Research Grant Rules and Procedure
Key principles
LFB and the Jury Members are pleased to co-announce the launch of the 2026 edition of LFB Research Grant Programme (“Programme”) dedicated to healthcare professionals (“HCPs”) in the fields of immunodeficiency and immune-mediated neuropathy.
Proposals are sought for research projects, programmes or initiatives (“Projects”) that aim to improve the management and/or quality of life of patients treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) (exclusively within licensed indications). The project must be aimed at publication.
Jury members
For the Projects in the immunodeficiency field, the Jury Members are as follows:
Prof. Javier CARBONE: Consultant Clinical Immunologist Clinical Immunology, Department Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon (HGUGM) – Madrid, Spain.
Prof. Francisco ESPINOSA ROSALES: Consultant Clinical Immunologist, Centro de Inmunología, Alergia y pediatría at Hospital Ángeles Lomas – Mexico City, Mexico.
Dr. Nizar MAHLAOUI: Consultant Specialist in Paediatrics, Immunology-Hematology and Primary Immunodeficiencies, Necker Hospital – Paris, France.
Prof. Stephen JOLLES: Consultant Clinical Immunologist & Honorary Professor, Department of Immunology, University Hospital for Wales, Immunodeficiency Centre for Wales, Hub Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory for Wales – Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Dr. med. Leif HANITSCH: Senior consultant, Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité – Berlin, Germany.
For the Projects in the immune-mediated neuropathy field, the Committee Members are as follow:
Prof. Helmar LEHMANN: Head Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, University of Cologne – Cologne, Germany.
Prof. Yeşim PARMAN: Professor of Neurology at Neurology department of Istanbul hospital, Department of Neurology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine – Istanbul, Turkey.
Prof. Yusuf A. RAJABALLY: Honorary Professor of Neurology, Neurology department of Birmingham hospital, Aston Brain Centre, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University – Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Prof. Shahram ATTARIAN: Head of the reference Centre for Neuromuscular Disorders and ALS, CHU Timone – Marseille, France.
Prof. Steven VARGAS: Professor at National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Department of Neurology, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery - Laboratory of Neuro-immunology – Mexico City, Mexico.
Eligibility
Only projects carried out by HCPs from a healthcare organisation are eligible to apply for the Programme. HCPs must not have the title of professor.
The healthcare organisation in question must be located in one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.
For clarification purposes, the following are expressly excluded from the call for projects:
Projects submitted by companies that develop, produce, market, or exploit products and services, either directly or indirectly (including direct or indirect participation).·
Projects submitted by HCPs in their own name, as well as by students intending to pursue healthcare professions.
Projects submitted by commercial companies acting as service providers.
Projects submitted by trade unions and professional orders.
Projects submitted by student associations.
Projects submitted by patients association groups
The Project Scope should meet the following criteria:
Increase the awareness of Immune-mediated disorders in terms of diagnosis or patient management.
Improve the overall quality of life of patients.
Apply to patients treated within the licensed indications of IVIg.
General Rules
No LFB products or placebo are part of the award and cannot be requested as a replacement for the award.
Only financial support is available for a legitimate purpose that adheres to applicable laws, regulations and industry guidelines. This financial support is not intended to inappropriately influence the approval, prescription, reimbursement, recommendation, or sale of LFB products, nor to influence the outcome of a clinical trial, nor to improperly benefit LFB business.
The Projects could be financially co-supported by other entities than LFB; the candidates will develop the Project in their current departments.
The candidates must be responsible for the planning, strategy, content, development and execution of the Project.
A candidate can only present one (1) project per Programme edition.
A candidate can present the same project over two (2) successive Programme editions.
Projects’ duration should last maximum eighteen (18) months. The candidates must declare any foreseen difficulties for the Project to be completed within this timeframe.
The candidates must get the agreement of their Head of Department and their department’s allowance to use its facilities for the purpose of the Project.
The project must be aimed at publication.
Budget and Payment Process
Projects are funded by LFB up to twenty thousand euros (€20,000); only running costs/consumables and small equipment are allowed (no travel costs, no congress fees, etc.).
All awarded funds must be dispensed before the estimated end of the Project.
Funds are dispensed as follow:
The total amount will be paid at the start of the Project, which must not exceed six (6) months from the contract signature date, unless approval is required from a regulatory and/or administrative body in accordance with the paragraph below.
Confirmation of the Project start date must be sent to LFB by email prior to, or concurrently with, the issuance of the invoice.
If authorisation from a regulatory and/or administrative body (e.g. ethics committee, health agency, etc.) must be requested by the HCP, these authorisations must be obtained before the start of the Project. Confirmation of all such approvals must be provided to LFB by email prior to, or concurrently with, the issuance of the invoice, together with confirmation of the Project start date. Approval must be granted within one year following notification of the award by LFB.
In the event that, in accordance with applicable local laws or regulations, prior authorization or approval is required and must be obtained from a local agency/authority by LFB, payment of the total amount will be contingent upon obtaining such authorization/approval.
Accordingly, payment shall be made only after the issuance of the relevant authorisation by the competent regulatory or administrative authority.
In any event, the invoice should be received after the contract signature (in accordance with administrative and financial incentive rules).
The support by LFB is provided on a non-exclusive basis. A Project may be supported by institutions other than LFB. In this case, the co-founder(s) should be clearly identified. The total amount of the Project should be disclosed in the submission proposal. The allocation of the Grant’s €20,000 must be specified.
