Advance Biotech Grant Program, U.S. and Canada
No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Submission of an application to this program constitutes your acceptance of these official rules. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. Entry in this program constitutes acceptance of these official rules by the entity submitting the entry.
1. SPONSOR The Program is sponsored by EMD Millipore Corporation, 400 Summit Drive, Burlington, MA 01803 (“Sponsor” or “us”).
2. BINDING AGREEMENT Each entity submitting or attempting to submit an entry (“Participant” or “you”) for the “Advance Biotech Grant Program, U.S./Canada” (“Program”) agrees to be bound by these Official Rules (“Rules”) and the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding. Therefore, please read these Rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree. You may not submit an entry to the Program and are not eligible to receive the Prizes described in these Rules unless you agree to these Rules. Any and all individuals submitting an entry on behalf of an entity represents that such individual is acting within the scope of his/her employment, as an employee, contractor, or agent of such entity. Such individual warrants that (a) such entity has full knowledge of his/her actions and has consented thereto and (b) his/her actions do not violate the entity’s policies and procedures.
3. PROGRAM PERIOD
The Program begins at 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) on 1st February 2025 and ends at 11:59 PM EST on 30th April 2025 (“Program Period”). Sponsor’s clock shall be the official device for the Program. PARTICIPANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE CORRESPONDING TIME ZONE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTION.
4. ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the Program, the entity must be a biotechnology company located or do substantial business in the U.S. or Canada. In addition, the following entities/individuals are not eligible to participate:
- Any local, state, provincial or federal or other government or government agency or any officials or employees thereof
- Any affiliates of Sponsor or any employees of Sponsor or its affiliates and their immediate family and household members
- Healthcare organizations (HCOs), including hospitals, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and employees thereof
- Academic institutions located in or providing services in Vermont or employees thereof
Sponsor will only accept from each entity one (1) Application Form (as defined below) which represents the sole efforts of such entity; collaborations among two (2) or more entities will not be considered. Winning any prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. The Program is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Winning any prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. The Program is void outside of the United States and Canada, and where prohibited by law. Participation constitutes Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Program.
5. HOW TO ENTER
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. In order to enter, during the Program Period, Participants should go to the Program website at sigmaaldrich.com/grantprograms to submit a grant proposal and any additional registration information required for participation (“Application Form”). The Application Form will ask you to describe
- One or more of your current projects, the medical needs you solve
- Process development challenges you face with your projects and how Sponsor may help you overcome such challenges
- The number of molecules you have in development and their clinical phases.
All Application Forms must be received online, through the online submission system, on or before the end of the Program Period. Application Forms must meet the Submission Requirements described below in Section 6. All Application Forms must be received online, through the online submission system, on or before the end of the Program Period. Application Forms must meet the Submission Requirements described below in Section 6. All Application Forms will be deemed made by the entity represented by the authorized account holder of the e-mail account used to submit the Application Form, and the potential winner may be required to show proof that its employee, contractor or agent is the authorized account holder for that e-mail account. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to the e-mail account by the e-mail administrator at the time of account creation. SPONSOR WILL CONSIDER ONLY ONE (1) ENTRY FROM EACH PARTICIPANT/COMPANY. NO OTHER ENTRIES WILL BE CONSIDERED. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Entries become the sole property of Sponsor. Sponsor is not responsible for: (i) lost, late, incomplete, invalid, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, damaged, altered, counterfeit, obtained through fraud, late, or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified; (ii) for failed, partial or garbled computer transmissions; or (iii) for technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to electronic malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software; or (iv) for any error, technical or otherwise. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any application not in compliance with these Rules.
6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Application Forms must be original to the Participant and must not infringe any third-party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligations, or otherwise violate applicable laws. No trademarks, logos, company names or advertising of third parties are allowed unless expressly permitted by Sponsor. Content may not be offensive or defamatory, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject and/ or disqualify any entries (in whole or in part) that Sponsor deems, in its sole discretion, to be threatening, abusive, harassing, offensive, obscene, defamatory, libelous, hateful, embarrassing to another person or entity, profane, discriminatory, false, misleading or deceptive, invasive of another’s privacy, tortious, or that promote illegal behavior, or otherwise are inconsistent with its editorial standards or reputational interests, or that Sponsor believes may violate any applicable law or regulation, these Rules, or the rights of any third party.
7. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
By submitting the Application Form, you agree to communicate for the purpose of this Program with Sponsor electronically. By agreeing to do business electronically, you (i) agree that your consent to these Rules is a binding form of your electronic signature, which you agree binds you to these Rules, (ii) represent that you have Internet access and a valid email address enabling you access to information pertaining to the Program online and to receive communications and documents electronically, and (iii) represent that you have a printer or other device to print or otherwise save communications and documents including, without limitation, these Rules and that you have, in fact, printed or otherwise saved a copy of these Rules for your records. This consent is effective unless and until you withdraw it. You may withdraw your consent to electronic communication and delivery of documents, update your contact information, or request a free paper copy of these Rules at any time by contacting us as set forth in these Rules. We will send you a confirmation notice once we have processed your change request.
8. SELECTION OF PROGRAM WINNER & NOTIFICATION
The Application Forms will be judged by qualified judges who are employees of Sponsor or its affiliates or external business partner. Sponsor will select up to ten (10) semifinalists on or around 1st May 2025. The semifinalists will be notified by mail, e-mail, and/or telephone. The semifinalists will be provided the opportunity to participate in an interview (via telephone, video conference and/or in person) with the judges on or around 15th May 2025. All Application Forms shall be judged based on the following objective criteria of equal weight: (i) the scientific and societal merit of the therapy being developed, and (ii)clinical phase of the molecule, process challenges and expertise gaps associated with the development of the therapy. Based on the interviews with the semifinalists, Sponsor will select one winner and two finalists on or around 16th June 2025. Determinations of judges are final and binding. In the event that no entries are received, no prizes will be awarded.
9. PRIZES
The one winner and two finalists will receive a credit note (the “Prizes” or each a “Prize”) in the values set forth below. The value of technologies and/or services purchased with the Prizes shall not exceed the retail value of such technologies and/or services. The one winner will receive the Program Winner Prize (retail value of $258,000) which can be used to purchase the following technologies and consultation from Sponsor:
a) $160,000 in Bioprocessing Technologies
I. Bioprocessing technologies are limited to cell culture media, clarification filters, nanofiltration filters, chromatography membrane adsorbers and resins & biopharma materials products. Program Winner will choose a minimum of 2 types of products.
II. Bioprocessing technologies purchased with the Prize must be shipped and/or delivered before 16th June 2027.
III. Products for biomolecule formulation, e.g. stabilizers, buffers, biodegradable polymers, lipids etc. This portfolio addresses high-risk applications and is largely embedded in the Emprove® program, which provides comprehensive documentation to fulfill regulatory requirements of biopharma manufacturers. A training on the Emprove® program and its advantages for the preparation of the registration process will be included in the prize. The period during which the PFM products should be purchased is 2 years, but can be extended in close consultation, depending on the progress of the formulation development. PFM technologies purchased with the Prize must be shipped and/or delivered before 16th June 2027.
b) $40,000 in Bioprocess Technologies consultation services provided by technology management team of over 85 engineers, scientists and technology specialists who provide expertise and peer-to-peer support in process development and manufacturing. (approximate retail value of $400.00 USD per hour) Consultation includes:
I. consultative evaluation for downstream process optimization provided by customer applications, process development scientists (PDS) and/or Biomanufacturing Engineers (MSAT) experts for up to 4 days at Program Winner’s site (for one molecule only) for technologies from clarification, chromatography, nanofiltration, tangential flow filtration and final fill; and/or
II. media consultative services, including media consultation and data review via meetings (inperson or conference call) for up to 4 days (only for one molecule); B) consultation on upstream process development which includes education on best practices for bioreactor scale up; III. access to the Sponsor’s M Lab™ Collaboration Center located in Burlington, MA and PDS support1 for up to 3 days.
c) $20,000 in Contract Testing Services scientific and regulatory consultation provided by global team of experts for up to 20 sessions remote. Winner must give at least 30 days advance notice.
d) Full subscription to the Emprove® Premium2 for one year period (value of $38,400). Subscription can be redeemed within 2 years of grant as well as free training and consultation with Emprove® Experts.
