Gilead Australia Fellowship Grants Program

Over the last few decades, continued improvements in the understanding of HIV, chronic viral hepatitis, haematological malignancies, solid tumours (especially breast, lung and bladder), and invasive fungal infections have led to the development of significant new treatments, with multiple therapeutic options now available in these disease areas. As a result, many patients are living longer and have an improved quality of life.

However, while much research at a basic science and clinical trial level is focused on drug discovery and evaluation, Gilead recognises that a key part of improving patient care in real terms is the development of approaches to diagnosis, treatment and education at a local practice level. Learnings from successful initiatives can be applied to other communities and/or replicated in other parts of the country, to provide practical solutions to current challenges across these specific therapy areas.

Gilead is committed to supporting innovative local research initiatives to improve patient outcomes. The Fellowship enables Australian researchers to apply for funding across a range of therapeutic areas.

The Fellowship aims to support:

• projects with a clinical and ‘real-world’ focus
• the development and implementation of best practice to enhance patient outcomes
• research in the specific disease areas of HIV and/or chronic viral hepatitis, haematological malignancies, solid tumours (especially breast, lung and bladder), and invasive fungal infections.

Researchers in Australia currently face increasing competition for limited funding, particularly for projects with a local or community focus. In recognition of these projects and their benefits to patient care, the Fellowship aims to help bridge the gap in local Australian research funding.

The Fellowship has been running successfully in Australia for over a decade, providing funding to novel projects across Australia that can inform and shape best practice in patient care. In the eleven years the project has been running, the Fellowship has provided over $3,000,000 to Australian led research and community projects.

Successful applications will focus on investigating solutions to improve outcomes for people living with HIV and/or chronic viral hepatitis, haematological malignancies, solid tumours (especially breast, lung and bladder), and invasive fungal infections.

Projects may be based on sociological and epidemiological aspects of patient care, as well as practical aspects. Applications for community-based projects that may not necessarily fall under traditional grant criteria are welcomed.

Please note that basic science research and clinical research based on specific therapeutic agents are out of scope for the Gilead Australia Fellowship Grants Program.

The total funding available for the 2025 Grants Program is $300,000 AUD.

The requested level of funding should be stated at the time of application.*

Funding is contingent on the project:

• being granted ethics approval (if required)
• concluding in no more than 18 months after execution of agreement

*A maximum award for successful proposals will be $60,000 AUD.

Amounts awarded may vary, with the exact amount of funding allocated to each project dependent on the nature of the project. Funding is entirely independent of the use of any therapeutic agent.

Projects should run during the calendar year (January–December) of 2025 and all projects must be completed by July 2026. Funding is dependent on the project adhering to this timeframe and applicants must confirm their ability to meet this requirement at the time of application. Funding is also subject to ethics approval being granted, if required.

Please note that basic science research and clinical research based on specific therapeutic agents are out of scope for the Gilead Australia Fellowship Grants Program.

The applications will be reviewed by a judging panel made up of experts from across Australia recognised for their contributions to research. Project applications within the specified themes will be judged against the following criteria:

• Innovative projects aimed at improving patient care and/or guiding healthcare policy
• Clear demonstration of need and relevance to local clinical practice
• Clarity and specificity of key steps involved
• Measurable objectives and outcomes
• Collection/reporting of actual project-related cost
• Collection/reporting of patient-related outcomes
• Demonstration of clear evaluation plans
• Clear project timelines
• Clear demonstration of ability to meet the required timelines
• Clarity in the budget
• High likelihood of appropriate ethics approval in the estimated time frame
• Greater consideration will be given to applications that:
• Fit within the required project themes and satisfy the required criteria (in particular completion by July 2026)
• Are innovative or employ novel research approaches
• Improve access to screening, support and/or medication for minority patient groups who would not necessarily have easy or consistent access to these services
• Provide a detailed breakdown of exactly how the funds are to be used
• Are not currently receiving or due to receive funding from other sources
• Have been or will be granted ethics approval, if required. Allocation of funding will be dependent on receipt of appropriate ethics approval. It is therefore essential that applicants are able to facilitate timely ethics approval so that the project can be completed in the assigned time frame. If for any reason ethics approval is not granted for a project, or if a project initially selected for funding is withdrawn from the Program before funding commences (e.g. due to securing funding from another source), where appropriate the judges reserve the right to select an alternative project to allocate funding to from a shortlist of the next highest-scoring projects.

The decision by the judges to award or not award funding to a project, or to allow flexibility as detailed above, is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding this. Funding decisions by the judging panel are entirely unrelated to the use of any particular therapeutic agent.

What is the application process for the Fellowship Grants Program?

All applications must be submitted online via the Gilead grants portal. The website will be accepting applications from 4 March 2024 to 23:59 AEST on to 26 April 2024. All applicants will need to register on the website to gain access to the application portal. After starting an application online, the form can be saved, and the application continued at a later date. All applications must be completed and submitted by the closing date; incomplete applications and applications submitted after this will not be considered. Please note all correspondence and notifications to applicants will be via email where possible.

What are the key components that should be included in the application?

To assist you with completing your application, the following guidance outlines what should be considered for inclusion:

• Objective(s) and overview of the project, including a description of specific goals to be achieved and the population to be targeted
• Description of how the project is innovative
• Information regarding your/your team’s capacity to initiate and implement the project in a timely manner and complete the project within the specified time frame (i.e. by July 2026)
• Description of the sustainability of the project, including the potential for scaling up and reproduction in other settings
• Current clinical or research activities related to the area of application
• Relevant and project-specific data (i.e. evidence base) that support the need for the project
• Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-sensitive project milestones and action steps required to meet project goals
• Process for data collection and analysis, including which staff members will analyse the data
• Methodology for the collection and reporting of cost-effectiveness data and patient-related outcome data (which should ideally be measured using validated tools)
• Clear details of the budget required and the amount of funding being requested
• Disclosure of any other sources of funding applied for and/or granted
• Confirmation of the need for ethics approval and estimated timelines for approval or evidence of approval
• Name and contact details of the person within your organisation who is authorised to sign grant funding contracts
• There is no word limit. However we recommend keeping to under 200 words for each section.

No individual level data will be requested and no individual or aggregate data will be collected regarding prescribing patterns or treatment regimens, nor should any be submitted in response to a request for data. Organisations may collect and publish such data for their own purposes as per their internal policies.

Do applications need to include references?

References should be listed in the application where relevant. In addition, appropriate sources should be provided for all statistics cited in the application.

What ethics information should be included?

Obtaining ethics approval (if required) is a condition of funding being granted. Your application should indicate whether ethics approval is required and the estimated time of gaining this approval, confirming the body to which the application was made.