What Is the LeapRx Award?

The LeapRx Award is a competitive incubator and accelerator program jointly operated by Empire Discovery Institute and Novo Nordisk. It is designed to identify and advance promising early-stage drug discoveries from investigators at Empire Discovery Institute's founding academic partners, as well as from premier outside academic institutions in the US and Canada. Award amounts range between $300K to $5M in total program support over five years, reviewed annually. Successful projects transition into a licensed technology to Novo Nordisk.

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Following entry, the program is assigned a scientific project team comprised of PIs, select Advisory Board members at Novo Nordisk and Empire Discovery Institute, and a project manager. The Project Team develops a tailored work plan including milestone objectives, budget, and a performance timeline. The work plan may be executed as a sponsored research arrangement between Empire Discovery Institute and the PI’s home research institution. Further, Empire Discovery Institute coordinates and manages the sponsored research project through its network of contract research organizations, specialty service providers, pharmaceutical industry experts, and consultants. Specific aspects of the project performed in the PI's laboratory receives financial payments linked to specific work plan-driven milestones. Advancement to the next level of support is determined on an annual basis by Novo Nordisk and Empire Discovery Institute's Advisory Board.