The winning Project must mention the financial support provided by LFB in all communications and/or publications relating to the Project and the LFB is authorized to communicate on It.
Selection process
Project proposals will be evaluated in 3 main steps:
1) The first evaluation step is made by LFB Medical Affairs team based on the eligibility criteria outlined in this document and specifically taking into account the following:
Reception of the complete application file before the application deadline.
Complete fulfilment of the eligibility criteria.
An Excel file listing the eligible Project proposals and the non-eligible Project proposals is transmitted to the Committee Members for evaluation. If the Jury Members consider finally that the eligibility criteria and respect of the Application Deadline have been fulfilled, they have the right to reinclude a proposal initially not fulfilling the eligibility criteria within the final projects list.
2) The second evaluation step is made by the Jury Members individually. Each proposal will be scored based on 5 criteria. Each criterion is rated on a scale from 1 (the lowest score) to 15 (the maximum score that could be attributed)
Originality of the Project and its interest within the chosen unmet need: this criterion evaluates the innovation and significance of the Project in addressing the specified unmet medical need. The score is based on the Sections “Type of project” and “Rationale” of the Project application sheet.
Relevance of the methodology: this criterion assesses the appropriateness of the Project’s methodology. The score is based on the Sections “Objectives”, “Population”, “Evaluation criteria”, “Statistical aspects” of the Project application sheet.
Feasibility of the project within the timeline and budget: this criterion evaluates the practicality of completing the Project within the proposed timeline and budget. Although timelines and budget estimations are provided by the applicants, they could be challenged by the Jury Members based on their experience in managing research projects.
Contribution to the field: this criterion assesses the potential impact of the Project’s results on increasing disease awareness, improving access to diagnosis, offering education, or enhancing patient care. The score is based on the section “Contribution to the field of science” of the Project application sheet.
Experience of the team in the field of research: this criterion evaluates the qualifications and expertise of the team. The score is based on data provided in the candidate’s resume and publication list.
3) The third evaluation step involves organising a meeting to deliberate on the Project proposals received at least 30 days after the submission deadline.
During this meeting:
An LFB Medical Affairs team member will be present as observer but will not be involved in any decision-making.
The LFB Medical Affairs team member will present all the individual sum scores provided by each Jury Member.
All Projects will be debated during the meeting.
The Jury Members will cast a final vote to select the best project, which must obtain at least 3/5 of the votes to win the award. The LFB Medical Affairs team will contact the selected candidate to announce the result.
If one of the Jury Members is unable to attend the deliberation meeting, then he/she must send his/her assessment and scoring before the meeting. He/she will be informed about the decision taken by the rest of the group.
If his/her vote confirms the chosen Project with at least 3/5 of the votes, then the LFB Medical Affairs team member will contact the selected candidate to announce the result.
If not, a second meeting should be held with the Jury Members as soon as possible to determine the best project.
Application file
The application should be completed and submitted in English language only.
The application file must be accompanied by the following documentation:
A Curriculum Vitae document of the HCP (maximum 2 pages),
A short description of the team that will assist with Project execution,
A reference letter from the Head of the HCP’s department supporting the Project,
Publication list of the HCP/team related to the Project and,
The “Data Protection Notice” document signed.
Application submission
To apply, please complete the application form and send it back as a pdf to immunology.grant@lfb.fr before October 31st, 2026, midnight (12am, CET), along with the required documentation.
An acknowledgment email will be sent to the applicant shortly after filing submission.
Timeline
Application Deadline: October 31st, 2026 (12am, CET) for immunodeficiency field, and October 31st, 2026 (12am, CET) for immune-mediated neuropathy field.
Announcement of Results and Funding Start Date: Early to mid-December 2026.
Budget Funding Deadline: at the Project start date (≤6 months from the contract signature date).
Project Duration: ≤18 months.
Conflict of interest
In the course of his/her application, the candidate declares any conflict of interest with LFB and with any of the Jury Members that may interfere or have an impact on his/her impartiality or independence (e.g. professional or personal relationship with a Jury Member).
The applicant shall provide LFB with any additional information as requested by LFB. LFB is entitled to take all measures to avoid the occurrence of any conflict of interest.
Pharmacovigilance
If the selected Project includes any LFB IVIg brand, the awarded candidate must follow the LFB pharmacovigilance procedures. A pharmacovigilance notice will be provided to awarded candidate to inform them of the applicable pharmacovigilance procedures.
Transparency and Disclosure
The provision of support must be documented in a written agreement and be accurately recorded. To the extent required by law or regulation, the written agreement, along with details of the support, may need to be disclosed to the relevant regulatory authorities.
Documentation and Recordkeeping
Documentation related to the provision of support, such as internal review, agreement, proof of payment and other applicable documents must be retained in an LFB repository pursuant to applicable regulations.
Data privacy
For the management of the Programme, LFB will collect data relating to the identity (surname, first name) and other professional data.
Individuals whose personal data appears in the application file must be informed by the HCP who designated them that LFB will use their data in accordance with the terms described in these rules: Processing of personal data in the performance of a contract - LFB Corporate.
LFB will retain the data for 6 months from the last intervention on the Project by the person who submitted the Project. After this date, the data will be deleted.
HCP may contact LFB at any time if they wish to access, rectify/update or delete their personal data, restrict its use or object to its processing in accordance with LFB’s commitments regarding the protection of personal data, which are available via this link.