Gilead UK and Ireland Fellowship and Medical Grants Programme

The successful roll out of Opt-Out BBV (HIV, HCV and HBV) Testing in Emergency Departments (ED) in England, has been a welcome step forward in our ability to achieve the WHO Elimination targets for HIV, HCV and HBV. Those newly diagnosed with a blood borne virus, need timely linkage to care to benefit from early access to baseline assessment, disease area education, peer support, harm minimisation measures to prevent onward transmission, and appropriate clinical management.

Gilead Sciences Ltd aims to continue to support the UK & Ireland’s ambition of achieving the WHO 2030 BBV Elimination goals, recognising that we have a limited window of opportunity, and novel approaches will be required. Gilead will support this through the OPTIMISE-BBV Grants Programme, a competitive grants-funding programme, which aims to maximise the opportunities with Opt-Out BBV testing and linkage to care.

The Grants programme will support innovative projects and initiatives which: (suggestions, not limited to):

• Pilot/ Proof of concept Opt-Out BBV testing in a broader range of Healthcare and Community settings where high prevalence rates of HIV/ HCV/ HBV are expected (e.g Primary Care, Women’s Health Hubs, Psychiatry services, Acute Medical Units, Dermatology services, Migrant Health services, and services targeting underserved populations).
• Support expansion of the scope of screening and linkage to care project work in Trusts that have already implemented or are in the process of setting up Opt-Out BBV ED testing.
• Emphasise integrated Opt-Out BBV testing and linkage to care - must demonstrate engagement and leadership from the front-line service (e.g., GP) with clear pathways for results management and linkage to care.
• Evaluate innovative approaches to optimising patient pathways and rapid access to care for those newly diagnosed.
• Enhance patient support programmes and tools - focus on addressing stigma, community outreach and engagement, disease awareness and prevention of transmission.

Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate the potential for scaling and sustainability and that have a clear plan for data collection, monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of project outputs.

The application window for OPTIMISE BBV is open from Monday 2nd September until Friday 18th October 2024

The Kite and Gilead UK & Ireland Fellowship and Medical Grants Programme supports innovative research and best practice sharing to help improve the lives of patients within the field of CAR T cell therapy and haemato-oncology. The Fellowship and Medical Grants Programme is looking to support projects (up to £50,000) that focus on the CAR T cell therapy patient pathway. This can include, but is not limited to, activities such as:

• Initiatives to facilitate improved efficiency in patient care and shared care pathways between referring and CAR T treatment centres
• Audits assessing patient profiles, disease outcomes, access to care and treatment patterns
• Initiatives to improve monitoring of patient-reported outcomes, quality of life measures or educational tools for patients and carers
• New infrastructure/processes established for better diagnosis or detection of disease, or prediction or monitoring of safety and efficacy outcomes to treatment
• Investigations into better detection and treatment of specific patient populations and sub-types

Projects which fall outside of the scope highlighted above, but which will add clinical value, or which investigate an area of unmet need can also be submitted and will be reviewed on their merit.

The 2024 application window for CAR T is now closed.

We are accepting grant applications for projects and initiatives from healthcare and third sector organisations that support the shared ambition of Getting to Zero. Fellowship and Medical Grant funding can be used to support projects and initiatives focusing on the following areas:

• Zero new HIV transmissions:
• Testing initiatives including in non-traditional settings to reduce late diagnosis
• Prevention awareness initiatives or non-traditional healthcare navigators
• Community-led initiatives to increase engagement in prevention and care
• Engaging and enhancing the capacity of Faith Communities to tackle HIV
• Improving wellbeing and reducing stigma towards people living with and at risk of HIV
• Zero difference in HIV-related stigma, health outcomes and quality of life for people living with HIV:
• Community outreach and educational programmes: Innovative community outreach projects that reach populations that need greater health support through engagement, education and empowerment
• Supporting projects that will specifically help tackle inequalities for people living with HIV in healthcare and improve the experiences of people from marginalised communities
• Establishing novel patient support programmes or tools
• Zero persons lost to care:
• Finding and re-engaging people lost to care back within HIV health services
• Identifying, engaging and supporting communities who are at risk of being lost to care
• Implementing strategies to improve retention in care
• Demonstrating the role of a cross sector approach to supporting people to engage in their care
• Accessing and utilising UKHSA data made available for NHS trusts

The 2024 application window for HIV is now closed.

We are inviting applications for audit, surveillance, antifungal stewardship, best practice sharing or registry projects, which aim to assess one or more of the criteria below: 

• Priority: The incidence and clinical impact of antifungal resistance in patients with IFD
• The impact of socio-economic status on the incidence and outcomes of IFD
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on the management of IFD
• Novel approaches to aid the diagnosis and/or management of IFD including the use of artificial intelligence
• The incidence and/or outcomes of IFD in patients with a viral respiratory co-infection, e.g. influenza, COVID-19
• The changing epidemiology and incidence of IFD – new patient cohorts

The 2024 application window for IFD is now closed.

The Fellowship and Medical Grants Programme is looking to support projects and initiatives, which ultimately lead to an improvement in oncology care.

Projects designed to tackle inequalities in cancer care among patient groups with poorer outcomes and/or access to care are particularly welcome.

The Fellowship and Medical Grants funding can be used to support a variety of projects including, but not limited to:

• Audits or registry reviews assessing patient profiles, disease outcomes and treatment patterns
• Setting up new infrastructure for better diagnosis or detection of disease, or prediction or monitoring of safety and efficacy outcomes to treatment, including increased disease awareness in primary care and among members of the public
• Establishing novel patient support programmes or tools
• New protocols to facilitate improved efficiency in patient care pathways
• Frameworks to improve monitoring of patient-reported outcome measures or quality of life instruments or educational tools for patients and careers

Priority will be given to those projects that focus on solid tumours particularly patients with breast cancer.

If you have a project that falls outside of this scope, but will add clinical value or which investigates an area of unmet need in the field of oncology, you may still apply. All applications will be appraised based on their individual merit and focus on driving positive change in patient care. 

The 2024 application window for Oncology is now closed.

The Viral Hepatitis Fellowship and Medical Grants programme will support innovative projects and initiatives that ultimately lead to an improvement in awareness, diagnosis, linkage to care and/or management of people living with viral hepatitis (B, C and Delta).

The Fellowship programme will also support proposals that implement new initiatives focussed on improving viral hepatitis care in those living with HIV, and those with higher sexual health risk of viral hepatitis acquisition.

The 2024 application window for Viral Hepatitis is now closed.