Gilead Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, announced it will be providing grants for up to three years to academic institutions, non-profit organisations and community groups engaged in HIV cure activities. The unrestricted grants will be awarded to organizations with a track record of excellence in results-driven research.

"For the past 25 years, Gilead has worked toward the goal of discovering and developing safe and effective treatments for people living with HIV. The best possible treatment would eradicate HIV entirely, and this has been a significant focus for the company's research organization over the last seven years," said William Lee, PhD, executive vice president, research. "Curing HIV presents a formidable challenge. We hope that the involvement of a broader range of organisations, through these grants, will serve to advance the field more rapidly."

Gilead will support four areas with grant funding:

Translational Research - proof of concept and early translational research supporting novel HIV reservoir-targeting therapeutic interventions; development of assays that would be used to evaluate the HIV reservoir and assess the impact of therapeutic interventions; exploration of the HIV reservoir and the impact of therapeutic interventions in acutely HIV-infected individuals.

Efficacy Studies in Animal Models - animal models of AIDS to test novel therapeutic concepts targeting the HIV reservoirs and/or enhancing the immune control of AIDS viruses.

Institutional Funding - institutional programs currently engaged in HIV cure research.

Community Groups - research among HIV-infected individuals and affected communities to understand potential concerns related to HIV cure clinical research.

Organisations interested in applying for a grant must be classified as a not-for-profit organisation or institution. The deadline to submit the letter of intent is May 1, 2016. Visit http://www.gilead.com/HIV-Cure-FOA to download the Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Completed letters of intent and questions about the announcement or requirements should be submitted to grants@gilead.com. Gilead reserves the right to approve or disapprove any application. Award of a grant in any one cycle does not infer that a subsequent grant will be awarded without further application and approval.