By Ismah Ayomide Hassan
The EQT Foundation has launched a new grant program to support breakthrough research in rare diseases, seeking deep tech solutions that can transform how these conditions are diagnosed, treated, and managed.
This initiative comes as millions worldwide, nearly half of them children, live with a rare disease, often facing a long and uncertain path to diagnosis, with limited or no treatment options available.
The program is designed to accelerate bold scientific ideas with a high potential for real-world patient impact. It specifically supports translational research, which often bridges the gap between basic science and clinical application and may be overlooked by traditional funders.
The ultimate goal is to generate the next generation of medical breakthroughs, starting with rare conditions but creating solutions that can ripple across science and healthcare systems more broadly.
Funding for the rare disease research
The EQT Foundation will award catalytic grants ranging from €25,000 to €100,000. This funding is crucial for bold scientists looking to make the significant leap from laboratory discoveries to clinical applications, helping to bring much-needed innovation to patients.
Beyond financial support, successful grantees will benefit significantly from access to the EQT Foundation’s global network, including connections with advisors, potential industry partners, and crucial commercialization support tailored specifically for translational science.
This valuable network aims to help bring research from the lab to the market.
Focus of the Rare Disease challenge
The program is particularly interested in research that sits at the intersection of deep tech innovation and clinical application.
This includes projects focused on novel therapeutic platforms, such as gene and RNA therapies, enzyme replacement, new delivery innovations, and scalable approaches to individualized medicine. These areas represent cutting-edge science with the potential to fundamentally change treatment paradigms.
The grant is also interested in biomarker discovery and diagnostics. The EQT Foundation seeks tools that can accelerate early detection of rare diseases and improve the design of clinical trials, especially in settings where resources are limited.
Furthermore, proposals related to trial acceleration are encouraged, including the use of registries, digital biomarkers, and AI-enabled evidence generation to create faster pathways for initial patient studies.
The EQT Foundation grant also supports access-enabling technologies that can reduce the cost or complexity of deploying treatments in remote or low-resource environments. Additionally, the program encourages the development of human-relevant disease models.
How and when to apply.
The grant call is open to scientists affiliated with accredited nonprofit institutions globally. The application deadline is October 1, 2025.
Click HERE to apply.
Explore our global opportunities page for me.
Summary not available at this time.
