The European Commission has offered a €2 million prize to encourage inventors to overcome one of the biggest barriers to using vaccines in developing countries: the need to keep them stable at any ambient temperature. It is the first time the European Commission has offered a so-called inducement prize to stimulate research and innovation in the
European Union.
Applicants from all backgrounds, such as SMEs, industrial or academic research groups, are invited to compete for the Vaccine Prize. The competition does not prescribe any particular approach and, in a break from the Framework Programme norm, allows the participants to present their application in the way they deem most appropriate. After having submitted their proposal, a jury of high-level experts from appropriate areas of industry, SMEs and academia will award 2 Million Euros to the best solution.
The Vaccine Prize particularly aims to attract inventors who have not participated in a research programme by the European Commission before.
The competition requires a registration before 30 April 2013 and closes on 3 September 2013.
The relevant forms and more information can be found under http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/vaccine-prize_en.html.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with the DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR RESEARCH & INNOVATION
team under RTD-VACCINE-PRIZE@ec.europa.eu.