Collaborative Laboratory to foster Translation and Drug Discovery
AccelBio Open Call 2025
Deadline Extension – AccelBio Open Call 2025
New Submission Deadline
May 2nd (14:00 GMT)
The AccelBio Open Call is a translational support program selecting projects with the most promising prospects of transitioning from research into clinical product candidates.
Application Period
March 15th - April 30th (17:00 GMT)
March 15th - May 2nd (14:00 GMT)
Pre-selection Phase
May
Presentation and Interview
June
Communication of Results
July
Start of the project
September
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
The ultimate goal of the AccelBio Open Call is to capitalize on the best Portuguese discoveries, transforming them into innovative drug assets.
This Open Call aims to foster a collaborative research project that integrates early discovery expertise with translational research to design an 18-month experimental roadmap focused on drug discovery. The selected project will be developed in close collaboration between AccelBio and the Applicant, ensuring alignment with best practices in translational research.
This Programme is open to any Portuguese public or private non-profit legal entity (universities, research centres, hospitals) who may wish to submit proposals of projects from their research activity with potential to be made into assets with clinical therapeutic potential.
Eligible Proposals must be from the life sciences field, related to human health and drug discovery.
Eligible Proposals must have potential to develop pharmaceutical therapies mainly in the following therapeutic areas: oncology, neurosciences, infectious diseases, immunology, metabolism and/or cardiovascular.
The following Projects are non-eligible for this Call:
Fundamental research projects without a clear definition of activity aimed to generate an Asset to be transferred to the society as a solution to an identified unmet clinical need.
Projects presenting assets without possibility to generate new IP, such as those based on existing IP, subject to pre-existing commitments, lacking novelty, or focused on early-stage discovery and hypothesis generation.
Translational projects on development of diagnostic tools (biomarkers, diagnostic tests, etc.), medical devices, tissue engineering and biomaterials and health digital tools.
Selected Projects will be supported according to their specific needs, nature, and maturity stage in order to:
Characterise an Asset/s and identify its potential value to society and its market potential.
Complete or execute value creating activities through a defined point-of-value in the development plan, including target validation, Hit discovery, lead optimization and pre-clinical studies.
Design strategies to access main stakeholders (end users, companies, investors etc.).
Establish a plan to make the product(s) attractive for investors and potential licensees in the biomedical sector.
The evaluation process will consist in 3 phases:
Eligibility check: AccelBio management and translational teams will conduct an initial eligibility check to ensure compliance with the criteria outlined in the Rules of Participation.
Pre-selection: Eligible applications will undergo a remote evaluation conducted by up to three (3) external Evaluators from the Evaluation Committee. The evaluation criteria, each assigned varying weights, include:
ASSET: Assessment of the quality of science and the novelty or originality of the Asset/s (35%);
TEAM: Examination of the suitability of the team to develop the proposed project (10%);
FINANCE: Assessment of the financial sustainability for project development (25%);
BUSINESS CASE and IMPACT: Scrutiny of the strategy, needs, and expected outcomes pertaining to the business case and impact (30%).
(Phase III) Selection: Pre-selected applicants will be invited to participate in a remote presentation and interview conducted by the Evaluation Committee. Both the presentation and interview will be remote. The evaluation will rely on the assessments conducted by the members of the Evaluation Committee, with each member providing a qualitative evaluation.
Full details on the evaluation process can be found in the document Guidelines for Evaluation.
Only applications submitted through the AccelBio Open Call 2025 form will be assessed for evaluation.
In case multiple applications are submitted for the same project proposal, only the latest submitted proposal will be considered for evaluation.
Projects selected through the AccelBio Open Call 2025 will receive a financial award of up to €50,000 to cover services and consumables. In addition, AccelBio will provide strategic support to refine the project, and assist in developing a Valorisation Plan.
To support Project Leaders and Selected Projects in their journey, AccelBio has established a comprehensive program built on three pillars:
Technical Support: Each project is paired with a translational researcher who collaborates with the Project Leader and team to formulate a Valorisation Plan. This plan guides the execution of proposed activities, such as validation and testing, prototyping, and business strategy design.
Financial support: Experiments are conducted either at AccelBio Associates Labs or at the Beneficiary Institution, with funding support of up to €50,000 for consumables and services (other types of costs are excluded). All the consumables and/or services must be acquired by AccelBio. Importantly, no direct bank transfers will be made between AccelBio and the beneficiary; funding will be allocated directly to cover approved project expenses. Nevertheless, The Beneficiary Institution remains the key source of biological insights, interpretation of experimental results, research tools, scientific steering, and creativity
Expert Advice: The project will encompass industrial good practices, such as robust quality control, outcome-driven project management, the understanding of target druggability, compound lead and drug likeness, and the ability to operate across multiple disciplines needed to successfully carry out drug discovery projects. AccelBio will actively guide the progress of activities, fostering collaboration and creating opportunities for business development.
This collaborative framework ensures that selected projects are scientifically robust, market-aligned, and strategically positioned for future development and investment.
For further information, please read the Rules for application and the Evaluation Guide or contact geral@accelbio.pt
