THE CHALLENGE
Driving Transformation in the Oncology Journey
According to WHO (World Health Organization) the number of new cases of cancer is expected to grow exponentially over the next two decades around the world. Cancer mortality burden in Latin America is greater than in Europe or USA, and will rise to more than 1 million cancer deaths per year by 2030.
The pharmaceutical industry, health ministries and health-care systems in middle - and low-income countries face many challenges in terms of care for cancer patients. They embrace a long and complex journey that goes from solving/improving access hurdles to finding breakthrough therapies, and improving the patient care experience.
We are looking for partners willing to tackle this huge challenge with us, focusing on achieving now what cancer patients need next. Together we are always better.
Can we count on you to enter this exciting transformation journey?
Subcategories
Oncology Discoveries
We are actively looking for R&D teams/startups to bring in first- and best-in-class therapeutics, as well as new technology platforms that have the potential to transform discovery and generate innovative medicines beyond the standard of care.
- Cancer immunotherapy: therapeutics against novel targets that promote immunity against cancer, by modulating immune effector cell functions and the tumor microenvironment.
- Molecular targeted therapies: we firmly believe in the importance of genomic and patient outcome data. We are looking for partnerships that provide access to platforms, technologies and data that foster our interest in healthcare data.
- Innovative technologies: partnerships that augment our R&D capabilities and our portfolio, particularly within the following modalities - small molecules, antibodies/proteins, targeted therapeutics, oligonucleotide-based therapeutics and drug delivery.
Oncology going Digital
We are engaged in enhancing the efficiency of healthcare delivery by bringing digital solutions that increase the productivity of hospitals and empower cancer patients for a better post-hospital care management:
- Hospital management and operational excellence softwares.
- Patient-centric integrated care management platforms.
- Hospital performance reporting tools for patient transparency.
- Home medical devices and technologies for remote care.
- Smart healthcare wearable devices.
Oncology Way in
We are looking to solve the inequitable distribution of resources and cancer care services throughout the country, through solutions that:
- Bridge more patients to the cancer care system.
- Improve cancer scanning and detection.
- Improve qualification/distribution of health-care professionals and equipment.
FAQ
1. What is being awarded and to how many startups/project teams?
One winner startup/project team will be awarded with:
- Subsidy of corporate services (definition of business model, growth strategy, or internal structure, according to the level of maturity of the startup/team);
- (i) Financial aid (reimbursement) for expenses with reagents and office material (except the related objects in the Art 10 of the Brazilian Decree nº 70.951/72, for example: medicines, fuel etc) or;
(ii) Sponsorship for participation in a reference event/congress (for 1 person);
Full conditions related to the awards
should be consulted in the rules section.
2. Is it OK if some of the information I submit is confidential?
Please, do not submit confidential information. Roche will not request it during the process, and it is the entrepreneur’s responsibility to keep key information confidential.
3. What happens with Intellectual Property?
As this is a no strings attached arrangement, the IP remains with the inventors.
4. Is the challenge open only to Brazilians?
No, the challenge is open to startups/project teams from all over the world, since legally constituted and registered at their respective local tax authorities (company fiscal number) until the end of the evaluation phase. Academic teams without a fiscal number and that wish to register must obtain authorization of their universities/institutes if they want to register using their university/institute fiscal number.
5. What stage are startups/project teams eligible to apply?
The challenge is opened to startups/project teams in:
- Beta stage: Built prototype, pilot tests, MVP, proof of concept – including bench work.
- Launch stage: Finalized validation tests and technology/product/service already in the market.
6. What if I have a startup/project team not legally constituted and/or without registry at my local tax authorities?
You may still register for this challenge and benefit from connecting and being evaluated by our teams. However, if your startup/project team wishes to be eligible to the awards listed above, you should register normally and make arrangements to become legally establish as a company in your country (and get a fiscal number) until the end of the evaluation phase. Without the respective registration, the startup/project will not be allowed to earn the awards. If you are an academic research group without a fiscal number who wishes to register, please confirm with your university/institute if you can register using your university’s fiscal number and get their authorization.
7. How is the application process like?
The application process starts with your startup/project team submitting a proposal trough
this link. It will then have 2 rounds of evaluation – the first one is based on the online submitted proposals and the second one, for selected candidates only, based on interviews (on-site or remote). Please confer the rules section to understand exactly how the selection process takes place.
8. When and where will the winner be announced?
The winner will be announced at the International Fair of Business, Innovation and Technology (FINIT) which should take place in November 2017.
9. Where can I find out more about Roche partnering?
Visit:
www.roche.com/partnering
About the Award
Roche reserves the right to review and approve any finalist and may choose to refuse and/or revoke any award, at any time, acting in its sole and absolute discretion.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is one of the world’s largest biotech companies, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics. Roche’s personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Roche was one of the first companies to recognize the importance of external innovation. Roche Partnering was created more than 10 years ago with the aim of becoming the partner of choice for biotechnology companies and research institutes worldwide. Since then, we have maintained a model that values external innovation as highly as our own internally derived discoveries and established collaborations as the cornerstone of our R&D strategy. Through partnerships we can build a better future together with medicines and technologies that make a real difference to patients.
For more information please visit www.roche.com