Through a collaborative and subsidised-cost model, MedChem Australia provides expert medicinal chemistry and DMPK capability to enhance, accelerate, and enable the development of home grown, high quality medicines.

MedChem Australia accepts project applications from any Australian University, Medical Research Institute (MRIs), or small company (SME).

We are exclusively focused on the development of small molecule therapeutics and welcome applications addressing unmet human medical need in any therapeutic area.

MedChem Australia operates in the Lead Generation (Hit to Lead) and Lead Optimisation stages of drug discovery and can only accept projects that are ready for a medical chemistry program to be initiated. Therefore, applications will need to demonstrate the presence of validated and tractable chemical (hit) matter with some early level of structure-activity relationship (SAR) established. Project applications will also need to demonstrate the availability of a suitable biological assay able to determine the activity of compounds.

Collaboration is key to our model and MedChem Australia will rely on the project applicants for the biological rationale, starting chemical matter, expertise, on-going engagement, and the biological assay(s) to support the chemistry. Collectively, our objective is to deliver an advanced and de-risked candidate or program with proof of concept data that is positioned for further investment.

Round 1 applications for MedChem Australia are open. Applications close 5 pm Friday 19th April. Researchers from Australian Universities, Medical Research Institutes, and SMEs are invited to apply.

Projects to receive subsidised support will be selected through a competitive and independent application process governed by the Selection and Review Committee (SRC). Discussion of applications with MedChem Australia prior to submission is encouraged.

Accepted projects will run for an initial ~1 year term then undergo a formal review by the SRC with a decision made around project future. Projects would either stop, be extended for another 1 year term at current resource levels, or be extended for the same period with increased resources.

A hallmark of the MedChem Australia model is the provision of an large 80% subsidy to offset the total MedChem Australia project costs. Additional support such as supervision and senior leadership input will be provided to projects in-kind.