Programme Thesis
The Novartis Access to Medicine Foundation Grants fund projects that improve access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), aligning with Novartis's commitment to equitable access and addressing global health challenges. The programme exists to support initiatives that expand patient reach, improve availability of medicines, and address unmet medical needs in underserved regions.
Selection Criteria
- Alignment with the Foundation's mission to improve access to medicines in LMICs.
- Potential for measurable impact on patient access and health outcomes in target countries.
- Feasibility and scalability of the proposed project.
- Strength of the implementing team and partnerships.
- Innovation and sustainability of the approach.
- Relevance to Novartis's therapeutic areas (cardiovascular, immunology, neuroscience, oncology, renal & metabolic) and priority diseases (malaria, Chagas, dengue, etc.).
Past Winners / Cohort Profiles
The page content does not list specific past winners. However, based on the Foundation's focus, past grantees likely include non-profits, research institutions, and social enterprises working on access-to-medicine initiatives, such as technology transfer, diagnostic partnerships, and inclusive business models in sub-Saharan Africa and other LMICs.
Ideal Candidate Fingerprint
The ideal applicant is an organization or consortium with a proven track record in global health, strong local partnerships in LMICs, and a scalable solution that directly improves access to medicines or healthcare delivery. The project should align with Novartis's therapeutic focus and demonstrate clear, measurable outcomes for underserved populations.
Recommended Framing
For Eniola Olutogun, the strongest angle is to frame the venture's AI-driven drug resistance prediction as a tool to improve access to effective antimicrobial and oncology treatments in Nigeria and other LMICs, where drug resistance is a critical barrier to treatment success. The technology's ability to predict resistance from protein sequence alone (without crystal structure) is particularly relevant for resource-limited settings, enabling faster and cheaper identification of effective drugs. This aligns with the Foundation's mission to expand access to medicines and address unmet needs in LMICs, and the venture's Nigerian origin and focus on expanding prescription-drug access there strengthens the fit.
Watch Out
The programme is not specifically targeted at AI/biotech startups; it focuses on access-to-medicine projects, which may require a non-profit or partnership structure. The venture is pre-seed and not yet incorporated, which may be a barrier for a large corporate foundation. Additionally, the technology's current focus on drug resistance prediction may need to be explicitly tied to access-to-medicine outcomes, such as reducing treatment failure and guiding affordable drug selection.
Research History
2026-08-04 20:09 · medium confidence
2026-07-31 17:02 · medium confidence