SINGAPORE THERAPEUTICS DEVELOPMENT REVIEW (STDR) 2023 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
STDR 2023 (September) Events
Launch of 2023 (September) Grant Call
The STDR grant call will be opened for submission of Letters of Intent for the Pilot stage and Pre-Pilot full proposals starting from 11 September 2023 to 26 October 2023, 5pm.
The Singapore Therapeutics Development Review (STDR) is a national-level grant call for public sector research, implemented by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in partnership with our strategic partners, the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC).
STDR aims to boost the quality and quantity of drug development and biotech pipelines in Singapore through 2 key features:
- Phased funding support to potential high-value drug discovery and development projects from the local public sector research community, based on the maturity and industry-readiness of projects; and
- Mentoring from leading entrepreneurs, innovators and/or venture capitalists, training through bootcamps, workshops and/or seminars, as well as industry networking opportunities to provide dedicated guidance and upskilling opportunities to grant awardees.
STDR PRE-PILOT AND PILOT STAGESThe STDR (Pilot) is called twice a year, typically in Q1 and Q3. The STDR (Pre-Pilot) is called once a year, typically in Q3.
It is highly encouraged but optional to have a clinical Co-Investigator or collaborator.
The
Pre-Pilot stage aims to support earlier-stage and more exploratory, proof-of-concept projects that have some preliminary data.
Stream 1 (Target Validation) will support single target/single asset projects and will be facilitated by EDDC under the
Target Translational Consortium (TTC) scheme from RIE2020.
Stream 2 (Platform Development) will support platform discovery projects and will be facilitated by SMART.
The Pilot stage aims to identify high value therapeutic projects within the community and render them the right support to achieve commercial success. Projects in the Pilot stage are expected to have sufficient research data and have already been validated to a certain degree, or already have a commercialisation plan. Both single target/single asset drug development projects and platform technologies projects may be considered.
Pilot awardees will attend mentoring sessions to receive advice and guidance from leading entrepreneurs and innovators (including VCs, biotech CEOs, or experts from EDDC). Mentors will provide advice on matters relating to the development and commercial strategy, including marketing, business modelling and pitch practice/advice.
Awarded project teams will also attend STDR bootcamps to learn commercialisation-related modules, such as market and competitive analysis, target product profile, and developing a pitch deck.
Projects may enter the STDR Pilot workflow via 2 routes:
- Direct submission of Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Pilot stage, or
- Selected Pre-Pilot projects would be invited to submit a full proposal to the Pilot stage upon recommendation by the respective Pre-Pilot evaluation committees. Others are still welcome to apply to the Pilot via the first route.
STDR will fund therapeutic projects in areas such as small molecules, large molecules, cell and gene therapies and platform technologies.
Funding principles for STDR Pre-Pilot and Pilot projects:
Maximum Funding Quantum
Pre-Pilot
Up to S$100K per project (including 30% indirect costs) over a maximum of 1 year.
Pilot
A total of S$830K may be awarded for Pilot Phase 1 and Phase 2 funding.
Phase 1 covers the period up to the achievement of the go/no-go decision point (up to 1 year).
Funding: Up to S$330K per project (including 30% indirect costs).
Phase 2 covers the achievement of the remaining key milestones (up to 1 year).
Funding: Up to S$500K per project (including 30% indirect costs).
Notes:
- Projects will be assessed towards the end of Phase 1 to determine eligibility to receive Phase 2 funding.
- Applicants are encouraged to think about accelerating the project where reasonable. If milestones are achieved ahead of timeline, please write to STDR Secretariat to discuss repurposing of leftover fund (if any) and earlier unlocking of Phase 2 funding.
- A portion of the budget may be set aside to engage professional help to develop a commercialisation plan.
The detailed evaluation criteria for Pre-Pilot (Stream 1 & 2) and Pilot stages are in Annex B.
Applicants are encouraged to think about how their proposed therapeutic approach would differentiate itself from the current standard of care or alternative drug candidates in development.
Applicants are required to fulfil the following criteria at the point of application:
The Lead Principal Investigator (PI) should:
- Hold at least a 0.7 FTE primary appointment in a Singapore publicly funded research or tertiary institution;
- Have the relevant scientific/technical background and necessary experience to direct the project being supported by the grant
Post-doctoral researchers who wish to apply for STDR should submit a letter from their supervisor, as part of the application submission on iGrants, declaring that:
- The supervisor supports the post-doctoral researcher's STDR application,
- The contract of the post-doctoral researcher covers the entire STDR grant period, and
- The grant body that is funding the post-doctoral researcher is agreeable to their application for STDR grants (if relevant).
Exceptions to eligibility criteria will be considered on a case-by-case basis with the submission of a waiver request. Please write to the grant secretariat before the submission of your application, at least 7 days before the grant deadline on 26 October 2023, i.e., 19 October 2023.
Indicative timeline for Pre-Pilot Stream 1 & 2
| Stage 1: Submission of Full Proposals |
| Launch of Call for Full Proposals | 11 September 2023 |
| Deadline for Submission of Full Proposals on iGrants |
26 October 2023, 5pm |
| Presentation to Review Panel* (for Stream 2 only) |
Late January /Early February 2024 |
| Award | TBC |
Applicants must ensure they are available to the meeting marked (*) above.
Indicative timeline for Pilot
| Stage 1: Submission of LOIs |
| Launch of Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs) | 11 September 2023 |
| Deadline for Submission of LOIs on iGrants |
26 October 2023, 5pm |
| Notification of Shortlisting Outcome |
TBC |
| Stage 2: Proposal (for shortlisted applicants only) |
| Deadline for Submission of Revised Proposal and Presentation Deck | TBC |
| Presentation to Review Panel* | TBC |
| Award | TBC |
Applicants who are shortlisted for Pilot stage 2 submission must ensure they are available to attend all meetings marked (*) above.
Applicants are required to submit their applications via the iGrants website https://igrants-app.a-star.edu.sg/ by 26 October 2023, 5pm (Singapore time).
The STDR Pre-Pilot and Pilot grant calls are listed as two separate grant calls on iGrants:
- Singapore Therapeutics Development Review 2023 (Sep) Pre-Pilot
- Singapore Therapeutics Development Review 2023 (Sep) Pilot
Only complete applications submitted on iGrants by the deadline will be accepted. Applicants are advised to submit their applications early in the event of technical errors with the iGrants website.
Applications must be fully endorsed by the applicant, applicants’ respective Innovation and Enterprise Offices (IEOs) and Directors of Research (DORs). Applicants are strongly encouraged to approach their respective IEO representatives and DORs early to give sufficient time to gather input and endorsement.
More details on the grant application steps using iGrants can be found in
Annex C.
For queries related to iGrants, please reach out to A-STAR_OGA@hq.a-star.edu.sg
For general enquiries about STDR and/or the Pilot grant call, please reach out to:
STDR Secretariat (A*STAR) STDR_Secretariat@hq.a-star.edu.sg
For enquiries about Pre-Pilot Stream 1 and consultation on single asset applications, please reach out to:
Dr Christophe Bodenreider (EDDC) Christophe_Bodenreider@eddc.sg
Ms Chia Hsin-Ee (EDDC) Chia_Hsin_Ee@eddc.sg
For enquiries about Pre-Pilot Stream 2 and consultation on platform applications, please reach out to:
Dr Howard Califano (SMART) Howard.Califano@smart.mit.edu
Mr Brian Yen (SMART) Brian.Yen@smart.mit.edu
A*STAR celebrates International Women's Day
From groundbreaking discoveries to cutting-edge research, our researchers are empowering the next generation of female science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) leaders.
Get inspired by our #WomeninSTEM