Harrington Discovery Institute Invites Proposals for 2023 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award

Grant programme seeks to advance novel therapies for rare diseases

CLEVELAND, June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Harrington Discovery Institute® at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, and its registered UK charity Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. (Fund for Cures UK) have issued a call for proposals for the 2023 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award. In addition to grant funding, Harrington Discovery provides guidance and oversight in drug development, while intellectual property is retained by the scholar and their institution.

"Harrington Discovery Institute was established 10 years ago to accelerate promising academic discoveries into medicines for unmet needs. We look forward to identifying the next class of Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholars and to advancing their projects towards the clinic," said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute, Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Innovation and Professor of Medicine and of Biochemistry at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.

"This is a unique opportunity for U.K .scientists to leverage a proven innovation model for advancing discovery and for U.K. science to help change the rare disease landscape," said Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford, and U.K. Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Lead for U.K. government.

Applicants have the opportunity to receive:

• £100K guaranteed, with the potential to qualify for an additional up to £400K (a total of £500K).
• Drug and business development support from Harrington Discovery Institute's Therapeutics Development Center (pharma-experienced industry leaders with a track record of bringing drugs to market).
• A personalized team and project manager dedicated to each scholar.

Award criteria:

• Any disease or disorder affecting fewer than 5 in 10,000 people will be considered, including ultra-rare diseases and rare variants of more common diseases.
• Of particular interest are discoveries that have a proven genetic basis, are applicable to multiple rare diseases, and/or impact common diseases.
• Academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions and universities in the United Kingdom.
• Lead investigator must have an MD or PhD or equivalent.
• Any therapeutic modality.

Past award recipients can be found on the Fund for Cures UK website here.

Please note the following dates:

• A brief Letter of Intent is due by 10:00 PM (GMT) on 18 July 2022.
• Full Proposal deadline, for those invited to submit, is 10 October 2022.
• Award recipients will be notified and announced June 2023.

Interested applicants may submit a Letter of Intent here.