FAQ

All full-time researchers at the participating academic institutions are eligible to apply via their Tech Transfer Offices (TTO´s)

The academic institution will own all rights, title and interests in and to the academic background IP; i.e. that already exists prior to a funded project. Ownership of foreground IP (i.e. that arising from a funded project) shall follow inventorship, which will be determined in accordance with United States patent laws. Foreground IP that is jointly invented by one or more of Novo Nordisk, Evotec and/or the academic institution will be jointly owned by the applicable inventing Parties. On completion of a funded project Novo Nordisk will have an option to license background and foreground IP in order to develop the technology further.

We offer to help you convert your scientific idea into a drug discovery program and – ideally – a drug candidate. We provide funding and access to drug discovery expertise and platforms at Evotec and disease knowledge as well as clinical development and commercialization expertise at Novo Nordisk.

We are interested in projects addressing cardiometabolic and rare endocrine and blood disorders and welcome proposals based on single gene targets, platform technologies, or existing drug candidates.

We will consider and support multiple modalities including small molecules, antibodies, peptides, ASOs, gene therapies and some cell therapies.

We focus on accelerating research within the cardiometabolic and rare disease space: diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, liver disease such as NASH, and rare blood and endocrine disorders.
For early-stage target opportunities, preliminary in vitro validation with a strong disease rationale and application will ideally have been demonstrated to provide a foundation for subsequent drug discovery.
For existing drug candidates such as small molecule leads, antibodies, peptides, ASOs, or gene therapies we can help you optimize these candidates, develop safety and ADME data packages and demonstrate in vivo proof of concept.

All full-time researchers of the participating academic institutions are eligible to apply via their respective Tech Transfer Offices.

Learn more about how to apply here

For each awarded project, a dedicated project lead will be appointed to work closely with the principal investigator (PI) during the lifetime of the project. The PI along with the project lead will be responsible for providing periodic updates to the joint funding committee and raising potential issues that are encountered during the project. At the completion of each project, a final report, using a standard LAB eN² template, is to be provided by the PI. Ultimately, transition to the next phase will dependent upon successfully reaching predefined milestones as communicated by the Joint Funding Board.

Yes, if platform technologies have the primary purpose of generating new therapies.

It is expected that work on the funded project will be performed at the labs of the academic partner and at Evotec as the preferred industrial partner, wherever most appropriate.

The Collaboration Lead is a drug discovery expert acting as a valuable resource to provide initial feedback to sustainability of projects for LAB eN² as well as help shape and plan projects. The remit of the CL is to add value across the academic partners’ drug discovery activities, to help identify and position new applications and to work in a highly integrated fashion with the academic institution as well as other stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the partnership.

Applicants benefit from substantial technological expertise and financial support for funded projects and from the combined technical expertise of Evotec and Novo Nordisk at implementing early-stage drug discovery and development programs. 

It is expected that much of the funded work will be undertaken at Evotec’s facilities in order to take advantage of their discovery platforms, but project funding ultimately aims to recognize the expertise and unique capabilities of the applicant in order to build on synergies, while avoiding redundancies. Thus, it is expected that in most applications, parts of the overall funded work will be undertaken at the academic institution.

Prior receipt of proof-of-concept funding from external sources does not preclude an application, but such funding should be disclosed in an application and discussed with the local TTO to ensure eligibility.

LAB eN² will not support clinical projects. It is also not intended to provide funding for academics’ salaries over an extended period of time and will not support basic research.