Resources
Michigan Drug Discovery
Funding Opportunities
Michigan Drug Discovery seeks to support drug discovery projects at the University of Michigan by offering advice and pilot grant funding. Michigan Drug Discovery staff coordindate closely with research cores that focus on screening (Center for Chemical Genomics), Natural Products Discovery, Structural Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacokinetics, to advance protects through hit identification, hit-to-lead and lead optimization. We also help to connect faculty with additional internal and external resources to support their projects.
Reach out with questions: we are available to help you figure out the best way to advance your drug discovery project!
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Michigan Drug Discovery is not accepting proposals for this program at this time.
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Michigan Drug Discovery Project Grant
Up to $100,000/year for up to two years for collaborative drug discovery research
Michigan Drug Discovery Project Grants are designed to help researchers navigate the challenges between identifying new biologically active compounds and developing them into clinical candidates. They provide a bridge to significant external grant funding and investments.
The Project Grants will advance projects for which compounds active against the intended biological target have been already identified, as well as projects that can benefit from the combined expertise and capabilities of multiple drug discovery experts.
U-M researchers working across all therapeutic areas are eligible for a project grant. Funded projects will be conducted in partnership with Michigan Drug Discovery. Project teams that have already successfully completed a Michigan Drug Discovery supported screening campaign are encouraged to apply for Project Grants. However, prior support through Michigan Drug Discovery is not a prerequisite.
Michigan Drug Discovery Screening Grant
Collaborative high-throughput screening for drug discovery project
Small molecules: up to $75,000 for use within 12 months
Natural products: up to $100,000 for use within 24 months
DNA-encoded libraries: up to $100,000 for use within 24 months
The Michigan Drug Discovery Screening Grants include both funding and scientific support for high-throughput screening of small molecules, DNA-encoded libraries, or natural product extracts with the goal of identifying chemical matter for modulating novel therapeutic targets. At the end of the grant, researchers should have identified and confirmed a set of high-quality hit compounds with the potential to be further developed into tool compounds and therapeutic agents. For natural product screens, it is expected that the work will include isolation and characterization of purified bioactive natural product compounds within a 24-month timeframe.
To be eligible for funding, the proposal must present a clear statement of the scientific hypothesis to be tested, supported by strong target validation or phenotypic data. A prerequisite for funding is a validated screening assay requiring minimal optimization, e.g., translation from 96-well to 384-well format.
Call for Proposals: Fall 2025 Screening Grant Program
Michigan Drug Discovery is pleased to announce the Fall 2025 cycle of our Screening Grant Program. We invite researchers to submit their proposals for this exciting opportunity.
Application Period: September 23rd, 2025 – November 8th, 2025 (until 11:59 PM)
Important Information:
- Pre-submission Meeting: While not mandatory, a pre-submission meeting is highly encouraged. Please complete the form to schedule your meeting.
- Preparation: Review the meeting preparation document below to ensure a productive meeting.
- Grant Requirements: For Detailed information on the grant criteria, click Learn More below.
Note: U-M login (@umich.edu) required to view.
Call for Proposals: Fall 2025 Assay Development Grant Program
Michigan Drug Discovery is pleased to announce the Fall 2025 cycle of our Assay Development Grant Program. We invite researchers to submit their proposals for this exciting opportunity.
Application Period: September 23rd, 2025 – November 8th, 2025 (until 11:59 PM)
Important Information:
- Pre-submission Meeting: While not mandatory, a pre-submission meeting is highly encouraged. Please complete the form to schedule your meeting.
- Preparation: Please prepare a slide deck of 5-8 slides showing the background of the project, current work, and future goals.
- Grant Requirements: For Detailed information on the grant criteria, click Learn More below.
Note: U-M login (@umich.edu) required to view.
Michigan Drug Discovery Assay Development Grant
Collaborative assay development for drug discovery up to $10,000
Michigan Drug Discovery works to advance drug discovery projects and speed the development of new medicines in all therapeutic areas. To accelerate the drug discovery process, we offer funding to investigators whose translational projects have the potential to serve as the basis for finding new therapeutics.
The Michigan Drug Discovery Assay Development Grants include both funding and scientific support for the development and optimization of assays for high-throughput screening (HTS). At the end of the grant, researchers should have a screening platform optimized and validated for a 96-well or 384-well plate-based HTS.
To be eligible for funding, the proposal must present a clear statement of the scientific hypothesis to be tested, supported by strong target validation or phenotypic data.