FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below is a list of frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions, or require further clarity, please contact us at [email protected] 

  • The Brucellosis Vaccine Prize is a US $30 million competition which aims to incentivize vaccine developers (‘Solvers’) to submit their proposals for – and ultimately develop – a suitable vaccine that is efficacious, safe and viable for use against Brucella melitensis in small ruminants across the developing world. It is a global competition funded by AgResults (a collaborative initiative between the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and implemented by the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed). 

  • AgResults and GALVmed are looking for animal health, biotech, pharmaceutical companies and other organizations to develop and register a vaccine that is safe, efficacious, and viable for use against Brucella melitensis in small ruminants across the developing world.

    See Appendix 3 of the official Competition Rules document for details on the Minimum Viable Product Requirements. 

  • The Brucellosis Vaccine Prize will run from 2016 until 2026.

  • The Brucellosis Vaccine Prize is funded by AgResults, a collaborative initiative between the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in an effort to find innovative solutions from the private sector to seemingly intractable development challenges. GALVmed acts as the pilot manager and will manage the implementation of the prize over the nearly ten year timeline of the Competition

  • AgResults is a US $118 million multi-donor, multi-lateral initiative incentivizing and rewarding high-impact agricultural innovations that promote global food security, health, and nutrition through the design and implementation of prize competitions. GALVmed, the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines, makes livestock vaccines, medicines and diagnostics accessible and affordable to the millions in developing countries for whom livestock is a lifeline.

  • The Competition is structured in the following 3 phases:

    Phase 1: The Application Phase: Starting on November 18, 2016. Solvers can submit their initial application to participate in the Competition. Note, all Milestone 1 payments have now been awarded, following the November 2017 deadline.  Applications are still welcome fro organisations wishing to progress into Phase 2 of the Competition.

    Phase 2: The Solving Phase: During this phase Solvers can work towards the production of a proof-of-concept together with the other deliverables as outlined in Appendix 2 of the official Competition Rules document. This phase can start for each Solver upon successful application and leading up to the potential award of Milestone Payment 2.

    Phase 3: The Final Phase: During this phase, Solvers will be required to take their vaccine candidates from their 2nd Milestone Deliverables to a registered product (see Question 8 for more details). This phase can start for each Solver upon successful application and completion of Phase 2 and leading up to the potential award of the Grand Prize or Best in Class Prize.

  • Prize awards are subject to the requirements in the official Competition Rules.  

    First Milestone: The first Milestone Payment is a one-off payment of US $100,000, which may be awarded to a maximum of ten participants. Note: all milestone 1 payments have now been awarded, following the November 2017 deadline.  Applications are still welcome from organisations wishing to progress into Phase 2 of the Competition.

    Second Milestone: The second Milestone Payment is a one-off payment of US $1,000,000, which may be awarded to a maximum of four Solvers. Eligible Solvers may be awarded a maximum of two of these second Milestone Payments each.

    Grand Prize: There is only one Grand Prize, which may be awarded as a one-off payment of US $20,000,000.

    Best in Class Prize: The Best in Class Prize may be awarded as a one-off payment of US $5,000,000.

    It is possible that the Grand Prize and the Best in Class Prize might be awarded to the same participant.

  • In the final phase of the Competition, you will need to obtain an appropriate authorization for your registered product following the guidelines set forth by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In addition, the registration of the vaccine must be in a country which is either a current member of the International Cooperation on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH), (which includes members of the EU, Japan and the United States) or an AgResults donor country (i.e. the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States).

    Full details on requirements can be found in Section 7 of the official Competition Rules.

  • All Competition entries will be reviewed at each Milestone by the Judging Panel. The Judging Panel will consist of five experts with experience in the field of animal health, biological research and vaccine development, including regulatory affairs and vaccine commercialization. The Judging Panel will use detailed criteria, as set out in the full Appendices attached to the official Competition Rules, to evaluate Competition entries.

    You must ensure that you meet all the requirements set out in the official Competition Rules, to ensure that you are eligible for the Competition or to be awarded any Milestone Payment or Prize.

  • Organizations: If you’re a member of an organization with experience and expertise in researching, developing, registering, manufacturing and commercializing animal health products, your organization may enter. If the organization is lacking in any of these areas of expertise, an organization can partner with a third party organization which does have the required experience and expertise.

    Consortiums: Multiple organizations can also submit joint applications as part of a consortium. In these cases one organization will need to be identified as the primary participant in the Competition and will be responsible for signing the Rules and receiving Payments on behalf of the other consortium members.

    Academic / Research Organizations: We welcome applications from academic or purely research organizations as part of Phase 1.  They may also participate in Phase 2 and 3 of the Competition provided they supply evidence of support and commitment from a commercial or manufacturing organization which has the experience and expertise referred to in the Competition Rules.

    Individuals: Unfortunately the Competition is not open to individual entrants. 

  • You can submit multiple applications, as long as each submission is based on sufficiently different concepts or technologies for the proposed development of the vaccine.

  • Application Phase: Applications must be received by November 18, 2017 in order to be eligible for Milestone Payment 1.

    However, applications can be made at any time from November 18, 2016 up untile either (a) 1 year following the successful award of the Grand Prize or (b) November 18, 2026, whichever occurs earlier.

    See Section 5.1 of the official Competition Rules for details.

  • Your submission will be treated as confidential. All applicants will be asked to sign the official Competition Rules document, which contains strict confidentiality obligations for GALVmed.

  • As a Solver, you will retain ownership of your intellectual property (IP) in all discoveries, content, submissions, data, vaccines and other material developed or submitted as part of the Competition.

  • Guidance Note

    Competition Rules Clarification: April 2018

    At the end of the assessment of submissions for the Milestone 1 prizes, a review of the Competition was undertaken taking into account clarifications sought by Solvers and stakeholders. As a result of this AgResults has the following clarifications to the Competition Rules intended to improve understanding of the requirements specified in Appendix 2 and Appendix 3.

    Appendix 2: Milestone 2 Deliverables

    Section 4. Demonstration of proof of principle of Safety

    Clarification: “All stages of gestation” means a testing point within each of the 3 trimesters.

    Section 4 and 5 Demonstration of proof of principle of Safety and Efficacy respectively

    Clarification: Safety studies should be performed using the maximum intended release titre or potency for the vaccine. Efficacy studies should be performed using the minimum titre or potency intended for the vaccine at end of shelf life.

    Appendix 3: Minimum Viable Product “MVP” Requirements

    Section on Animal Safety

    Clarification: All stages of gestation” means a testing point within each of the 3 trimesters.

    Sections on Animal Safety and Efficacy

    Clarification: Safety studies should be performed using the maximum intended release titre or potency for the vaccine. Efficacy studies should be performed using the minimum titre or potency intended for the vaccine at end of shelf life.

    Section on Cost

    This section currently reads “Affordability for smallholder farmers including a sufficiently low cost of manufacturing”

    Clarification: Cost refers primarily to cost of production, and should be aligned with costs to produce similar vaccines such as Rev1 bearing in mind product profile.

    If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Competition rules
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