The two finalists will receive the Finalist Prize (retail value of $20,000) can be used to purchase the following technologies and /or consultation from Sponsor:
a) Bioprocessing Technologies
• Limited to cell culture media, clarification filters, nanofiltration aseptic filters, tangential flow filtration, chromatography membrane adsorbers and resins & biopharma materials products. No custom products will be included. Finalists will choose a minimum of 2 types of products. Bioprocessing technologies purchased with the Prize must be shipped and/or delivered before 17th May 2026.
b) Bioprocessing Consultation (approximate retail value of $400.00 USD per hour)
- Consultation includes consultative evaluation for media optimization, upstream and downstream process optimization provided by customer applications, process development scientists (PDS) and/or Biomanufacturing Engineers (MSAT) experts (for one molecule only) for technologies from media, clarification, chromatography, nanofiltration, tangential flow filtration and final fill; and includes education on best practices for bioreactor scale up. The winner and finalists are responsible for any transportation costs of their experiment samples. Odds of winning the Prizes depend on number of eligible entries received and the skill of the Participants. No transfer, substitutions or cash equivalent for Prizes will be allowed, except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Except with respect to the prize component for the PFM catalog portfolio, any amount of the Prizes remaining unspent as of 16th June 2026 shall be void. The Program Winner and the finalists may be required to sign a Certificate of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release prior to receiving any Prize, unless prohibited by law. Any and all Sponsor technologies and services come with the standard warranty as described in the product or service documentation. Sponsor and its affiliates make no other warranties or representations whatsoever relative to the quality, conditions, fitness or merchantability of any aspects of the Sponsor technologies and services that are purchased with the Prize. Each finalist is solely responsible for all activation fees, service fees, taxes and other charges due on any purchased Sponsor technologies and services. Except as set forth herein, Sponsor shall be responsible for shipping and handling charges related to delivery of any Sponsor technologies and services to the Program Winner.
10. TAXES
ALL TAXES, FEES, DUTIES, SURCHARGES, IF ANY, IMPOSED ON ANY PRIZE OR ANY SPONSOR TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PROGRAM WINNER. In order to receive a Prize, each potential Program Winner must submit the tax documentation requested by Sponsor or otherwise required by applicable law, to Sponsor or the relevant tax authority, all as determined by applicable law. Each Program Winner is responsible for ensuring that it complies with all the applicable tax laws and filing requirements. If a Program Winner fails to provide such documentation or comply with such laws, the Prize may be forfeited and Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select an alternative potential Program Winner.
11. GENERAL CONDITIONS
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify Participants that violate these Rules, misrepresent themselves or provide misleading information to Sponsor. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any Participant that tampers with the submission process or any other part of the Program. Any attempt by a Participant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of the Program is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such Participant to the fullest extent of the applicable law. Participants agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor.
12. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Sponsor agrees to treat as confidential all information that is submitted by a Participant in writing and marked “Confidential.” Sponsor and each Participant agree that Sponsor may use such confidential information exclusively for (i) judging such Participant’s proposal, (ii) follow-up marketing activities related to this Program and (iii) general market analysis purposes (collectively, the “Purposes”). Sponsor agrees to protect such confidential information from unauthorized access and dissemination, and not to disclose it to any party other than to its affiliates, and its affiliates’ officers, employees, representatives and advisors (collectively, “Agents”), who are reasonably required to receive such confidential information for the Purposes, where such Agents have been made aware of the confidential nature and are bound by a written obligation of confidentiality no less stringent than that set forth herein. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to information or parts thereof which (a) have been in or become part of the public domain through no breach of this paragraph by Sponsor, (b) have been made available to Sponsor without known wrongful act by an independent third party, (c) have been already lawfully in Sponsor’s possession at the time of receipt of the confidential information from the Participant, or (d) have been independently developed by Sponsor or its affiliates without use of the Participant’s confidential information. In case Sponsor is required by applicable law, regulation, rule or act or by order of any governmental authority or court of competent jurisdiction to disclose a Participant’s confidential information, Sponsor shall give sufficient advance written notice so that the Participant may either seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy or waive compliance with the provisions of this paragraph for such disclosure. In the event that a Participant is either unable to obtain such remedy or waives compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, Sponsor will thereafter disclose only the minimum confidential information of the Participant required in order to comply. Sponsor’s nondisclosure and nonuse obligations with respect to a Participant’s confidential information shall expire on the fifth anniversary of receipt of such information. Sponsor shall take action to enforce the obligations and restrictions herein on such affiliates and Agents which receive confidential information for the Purposes. Sponsor shall be liable to a Participant for any non-compliance of those affiliates and Agents with such obligations and restrictions to the same extent as Sponsor is liable for any such noncompliance on its own part. Each Participant warrants that it has the right to make disclosures of confidential information in connection with its proposal.
13. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
RIGHTS/PUBLICITY:
As a condition of entry, but subject to the provisions of Section 12 above regarding Sponsor’s treatment of the Participants’ Confidential Information, Participants grant to Sponsor and its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensees and assigns, an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive and royalty-free right to use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish and otherwise make use of all information (excluding any Confidential Information) contained in the Application Form and any Participant’s name, image, and likeness or other information in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter created, throughout the world and for any purpose and without compensation. Further, Participants waive any moral rights with respect to any submitted work or entry. In addition to other things, the rights granted to Sponsor include, but are not limited to, the right to resize, crop, censor, compress, edit, feature, caption, affix logos to, and to otherwise alter or make use of the submitted entry, or any of the content contained within the submitted entry. The Participants acknowledge and agree that Sponsor shall have no obligation to post, display or otherwise make publicly available any entry submitted by the Participant. Participants consent to allowing Sponsor and its affiliates to publish a news release regarding the Program and the Program Winners and their Application Forms on any of their websites and/ or social media pages for promotional marketing purposes in perpetuity. Participants consent to being contacted by Sponsor or one of its representatives for follow-up marketing activities related to this Program.
14. PRIVACY
Participants agree that personal data including, but not limited to, name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (“Personal Information”) may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used by the Sponsor, or any party authorized by them for the purposes of conducting and administering the Program, including its affiliates. This Personal Information may also be used by Sponsor or any party authorized by them, including its affiliates, to verify a Participant’s identity, postal address and telephone number in the event a Participant qualifies for any applicable Prize as well as to deliver the applicable Prize(s). Participants further agree that their Personal Information may be used to fulfill additional terms of the Program or to contact a Participant in response to a question submitted by such Participant or regarding certain technologies and services of Sponsor and its affiliates. This Personal Information may also be shared by the Sponsor or any party authorized by them with any third-party for the purposes of fulfilling the terms of this Program or another service that a Participant have requested, to support the Sponsor’s business, to comply with the law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary in order to conform to the requirements of law or comply with legal process served on Sponsor, and to protect and defend Sponsor’s rights or property. Participants understand and agree that this may mean that their Personal Information is transmitted, processed or stored in the United States. Note that Sponsor may share this Personal Information with its agents located in various offices throughout the world. Some of those offices may be in countries with data protection laws different than those established under Participants’ national, state, provincial or local law. Additionally, we ask that you please note the following:
- The data controller is Sponsor and the data recipients are Sponsor and its agents;
- Personal Information is collected for purposes of administration of the Program;
- Participants have a right of access to and withdrawal of their Personal Information. To exercise such rights or to obtain a copy of the Rules at no charge, Participants may send a request to [email protected].
