You can read the detailed text of the agreement by clicking here.
The GSK deal is part of FAPESP’s Engineering Research Centres Program. Under the new agreement, a call for proposals was announced. The deadline for submission of proposals is September 26th, 2014.
Over a 10-year period research will focus on developing pharmaceutical pathways to treating a broad range of respiratory, metabolic, and inflammatory or immune deficiency diseases caused by both bacterial and viral agents.
The objective is to generate international-standard research for applications within Brazil. The special focus is on solving unmet needs for treatment of diseases currently without pharmaceutical solutions.
Proposals by academics and institutions should include education and knowledge transfer, as well as technology-transfer proposals. The results of the first round will be announced in February 2015. You can find out more details about the new Call for Proposals by clicking here.
The selected Centre must explore synergies and complementarities among the following topics, in the themes of interest of the Call for Proposals: a) Perform world-class science and research on the cutting edge of either fundamental or applied knowledge, seeking economic and social impact through innovation; b) Transfer of knowledge to GSK and to society, including corporate and/or non-governmental and/or public sectors; c) Interacting with the educational system, especially at the primary and secondary levels.
Financial support for the research selected under the agreement will encompass a total of US$ 15,000,000.00 over the ten years duration of the agreement. FAPESP and GSK will, each one, reserve up to US$ 750,000.00 annually to implement the Centre selected in the call for proposals.
The new centre will be based in São Paulo state and GSK is partnered by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). Already, the two institutions are partners in a Sustainable Pharmaceuticals Research initiative signed in 2013. You can read about this by clicking here. Results for this research Centre from the first call for proposals which closed in February, will be announced August 2014.
The Agreement establishing the Basic Research Centre was signed at a ceremony June 24th. GSK Brazil country head Cesar Rengifo and Antonio José, GSK Brazil’s medical director and head of regulation, represented the multinational. On the Brazilian side, FAPESP President Celso Lafer, Eduardo Moacyr Krieger, VP of FAPESP’s supervisory council and Scientific Director Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, were present.