CaixaImpulse COVID-19

This call is now closed. Submissions are being evaluated and selected projects will be announced in May.

How to participate in this call

Requirements

Is your project a potential candidate? Please review the following requirements:

For the Projects:

Clinical and translational projects that include clearly targeted technologies to prevent, treat, monitor, or diagnose the COVID-19 disease.

For the Beneficiary:

They must be non-profit legal entities based in Spain or Portugal.
Type of entity: Universities, university foundations, research and transfer centres, technology centres, hospitals, hospital foundations and non-profit institutions whose main activity is research.
The Beneficiary is the entity that generated the Assets and/or will develop the project.
One same Beneficiary may complete more than one application provided that they are associated to different protected or protectable Asset(s) resulting from different research projects.

For the Project Leaders:

Project leaders must be legal persons with tertiary qualifications (university graduate, professor or doctor).
Their exclusive or main dedication to the validation Project, according to the Promoters criteria, for the business idea or transfer to market is required. Project Leader may not be involved in more than one application.
The Project Leaders may or may not be the leader of the research project that generated the Asset(s).
He or she must have the acceptance of the beneficiary to lead the project.

Rules for participation

All the information about the programme, the conditions for participating in the selection process and the legal aspects can be found in the following document.

We strongly recommend carefully reading the following documents before submitting your proposal.

Rules for participation

How do I apply?

Submit your applications and additional documents by entering the private area for applying for all the “la Caixa” Foundation programmes. You must register the first time you enter this area and you will receive a username and password for logging in.
When you initiate the registration process you have to follow these steps: 1) Request authorisation; 2) Select ‘Yes’ to the question “Do you want to apply for Health Research or CaixaImpulse Call for Proposals?”; 3) Select the option “Submit a Letter of Intent for CaixaImpulse Consolidate Call”; 4) Provide the requested information (ID number, etc). Once you have registered, you will have access to the online Letter of Intent form.
Complete the entire online application form. Download CaixaImpulse Form Samples (Letter of Intent and Preselected full proposal). These forms are only for informative purposes. Applications must be submitted online using the Website Platform.
Remember to complete the application in English. We will not accept applications that are in another language or if they are incomplete, in paper format, or submitted by any other means or after the deadline.
Questions and answers: caixaimpulse@fundaciolacaixa.org

Selection process

The proposal evaluation procedure consists of two phases: a Pre-selection and a Selection phase. The pre-selection phase is based on the remote assessment of a Letter of Intent using a qualitative rating system, while the selection is carried out by a board and uses a quantitative scoring system. Only pre-selected projects will be invited to submit a Full Proposal.

Project selection criteria

The Innovation Selection Board members will score the Projects between 1 (very poor) and 5 (exceptional) for each evaluated criterion. The evaluation criteria dimensions are listed below:

Transfer potential

(up to 20% of the total score)

To which extent the market opportunity has been correctly identified and dimensioned. Added value in comparison to existing solutions. Valorisation process.

Implementation feasibility

(up to 35% of the total score)

Alignment of project's objectives and milestones. Adequation of requested support. Team members capabilities and complementarity. Project Leader commitment and leadership management.

Development roadmap

(up to 30% of the total score)

To which extent the stated actions and milestones contribute in the advancement of the roadmap. How the participation in CaixaImpulse Programme implies a decisive impetus for the roadmap's advancement.

Social Impact and Responsible Innovation

(up to 15% of the total score)

Involvement of social stakeholders. Addressing of ethical, social, legal and environmental implications derived from the innovation development.

Guide for evaluators

Calendar for the submission and selection of the projects

FAQs

Who can be a Beneficiary of the programme?
The Beneficiary is the entity that generated the Assets and/or will develop the project, resulting from the scientific research and/or innovation activities and whose main activity has to be located and registered in Spain or Portugal. Beneficiaries must be non-profit organisations.
Must applicants have previously participated in the CaixaImpulse Programme?
It is not mandatory. The call is open to any application that fits the established requirements. Projects under the CaixaImpulse programme can apply to the CaixaImpulse Express Call as long as the Valorisation Plan of the Asset(s) has been approved by the Programme Office before the application.
What does the Call offer?
It offers financial support of up to EUR €300,000 for a maximum of 24 months, and ad-hoc non-financial support.
What is the duration of participation in the programme?
A maximum of 24 months.
What costs are eligible to be covered by the grant?
All valorisation actions included in the project development plan such as technological development of the Asset(s), consulting and market study services, studies for regulatory approval, hiring of personnel, management of IP and travel expenses, among others.
Is it required that the beneficiary institution owns the Asset(s)?
No. The Beneficiary is the entity that generated the Assets and/or will develop the project.
Are overhead expenses covered by the grant?
Yes, 10% of the total budget may be intended for overhead expenses.

What is the non-financial support offered by the programme?
The programme offers mentorship, training and suppport actitivites such as expert advice and acces to the CaixaImpulse experts’ network. Other types of support might be offered upon request.
Can one participant lead different projects in the Programme?
The Project Leader may be involved in more than one application, but cannot be Project Leader in more than one.
Are actions to evaluate efficacy or safety of products eligible in the programme?
Yes, all those actions needed for regulatory approval of the Asset(s) are eligible.
Would consortia be elegible to participate in the programme?
Yes, consortia are eligible. In this case, the Beneficiary will receive and distribute the project funding among the other consortium members and will be responsible for justifying the expenses incurred by all consortium members and the reimbursement of the grant.
Can we participate if our Asset(s) has been transferred to a Spin-off company?
Yes, as long as the Beneficiary of the grant is a public or non-profit institution.
Can we apply with a project not focused on COVID-19?
“la Caixa” Foundation has set up a specific call (from 26 March to 15 April) for projects that aim to provide innovative solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Projects not directly linked with the COVID-19 will be able to apply from 16 April onwards.

Questions and answers: caixaimpulse@fundaciolacaixa.org