As part of Project NextGen, HHS has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants to support the development of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and technologies.
Project NextGen is a $5 billion initiative led by HHS' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response that develops public-private partnerships to advance the development of more effective, longer-lasting vaccines and technologies "to protect against COVID-19 for years to come" and stay ahead of variants, HHS said in an Aug. 22 news release.
Here is a breakdown of the awards:
- $1 billion was granted to support four clinical trial partners of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in testing vaccines in Phase IIB trials.
- Regeneron received $326 million to support the development of a monoclonal antibody to prevent COVID-19 infection. Clinical trials for the antibody are slated to start this fall.
- $100 million was awarded to Global Health Investment, a nonprofit managing BARDA Ventures' investment portfolio, to "expand investments in new technologies that will accelerate responses in the future."
- Johnson & Johnson received $10 million for an innovation competition challenge focused on developing technologies to improve preparedness in the face of future infectious disease threats.
HHS plans to grant more awards by the end of the fiscal year, the release said.