Pfizer Announces a Research Grant RFP
2023 Global Migraine ASPIRE*
Competitive Research Grant Programusing
Expert Review Panel

Pfizer Global Medical Grants (GMG) supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies. Pfizer’s GMG competitive grant program involves a publicly posted Request for Proposal (RFP) that provides detail regarding a specific area of interest, sets timelines for review and approval, and uses an expert review panel (ERP) to make final grant decisions. Organizations are invited to submit an application addressing the specific gaps in research, practice or care as outlined in the specific RFP. For all Investigator Sponsored Research (ISRs) and general research grants, the grant requester (and ultimately the grantee) is responsible for the design, implementation, sponsorship, and conduct of the independent initiative supported by the grant, including compliance with any regulatory requirements. Pfizer must not be involved in any aspect of study protocol or project development, nor the conduct or monitoring of the research program. An ISR grant request cannot be submitted for a study that has already commenced and was not originally supported by Pfizer.

*ASPIRE: Advancing Science and Patient care through Innovative Research and Education

Competitive Grant Program Eligibility

Geographic Scope
  • Global
Applicant Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible:

  • Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or medical practice groups.
  • The applicant (PI) must have a medical or postdoctoral degree (MD, PhD, or equivalent), an advanced nursing degree (BSN with a MS/PhD), or an advanced degree in Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Social Work or Public Health.
  • Applicant must be affiliated with a host institution.
  • Pfizer believes that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for, and we work to further this goal by encouraging grant requestors with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to apply

Requirements

Date RFP Issued
  • December 7, 2022
Applicant Eligibility Criteria
  • Migraine
Area of Interest Focus

The intent of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to support: 

  • Research on the therapeutic application of an oral CGRP antagonist, rimegepant, in migraine, headache, and other diseases where CGRP antagonism may be of clinical benefit
  • The development of tools for clinicians and patients to improve the care of migraine patients
  • Research regarding health disparities associated with migraine

The following areas of research will be considered in-scope:

  • Rimegepant: Novel or unexplored applications in the treatment of migraine, headache and other disease areas; drug combination studies in migraine, key migraine subpopulations
    • Projects may include basic, translational, clinical or real-world evidence research. Basic and translations studies should focus on clinically relevant research questions.
  • Migraine headache (general): Impact on quality of life and patient reported outcomes; development of clinical tools/methods for monitoring/improving patient care and treatment outcomes
    • Projects may include clinical or real-world evidence research, as well as other appropriate methodologies for the proposed research.

Out of scope:

  • Head-to-head/comparative studies
  • Studies that overlap with ongoing clinical research activities or other ISRs

(Note for clinical research studies requesting drug supply: Drug supply refers only to those countries where a drug has regulatory marketing authorization and commercial stock supply is available)

Expected Approximate Monetary Range of Grant Applications
  • Individual projects requesting up to $500,000 USD will be considered. Pfizer anticipates awarding up to 4-6 grants.
  • The amount of the grant Pfizer will be prepared to fund for any project will depend upon the expert review panel’s evaluation of the proposal and costs involved and will be stated clearly in the approval notification.
Key Dates
  • RFP release date: December 7, 2022
  • LOI due date: February 15, 2023 [Please note the deadline is 23:59 Eastern Time (New York, GMT -5).]
  • Review of LOIs by ERP: March 2023
  • Anticipated LOI Notification Date: April 2023
  • Full Proposal Deadline: *May 2023 *Only accepted LOIs will be invited to submit full proposals [Please note the deadline is 23:59 Eastern Time (New York, GMT -5).]
  • Review of Full Proposals by ERP: June 2023
  • Anticipated Full Proposal Notification Date: July 2023
  • Grants will be distributed following a fully executed agreement and submission of Final Protocol, documentation of IRB/IEC approval, regulatory approval (if applicable), exemption or waiver.
How to Apply
  • Please go to www.cybergrants.com/pfizer/loi and sign in. First-time users should click “Create your password”. [Note: there are individual portals for each grant application type (e.g., knowledge, LOI, research full proposal, and QI full proposal). Please be sure to use the URL above.]
  • Click the “Start a New LOI” button.

