THE CONTEST FOR THE GREATEST BREAKTHROUGH

Rolling back to the beginning of 2020, even before most people were aware what was ahead of them, numerous vaccine candidates against the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 virus got out of the starting blocks. To date, around 300 vaccine projects are working on vaccines targeting Covid-19. So far, four vaccines have been successfully approved in Europe. The surprise success came with the mRNA vaccines, which had not really been tested before. A true breakthrough innovation! Was the work of the 296 teams, whose vaccine candidates were not (yet) successful, in vain? Of course not! Because they too have increased knowledge in this field with their research; they found methods that work and tested ideas that did not succeed.

Once again, the history of vaccine development has demonstrated how important it is to work simultaneously and in parallel with different approaches and different teams to find solutions to the grand challenges facing humanity. Through this we have learned to accept that dead ends can also bring us closer to our goal.

While each individual solution has a high risk of failure, working in parallel on different solutions can increase the likelihood of overcoming a challenge, even on the scale of a pandemic. SPRIND has also adopted this insight with its innovation challenges. True to the motto: Bet on the race, not on the horse.

SPRIND CHALLENGES

SPRIND Challenges are innovation competitions that aim to find solutions to the grand societal and technological challenges of our time. They create a vision of a better future connecting scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who can make this vision a reality. We are convinced that the potential for breakthrough innovation only becomes real in its implementation. That is why the SPRIND Challenge Teams get funding quickly, unbureaucratically and immediately start working in a multi-stage competition. At the end of each stage, our jury evaluates the teams' progress with only the most promising remaining in the Challenge and receiving further financial support to develop their idea.

WANTED: A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE FIGHT AGAINST VIRAL INFECTIONS

The first SPRIND Challenge A Quantum Shift for New Antiviral Agents is based on this concept. Not only since the Covid 19 pandemic, we know: Viruses are a threat to human health worldwide. New vaccines can help to show the way out of the pandemic. However, despite the remarkable success of these vaccines, there is still a great need for antiviral drugs to be able to help those who have already fallen ill. To date, the arsenal of available treatments is, unfortunately, still limited. Looking at outbreaks of SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, Ebola or Influenza shows that we must be better prepared for future epidemics and pandemics. There are still (too) many viral diseases for which to date there are no effective drugs.

In order to protect people's health, new antiviral drugs that are broadly effective or can be quickly made available are needed.

PEOPLE WITH RADICAL NEW IDEAS FOR OUR SPRIND CHALLENGE

For enabling a breakthrough in the development of antiviral drugs, we must rely on new technological approaches. That is why, the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation has launched the SPRIND Challenge A Quantum Shift for New Antiviral Agents. Within the Challenge, a number of teams compete over the course of three years to find the most promising solutions in the fight against viral diseases.

Our jury drawn from science and industry has selected nine challenge teams that combine the expertise of leading universities, non-university research institutions and biotech companies from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain and France. With their expertise and drive to implement, these nine teams convinced the jury with their ideas on achieving a breakthrough for novel antiviral drugs.

The teams will receive funding over the next 12 months as part of the first stage of the Challenge. After the first year they are assessed on progress made towards a breakthrough. Their work starts immediately, because every day counts. For the allocation of the funds, SPRIND is applying a new innovation funding mechanism called ‘pre-commercial procurement’. Compared to established processes for state innovation funding, pre-commercial procurement allows a much faster allocation of funds. Its formal requirements are less complicated, so that even smaller teams and start-ups can participate successfully and without special grant application know-how. Less than two months will pass between the end of the application period for the first SPRIND Challenge and the disbursement of the first funds. This means that the work on breakthrough innovations can quickly get out of the starting blocks for the overall benefit of mankind’s health.

Learn more about the nine participating teams.