Drug Development Grants

Drug Development Grants support the preclinical research, development and assessment of potential therapeutics for MND/ALS through to (and including) completion of Phase I clinical trials.

Drug Development Grants Criteria 

Drug Development Grants are further categorised into the following two tiers:  

Stage 1 – Drug Development Grants are awarded with an offer of up to AUD $550,000 with a project performance of up to 3 years. Projects must focus on the development of drug candidates, including candidates for which little or no preliminary data has been obtained. Outcomes should: provide solid evidence on whether or not a candidate drug(s) is suitable and worthy of progressing further through the MND drug development pipeline; and generate data suitable for progressing to a Stage 2 Drug Development Grant and/or data that supports the further development of the candidate drug(s) towards IND-enabling studies and a clinical trial for MND.  

 Stage 2 – Drug Development Grants are awarded with an offer of $1,200,000 in support for 3-year projects. Projects should focus on the further development of a candidate drug(s) that is in hand through to completion of Phase I clinical trials. There should already be solid preclinical evidence in one or more models of MND that demonstrates the candidate drug(s) has strong potential as a therapeutic(s) for MND and data that provides considerable merit for further development and generating IND-enabling data, and a clinical trial for MND. Projects can include generating robust pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data, but applicants should already have supporting PK/PD data in hand that is presented in and backs the project proposal.  

IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR Drug Development Grants 2026

Partner Organisations: Applications for Drug Development Grants must include at least one Partner Organisation.  

The purpose of this partnership is to promote collaboration between researchers and other sectors to ensure research findings advance to a stage competitive for industry investment (government schemes or private sector funding) and support the translation pathway through to commercialisation, that will ultimately improve health and medical outcomes for people living with MND. 

Eligibility: Applications are open to MND/ALS researchers globally. If applying for a Phase I clinical trial, Australian trial sites and participants are mandatory. 

Application Limits

Applicants are limited to THREE (3) applications per person in total as an investigator (Primary or Co-Investigator) across all research schemes (excluding Fellowships).  There is no restriction on grants as a collaborator.

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Videos to guide your submission using the FightMND Grant Management System – Fluxx: