SINGAPORE THERAPEUTICS DEVELOPMENT REVIEW (STDR) 2024 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

STDR 2024 (May) Events

Launch of 2024 (May) Grant Call
The STDR grant call will be opened for submission of Proposal for the Pilot stage starting from 13 May 2024 to 27 June 2024, 5pm.

About the Grant

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 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 PILOT STAGE

The STDR (Pilot) is called twice a year, typically in Q1 and Q3.

It is highly encouraged but optional to have a clinical Co-Investigator or collaborator.

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 Proposal to the Pilot stage, or
Selected Pre-Pilot projects would be invited to submit a pitch deck and a written proposal to the Pilot stage upon recommendation by the respective Pre-Pilot evaluation committees. Other Pre-Pilot projects are still welcome to apply to the Pilot via the first route.

Thematic Area

STDR will fund therapeutic projects in areas such as small molecules, large molecules, cell and gene therapies and platform technologies.

Funding principles

Funding principles for STDR Pilot projects:

Maximum Funding Quantum

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 points (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.

Evaluation Criteria

Selection of successful proposals would be based on the following evaluation criteria:

Research and Scientific Merit of technology
Medical Need and Market Evaluation
Development Plans
Commercialisation and IP

Applicants may refer to Information Sheet Annex A for a more detailed evaluation criteria for the STDR Pilot stage.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants are required to fulfill 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 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 27 June 2024, i.e. 20 June 2024.

Grant Call Timeline

Stage 1: Submission of Proposal
Launch of Call for Proposal	13 May 2024
Deadline for Submission of Proposal on iGrants	27 June 2024, 5pm
Notification of Shortlisting Outcome	By mid of September 2024
Stage 2: Pitch Deck and Revised Proposal (For shortlisted applicants only)
Deadline for Submission of Pitch Deck and Revised Proposal	October 2024 (4 weeks from notification of shortlisting outcome)
Presentation to Review Panel [Virtual]*	28 & 29 October 2024 (6pm-12am)
Award	January 2025 (tentative)

Applicants who are shortlisted must ensure they are available to attend all meetings marked (*) above.

Application Procedure

Applicants are required to submit their applications via the iGrants website: https://igrants-app.a-star.edu.sg/ by 27 June 2024, 5pm (Singapore time).

Please submit your application to the “Singapore Therapeutics Development Review 2024 (May) Pilot” grant call. 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 Information Sheet Annex B.

Application Materials

For Enquiries

For queries related to iGrants, please reach out to A-STAR_OGA@hq.a-star.edu.sg

For queries related to STDR Pilot, please reach out to STDR_Secretariat@hq.a-star.edu.sg

Applicants who are interested in consultation for their single asset applications may reach out to:
Dr Christophe Bodenreider (EDDC) Christophe_Bodenreider@eddc.sg
Ms Chia Hsin-Ee (EDDC) Chia_Hsin_Ee@eddc.sg

Applicants who are interested in consultation for their platform applications may reach out to:
Dr Howard Califano (SMART) Howard.Califano@smart.mit.edu
Mr Brian Yen (SMART) Brian.Yen@smart.mit.edu