15. WARRANTY & INDEMNITY
Participants warrant that their entries are original to the Participant and do not infringe any third party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligations, or otherwise violate applicable laws. Each Participant represents and warrants that all permissions, if any are required, have been granted prior to submission of the entry and that Participant may legally grant all licenses and permissions contained within these Rules to Sponsor. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Participant indemnifies and agrees to keep indemnified, Sponsor at all times from and against any liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses resulting from any act, default or omission of the Participant and/or a breach of any warranty set forth herein. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Participant agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor from and against any and all claims, actions, suits or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or accruing from (i) any entry materials submitted or otherwise provided by the Participant that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent or other intellectual property right of any person or defames any person or violates their rights of publicity or privacy, (ii) any misrepresentation made by the Participant in connection with the Program; (iii) any non-compliance by the Participant with these Rules; (iv) claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Rules arising from or related to the Participant’s involvement with the Program; (v) acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any Prize or participation in any Program related activity or participation in this Program; (vi) any error in the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or (vii) any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any Prize or Program Winners.
16. RIGHT TO CANCEL, MODIFY, OR DISQUALIFY
If for any reason the Program or any portion of either is not capable of running as planned due to technical or administrative problems, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Program, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Program, or any portion of it.
17. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
IN NO EVENT SHALL SPONSOR OR ITS AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR LOSS OF PROFITS, INCURRED BY PARTICIPANTS OR ANY THIRD PARTY, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY OR IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH DAMAGES, ARISING FROM THE PROGRAM, PRIZES OR USE OF A PRIZE OR SPONSOR TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES, EVEN IF SPONSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Sponsor is not responsible and shall not be liable for late or lost entries, whether caused by web site users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Program and assumes no responsibility for any computer, telephone, cable, network, electronic or internet hardware or software malfunctions, failures, connections, availability or intervention, error, omission, interruption, detection, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the web site. By accepting a Prize, each Program Winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its affiliates and agents from any and all liability, loss or damages arising from or in connection with awarding, receipt and/or use of a Prize or Sponsor technologies and services or participation in Prize-related activities, and they shall have no liability for any injury, misfortune, or damage to either persons or property incurred by entering, participating in or winning this Program. Participants agree that Sponsor shall have no liability for unsuccessful efforts to notify any potential program winner and finalists, or for any injuries, losses, or damages by reason of the Participant’s participation in the Program or use of the Prize.
18. IN CASE OF DISPUTES
Sponsor will interpret these Rules and resolve any disputes, conflicting claims or ambiguities concerning the Rules, and Sponsor’s decisions shall be final. If any provision of these Rules is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these rules, which shall remain in full force and effect. Sponsor reserves the right to modify or terminate the Program or to make such other decisions regarding the administration or outcome as Sponsor deems appropriate. All decisions by Sponsor are final.
19. NOT AN OFFER OR CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT
Under no circumstances shall the submission of an entry pursuant hereto, the awarding of a Prize, or anything in these Rules be construed as an offer or contract of employment with Sponsor. You acknowledge that you have submitted your entry voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust. You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and Sponsor and that no such relationship is established by your submission of an entry under these Rules.
20. FORUM AND RECOURSE TO JUDICIAL PROCEDURES
All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Program, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Germany without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules.
1 Sponsor’s M Lab™ Collaboration Center located in Burlington, MA has limited to no capabilities to support product classes (Upstream, Stem cell, gene therapy or other novel modalities (including viruses and viral vectors), Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Laboratory safety training is required before arrival. Sponsor is not responsible for any travel, hotel and other expenses.
2 Maintaining compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP’s) in a global, dynamic environment can be challenging. As a drug manufacturer, you need to compile a vast amount of information from your suppliers to ensure that the raw materials and components you purchase continue to meet the technical, regulatory and supply needs for your designated use and function. This can be resource- and time intensive, as well as expensive. To help facilitate and accelerate your risk assessment continuum, we have developed the Emprove® Program. Offering convenient access to reliable information for a broad portfolio of high-quality products, the Emprove® Program enables you to: make more agile, risk-based decisions maintain compliance and demonstrate control - Saving you time and money, and speeding you through the complexity with confidence. For more information, please visit: https://sigmaaldrich.com/emprove
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