CoSolve is a virtual challenge within the AstraZeneca Open Innovation portal where we publicly post challenges looking for innovative solutions. Interested parties are invited to submit a brief description of their solution for review. Finalists will then be selected to participate in the Challenge Week - an intensive week where they will pitch their ideas and work with AstraZeneca scientists to transform their idea into a workplan. At the end of Challenge Week, we will put collaboration agreements in place with specified milestones and the winning projects can begin quickly.

Yes, all finalists will have to agree to participate in the Challenge Week. In advance we will ask all finalists to review and agree to the Heads of Terms, available here, which will form the basis of the collaboration agreement signed for winning solutions.

Unfortunately not. This is a practical, collaborative process. Selected partners will be bold innovators with the ability and freedom of operation to rapidly progress their idea into a full project in real time with support from AstraZeneca. This is important because we want to break down the traditional barriers to collaboration and find ideas that are immediately translatable.

Yes, we are looking for anyone, particularly from start-ups and early-stage biotechs, who has a great idea, bold innovation or solution and wants to work with AstraZeneca to bring their idea to life. They must have the ability and freedom to operate in a way that allows them work in collaboration with AstraZeneca.

The Heads of Terms document provides a high-level overview of the collaboration terms.

The Challenge Week is a virtual, intensive week where chosen finalists will pitch a more in-depth proposal of their idea and work up the solution with AstraZeneca scientists. Not all finalists will make it through to a final workplan as not all ideas will be suitable to move forwards into a full collaboration.

AstraZeneca will provide funding to enable a project to achieve initial data-driven milestones. Continued collaboration will be evaluated for projects on an individual basis (data driven).

We are looking for solutions that can be put into practice in a 12-18 month timeframe.

Full details for IP ownership will be found in the collaboration agreement. In general terms, both parties (AstraZeneca and the submitter) will each retain background IP and any IP generated as part of the collaboration will take into account the contributions from each party.

New challenges will be released every six months and each challenge round lasts approximately 8-12 weeks.

Initial submissions should contain only non-confidential information. Prior to Challenge Week, if your idea/solution is shortlisted for detailed discussion, a confidential disclosure agreement (CDA) can be put in place on request enabling finalists to share confidential information.

Representatives from AstraZeneca will include the CoSolve team, relevant scientists from the therapy areas and product development teams related to the challenge as well as our business development colleagues who will put the agreement in place. The submitter will bring with them all people relevant to the discussion including the scientists developing the idea/workplan as well as the business development colleagues/tech transfer team.