ViiV Healthcare Global HIV and COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the ViiV Healthcare Global HIV and COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund?
A: The ViiV Healthcare Global HIV and COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is a £3 million fund to provide critical financial resources for research projects to study the medical and scientific impact COVID-19 is having on people living with HIV and community-based grants to help address specific challenges to the HIV community created by the global pandemic.

The fund will be divided into two parts to respond to specific needs:

• Research Emergency Response Fund:  This fund will make available up to £1.5 million to be used for research grants for projects intended to help improve our understanding and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in people living with HIV. 
• Community Emergency Response Fund: This fund will make available up to £1.5 million to support community-based organisations maintain and evolve their critical services for people living with/at risk of HIV during the COVID-19 crisis.
   

Q: Why has ViiV Healthcare launched this Global HIV and COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund?
A: As the only company 100% dedicated to addressing the challenges of the HIV, ViiV Healthcare has been actively exploring ways we can use our scientific, medical and community expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the HIV community and those who work within it.

To contribute to finding solutions, we have announced the ViiV Healthcare Global HIV and COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, The £3 million fund will provide critical financial resources for research projects to study the medical and scientific impact COVID-19 is having on people living with HIV and community-based grants to help address specific challenges to the HIV community created by the global pandemic.

Q. What activities is the fund seeking to support?
A. The fund will be divided into two parts to respond to specific needs:

• Research Emergency Response Fund:  This fund will make available up to £1.5 million be used for research grants for projects intended to help improve our understanding and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in people living with HIV. 
• Community Emergency Response Fund: This fund will make available up to £1.5 million support community-based organisations maintain and evolve their critical services for people living with/at risk of HIV during the COVID-19 crisis

Q. What are the areas of interest for the Emergency Research Fund request for proposals?
A: The Emergency Research Fund is seeking basic and clinical research proposals for studies focused on three specific priority areas focused on COVID-19 in PLHIV:

• Epidemiology and Real-World Data (RWD)
  • Cohort studies (focus on HIV and COVID-19 coinfection) addressing treatment and management
  • Use of institutional chart reviews & electronic databases for risk factor analysis
  • Natural history of COVID-19, comparing those with and without HIV 
• Health Care Systems management initiatives addressing patient care and outcomes in the COVID-19 environment:
  • Digital solutions and telemedicine
  • Implementation science
  • Management of co-morbidities
  • Patient experiences and characteristics of patient-provider interaction

• Biomarkers indicative of disease susceptibility, severity, progression, or mechanism
  • Predictors of response to SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 therapy
  • Role of genetic traits
  • Association of cellular immune markers with response
  • Association of inflammatory and other biomarkers with response

Q. What are the areas of interest for the Community Emergency Fund request for proposals?
A: The Community Emergency Response Fund is seeking applications from community-based organisations to address the specific challenges that have arisen for people living with HIV or affected by HIV as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The fund is available to existing grantees of Positive Action and/or Government Affairs and Global Public.

Applicants must provide a plan, outlining how your community-based organisation would contribute to the support of PLHIV or at risk for HIV to maintain current levels of access or increase access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This is an effort should supplement work already being done in healthcare settings. Applicants must be able to demonstrate an ability to implement rapidly, to respond to urgent needs of communities.

Q. How do I apply to the funds?
A. For more information about the Research Emergency Fund, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit our Investigator Sponsored Studies (ISS) site via covid-19rfp.viivhealthcare.com or contact via email on covid19rfp.research@viivhealthcare.com

For more information about the Community Emergency Fund, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, please click on the appropriate link below:

Positive Action US Grantees

Global Positive Action, GA and GPH Grantees or contact via email COVID19.Community@viivhealthcare.com

Q. Why is the Community Emergency Response Fund only open to existing grantees?
A.  To ensure we are to provide support to applicants quickly and most effectively, we are limiting the fund to grantees who have already been approved through our stringent due diligence and verification processes.

Q. What will happen once I apply?
A. Research Emergency Fund: Requests for proposals will open on 27 April through 18 May. The proposals will be reviewed by an internal ViiV Healthcare scientific panel and successful applicants will be notified by 05 June.

Community Emergency Fund: Request for proposals will be open on 27 April through 15 May. The proposals will be reviewed by an internal panel and successful applicants will be notified by 27 May.