Requirements for submission:

  • For the question “Competitive Grant?” select Yes
  • Select the following Competitive Grant Program Name: 2023 IM Global: Migraine Research
  • Complete all required sections of the online application. See Appendix A for additional details
  • If you encounter any technical difficulties with the website, please click the “Technical Questions” link at the bottom of the page
Questions:
  • If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to the Grant Officer, Jessica Romano (Jessica.Romano@pfizer.com), with the subject line: “2023 Global Migraine Research.”
  • Please click here to view Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Competitive Grant Program
Grant Agreements:
  • If your grant is approved, your institution will be required to enter into a written grant agreement with Pfizer. Please click here to view the core terms of the agreement.
  • Pfizer has drafted the terms of these agreements to be balanced and reasonable and to further the goals of both parties. Negotiating grant agreements requires significant resources, so please ensure that your institution (including your legal department) is able and willing to abide by these terms before proceeding with submission of your application as they will need to be accepted in their entirety.
Review and Approval Process
  • Grant requests received in response to a specific RFP are reviewed by an expert review panel (ERP) to make final grant decisions.
  • The panels are comprised of professionals from the medical community with advanced degrees and expertise in particular clinical areas, or specific needs of a geographic region/learner group, or expertise in research, continuing professional development or quality improvement.
Mechanism by which Applicants will be Notified:
  • All applicants will be notified via email by the dates noted above
  • Applicants may be asked for additional clarification during the review period

Appendix A

Letter of Intent (LOI) Requirements

The Letter of Intent (LOI) will be accepted via the online application. When answering the LOI questions in the application please keep the following in mind:

Goals and Objectives
  • Provide the main goal of the study and the study population (if applicable). Provide a detailed definition that is directly linked to the primary objective
Assessment of Need for the Project
  • This should reflect your study rationale. Provide a brief description of the medical/scientific question and the rationale of how this trial or study addresses the question
Target Audience
  • Describe the primary audience(s) targeted for this project. For Investigator Sponsored Clinical Trials, please specify the age, gender and other demographic information for trial population
  • Also indicate whom you believe will directly benefit from the project outcomes. Describe the overall population size as well as the size of your sample population
Project Design and Methods
  • Describe concisely the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. For a clinical interventional study, include inclusion/exclusion criteria, treatment plan and statistical plan
Innovation
  • Explain what measures you have taken to assure that this project idea is original and does not duplicate other projects. Describe how this project builds upon existing work, pilot projects, or ongoing projects developed either by your institution or other institutions related to this project
Evaluation and Outcomes
  • Specify type and frequency of safety, efficacy, and/or outcome measures. Also indicate the method(s) used to assess measures
  • Provide a publication plan describing intended submission of abstracts to (a) congress(es) or intended submission of (a) publication(s) to peerreviewed journals.
Anticipated Project Timeline
  • f there is any additional information you feel Pfizer should be aware of concerning the importance of this project, please summarize here. • Please describe how the project submitted supports diversity, equity, and inclusion either through the study population targeted or through the project team that is directly involved.
  • Early-career applicants: Describe the support the applicant will receive from mentor(s) and collaborators and how the award will advance the applicant’s career. Letter(s) of support will be requested at the Full Proposal stage if your LOI is accepted and you are invited to submit a Full Proposal.
Organization Detail
  • This information is used to assess the capability of the organizational resources available to perform the effort proposed. Identify the facilities to be used [laboratory, animal, clinical and “other”]. If appropriate, indicate their capacities, pertinent capabilities, relative proximity and extent of availability to the project.
Budget Detail
  • A total amount requested is the only information needed for the LOI stage. Full Budget is not required. This amount can be adjusted at the Full Proposal stage as applicable.
  • The budget amount requested must be in U.S. dollars (USD).
  • While estimating your budget please keep the following items in mind:
    • General organizational running costs such as insurances, heating, lighting, rent, building maintenance may be included. Pfizer does not provide funding for capital purchases (infrastructure expenses such as equipment, purchases of software or software licenses, technology or bricks and mortar). Equipment hire/leasing is acceptable and may be included in project budget.
    • The inclusion of these costs cannot cause the amount requested to exceed the budget limit set forth in the RFP.
    • It should be noted that grants awarded through GMG cannot be used to purchase Pfizer therapeutic agents (prescription or nonprescription).
  • Pfizer maintains a company-wide, maximum allowed overhead rate of 28% for independent studies and projects. Please click here for details.
Pfizer Research Grant RFP