Funding for technology partnering increases to £50k
EU-based academics and SMEs whose technology is featured on the NC3Rs CRACK IT Solutions partnering platform will now be able to apply for funding of up to £50k to support collaborations that are identified through the platform.
CRACK IT Solutions accelerates the translation of technologies with 3Rs potential by helping to identify new partners and customers to use, develop and validate the technology. The Solutions scheme previously offered awards of up to £30k for 12 months’ work, but the amount of funding available has been increased in order to facilitate larger-scale projects and better meet the needs of Solution providers and their collaborators.
Solution providers have previously used this funding to support a variety of different projects including the validation of newly developed models, applying existing models to a novel application, or increasing the throughput of technologies to facilitate wider uptake.
Technologies previously featured through the Solutions platform have been developed into commercially viable products or have gone on to secure large amounts of additional funding for further development. Barcelona-based SME ZeClinics recently received €1.87 million of EU funding to further develop and commercialise their ZeCardio platform, which utilises zebrafish larvae for cardiotoxicity screening and avoids the use of mammals. ZeCardio, which analyses multiple parameters inherent to the physiology of the zebrafish larvae heart and vasculature, was originally developed through a partnership with a major pharmaceutical company that was facilitated through CRACK IT Solutions.
Submissions to the Solutions scheme can be made all year round, and funding applications from Solution providers are assessed on a quarterly basis. For further information about submitting a Solution or applying for funding, visit the CRACK IT Solutions homepage.