Who funds drug discovery research?

We count 121 funded drug discovery projects, active between 2019 and 2033, from 6 funders. The most came from EU · ERC (28 projects), EU · MSCA (27 projects) and Gates Foundation (13 projects). The median award is $1.6M, across the 116 of 121 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

121

Funders

6

Median award

$1.6M

Open calls now

3

Top funders of drug discovery research

Projects whose title or summary mentions drug discovery. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open drug discovery funding calls

3 open calls mention drug discovery today.

• Drug Discovery
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Biologic-based Drug Discovery and Development for Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: August 18, 2027 ·
• HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthUp to $350,000Deadline: January 15, 2027 ·

Forecast: announced, not open yet

1 forecast call on drug discovery. Funders publish forecasts before a call opens; you can't apply to these yet, and dates can change.

• ForecastBlueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedExpected to open November 15, 2026

Funded drug discovery projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Unravelling the lipid landscape in lysosomal storage disorders and associated Parkinson's disease: insights for drug discovery
  Wellcome · £3,181,897 · ends 2033
• CAREER: Co-Designing Compilers and Architectures For High-Performance And Scalable Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing
  NSF · CISE · $790,087 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Enabling Trustworthy Quantum Optimization through Software and Hardware Co-Design
  NSF · CISE · $796,539 · ends 2031
• An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Antifungal Drug Target Discovery Platform
  Wellcome · £5,499,996 · ends 2031
• Accelerating pre-clinical drug discovery for schistosomiasis
  Wellcome · £9,967,689 · ends 2030
• Collaborative Research: CyberTraining: Implementation: Medium: Building a Dual-Expertise Workforce in Quantum Computing and Healthcare Through Dual-State Collaboration
  NSF · CISE · $499,999 · ends 2030
• IUSM TREAT-AD Center
  NIH · NIA · $8,323,362 · ends 2029
• Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. — Research and Learning Opportunities
  Gates Foundation · $2,010,786 · ends 2029
• Multi-terminal Josephson Microwave Nanophotonic Devices
  NSF · ENG · $398,990 · ends 2029
• Evotec — Discovery and Translational Sciences
  Gates Foundation · $2,883,138 · ends 2029

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “drug discovery”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.