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 in areas lacking a current evidence base that demonstrate the potential for scaling and sustainability, and have a clear plan for data collection, monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of project outputs.

The application window for OPTIMISE BBV is open from Monday 16th June until Monday 8th September 2025

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 application window for CAR T is open from Friday 4th April until Friday 4th July 2025.

This year, Gilead are particularly interested in supporting innovative projects focused on HIV prevention and treatment, 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:
• Delivering 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 application window for HIV is open from Monday 3rd March until Friday 23rd May 2025.

Gilead are looking to accept applications for any project that supports innovation and best practice sharing with the aim to improve care and/or reduce inequalities in the field of oncology. Priority will be given to projects focussing on solid tumours, particularly breast cancer. Funding can be used to support a variety of projects including, but not limited to:

• 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 amongst 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 carers

The application window for Oncology is open from Thursday 1st May until Friday 15th August 2025.

The Liver Disease Fellowship and Medical Grants programme will support innovative projects and initiatives that ultimately lead to an Improved awareness and diagnosis of liver diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis (B, C and delta) and primary biliary cholangitis. We are accepting applications in the following areas:

• Improved awareness and diagnosis of liver diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis (B, C and delta) and primary biliary cholangitis
• Optimised linkage to care and/or management of people living with liver diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis (B, C and Delta) and primary cholangitis, including peer support
• Better understanding of, and reduction in, variations in care for people living with liver diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis, and improved experiences of people from marginalised communities
• Improved use of data to diagnose people with liver diseases, with a focus on viral hepatitis and PBC and identify those lost to follow up
• Better understanding of quality of life implications for people living with PBC
• Societal and health economic implications of the burden of reduced quality of life related to PBC and HDV

The application window for Liver Disease is open from Monday 14th April to Friday 18th July 2025.