EIT Health Start-ups Meet Pharma Accelerator

Start-ups that help Europe’s pharma industry solve healthcare challenges gain support and contacts.

Your innovative healthcare solution could be exactly what major pharmaceutical companies are looking for. In this programme, pharma companies set challenges that matter to them and work in partnership with start-ups whose ideas match those challenges.

If you offer an attractive solution, you will collaborate with top experts in your field and obtain development support from a major pharmaceutical company. You will receive a tailored training programme designed to help your start-up achieve success. You will also gain one-on-one access to your pharma sponsors, allowing you to develop relationships with key stakeholders and industry leaders. Past sponsors include industry titans like Pfizer, Bayer, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim and Beiersdorf.

The challenges

For 2021, the programme is seeking start-ups that address the following four challenges, which are provided by Merck, AstraZeneca, Takeda and Amgen:

Facilitate patients’ identification/screening in clinical trials (in collaboration with Amgen): Clinical trials in oncology/hematology are competitive and more and more complex. Patient identification based on specific criteria/profile is a key element of site feasibility. Current solutions do not allow us to estimate recruitment potential in a timely manner. Centres of excellence or cooperative groups with a large portfolio of clinical trials (academic and industrial) need support through innovative solutions to manage the identification and triaging of patients in defined clinical trials. The ideal solution, therefore, should allow better patient identification, higher recruitment and support for data management.

Integrated care for chronic kidney disease patients: Focus on early diagnosis and prevention of life-threatening complications (in collaboration with AstraZeneca): Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is common but highly under-diagnosed and under-recognised by healthcare providers. There is a need for a holistic approach, starting with understanding of risk factors and adequate treatment and disease monitoring. The ideal solution would be an integrated care solution consisting of both system and patient management algorithm and tools, including: (a) a digital solution for patients and healthcare personnel to improve early-stage CKD diagnosis and monitoring; or (b) solution/technology to inter-connect all specialties involved in CKD Diagnosis, treatment management and monitoring, to improve kidney health, and reduce the demand of kidney transplants and dialysis

Digital remote monitoring and support solutions for patients living with multiple sclerosis (in collaboration with Merck): Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. The key focus of the challenge is about digital remote monitoring and support solutions for patients with MS. The solutions would be used for monitoring disease evolution and/or monitoring of the patient’s quality of life and/or support patients to manage symptoms and maintain high adherence to therapies based on orals medication.

Digital and personalized health for adult ADHD (in collaboration with Takeda): Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 2.5% of adults worldwide. Healthcare personnel may perceive diagnosing adult ADHD as a complex and time-consuming task. Digital solutions can offer help for clinical decision making; for example to confirm adult ADHD diagnosis, personalize the treatment with AI, and to set a baseline for outcome-based treatment monitoring. Solutions for this challenge may include, but are not limited to: gamification, augmented reality/virtual reality, machine learning/artificial intelligence, wearables, sensors, Internet of Things used for clinical decision-making support, support for diagnosis, personalized treatment, and treatment response monitoring.

Who should apply

You should have a company with a validated proof of concept, market validation and prototype that matches one of the challenges released by the pharma companies.

Your company must be based in any Horizon Europe country.

Informative webinars

Find out more about how and why to apply by joining one of our webinars, which provide a detailed overview of the programme, its timeline and the selection process. They will take place on 24th of February 2021, 11:00 CET; and 9th of March, 2021, 12:00 CET.

Key Details

Application period: 25 January-16 March 2021, 23:59 CET

Programme dates:

The program consists of four different modules with the objective to train and prepare startups to discuss collaboration opportunities with pharma companies.

Module 1 (17-21/05/2021, Online/Heidelberg): 5 days “Entrepreneurship training”. Startups will receive tailored workshops on different tools and methods to successfully build their business.
Module 2 (07-11/06/2021, Online/Heidelberg): 5 days workshops by pharma partners involved in the program on how to collaborate with big players in the market.
Module 3 (2-23/07/2021, Online/pharma companies´premises): Startups will visit selected pharma companies involved in the program to discuss collaboration opportunities.
Module 4 (November 2021): Demo Day. Startups pitch in front of pharma company representatives, investors, EIT Health partners, stakeholders.

Programme location: Hybrid, with online sessions and sessions in Heidelberg, Germany and other locations in Europe.

Programme cost: Free of charge

Apply here by 16 March 2021