The Open Fund – Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) aims to bring together the best teams from public institutions to advance human health and wellness, as well as create economic value for Singapore and Singaporeans, through the pursuit of excellence in research and its applications. The purpose of the OF-LCG scheme is to support patient-centric translational¹ research, underpinned by basic² and/or applied research³. The scheme will not support pure basic science, pure clinical or pure applied research.

The following categorisation of research activity is based on UK Health Research Classification System (HRCS):
¹ Translational Research: Prevention, Detection and Diagnosis, Treatment Development and Treatment Evaluation
² Basic Research: Underpinning and Aetiology
³Applied Research: Disease Management and Health Services

Key Elements

• Interdisciplinary collaboration across institutions is preferred and encouraged so as to integrate, coordinate and leverage on the full spectrum of research capabilities in Singapore, from basic science to clinical research.
• LCG programmes should aim to make significant contributions to the advancement of study of therapeutic areas and help establish Singapore as a global leader. 
• They should facilitate the discovery and application of basic science ideas relevant to the advancement of health, as well as the translation of clinical findings into policy and practice. They should also provide opportunities for international partnerships and/or industry collaborations.
• Pathway(s) to impact should be clearly articulated.

Research Themes

The OF-LCG is open to proposals of the highest quality in all areas, typically involving multi-disciplinary teams. To better realise the goals of the Human Health and Potential (HHP) domain in Singapore, the following seven areas have been identified as national priorities for research:

• Cancers and neoplasms
• Cardiovascular
• Eye
• Infection
• Mental health
• Metabolic and endocrine
• Neurological 

For each grant call, specific therapeutic areas will be selected as the emphasised therapeutic areas. The research community is encouraged to address these areas. At the same time, proposals in other areas will also be considered.

Grant Call Frequency

Once a year.

Funding Quantum & Duration

There are two funding tiers for application:

• Tier 1: Up to $10mil inclusive of indirect cost over up to 5 years
• Tier 2: Up to $25mil inclusive of indirect cost over up to 5 years

Indirect cost is provided at a fixed percentage of 30% of the project’s qualifying direct cost.

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

Review Process

The OF-LCG comprises a 2-stage review process:

1. Letter of Intent (LOI) stage: Applications submitted will be put through an internal review process with the OF-LCG Review Panel (OF-LCG RP) that is made up of local and international clinicians and basic scientists, as well as industry experts appointed by NMRC.

   The shortlisted LOI applications will be invited to submit full proposals.

2. Full Proposal (FP) stage: Full proposals submitted will be evaluated by international domain experts followed by the OF-LCG RP. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a rebuttal to address the issues raised by the international reviewers, and will subsequently be interviewed by the OF-LCGRP.  The OF-LCG RP will do a collective review/ranking of the proposals and make funding recommendations for endorsement.  The number of awards given out for the grant call will depend on the quality of the proposals and the amount of funding available.

Evaluation Criteria 

Selection of successful proposals would be based on the following evaluation criteria:

1. High‐quality scientific research focusing on patient-centric translational research, supplemented with basic and/or applied research (including Health Services Research). Proposed research must be well‐differentiated and highly competitive. It should demonstrate a high potential to be world class.
2. Proposed research topic should address issues of national importance. These should typically be challenges that no single institution or discipline can solve and require collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches. Provided they are scientifically meritorious, proposals which address the emphasised therapeutic areas would be given priority consideration.
3. Proposed research team should have established track record and research productivity. Proposed governance to manage the programme should be feasible and sustainable.
4. Proposed programme should contribute to capacity development of human capital and research infrastructure.
5. Demonstrate the potential to improve health outcomes and capture economic value* with a clear indication of pathway(s) to impact. 
6. For renewal applications, the proposal should demonstrate the good progress made in achieving health and economic outcomes, and demonstrate the potential to leverage these for implementation to achieve greater impact or value capture.

*Translation Pathways to Healthcare and Economic Outcomes are required in the application. For economic value, an industry engagement plan will also be required in the application, and applicants are encouraged to obtain letters of support from the industry.

Emphasized Therapeutic Areas for the May 2024 Grant Call

For this call, two therapeutic areas are selected as the emphasised therapeutic areas:

1. Mental Health
2. Neurological

General Guidelines

Since the May 2017 OF-LCG grant call, there will be a change in the “Lead PI” terminology to “Corresponding PI” who will continue to be the main point of communication between NMRC Office and the OF-LCG leadership team. The OF-LCG leadership team comprises the Corresponding PI and the Theme PIs. The change aims to clarify the roles of the team members. The purpose is to encourage close collaboration within the team and ensure that recognition of achievements is attributed fairly to all individuals who have contributed to the programme.

The research programme should comprise no more than 5 research themes, each led by one or more Theme Principal Investigators (PIs).  All the Theme PIs should form the Leadership Team, and one of the Theme PIs should be nominated as the Corresponding PI. The leadership team shares the responsibility in making the OF-LCG programme a success and is essential for implementing programme strategies and achieving desired outcomes. The Corresponding PI will coordinate the OF-LCG programme, serves as the main point of contact between NMRC Office and the OF-LCG Leadership Team, and is accountable to NMRC Office for the proper conduct of the whole programme.  He/ She will work closely with the Theme PIs to resolve any issues which arise during the course of the programme, including the usage of funding, any variations to the scope of the programme etc.

Eligibility Criteria

Only one Corresponding Principal Investigator is allowed per application, and there is no cap placed on the number of Theme PIs per theme. However, a cap of 5 themes applies. 

The Corresponding PI and Theme PIs are required to fulfil the following criteria at the point of application:

1. Holds a primary appointment in a local publicly funded institution and salaried by the institution.

2. PIs should have PhD or MD/MBBS/BDS qualifications (exceptions would be made on a case-by-case basis).

3. Is an independent investigator (with PI status in institution) with a demonstrated track record of research, as evidenced by the award of nationally competitive funding (international funding to be considered on a case by case basis), substantial publication record in the past 3 years.

4. Has a laboratory or clinical research program that carries out research in Singapore.

5. Holds a minimum of 9 months employment (per calendar year) with local Singapore institution(s). Upon award, the PI must agree to fulfil at least 6 months of residency in Singapore for each calendar year over the duration of the grant award.

6. Has no outstanding reports from previous BMRC, NMRC grants, and other national grants.

7. For proposals involving patients, the PI should be SMC registered; or should be able to demonstrate ability to access patients through SMC registered Co-Is or collaborators.

THE CALL FOR FULL PROPOSAL APPLICATIONS WILL BE OPEN FOR SHORTLISTED LETTER OF INTENT APPLICATIONS ONLY, TO BE SUBMITTED VIA IGMS.

Submission Mode and Deadline

Submission Mode

All applications must be submitted by the Corresponding PI and endorsed by the Corresponding PI’s Host Institution through IGMS by 18 October 2024 (Fri), 5pm.

Internal Host Institution submission deadline may apply, please check with your Research Office for more information. 

No late submission or revision to the submitted application will be entertained after the closing date.

Submission Deadline

• LOI Application: Thurs, 16 May 2024, 12am to Fri, 28 June 2024, 5pm
• FP Application: Fri, 6 September 2024, 12am to Fri, 18 October 2024, 5pm

Review Panel

The composition of the OF-LCG Review Panel is listed in the table below.

Applicants are not allowed to approach any of the panel members to discuss or solicit information related to their application review or funding decisions. NMRC Office may impose a suspension and/or debarment on such applicants.