AstraZeneca Launches R&D Challenge to Advance Drug Discovery

AstraZeneca recently launched a global research and development Postdoctoral Challenge to help advance drug discovery for some of the world’s most complex diseases. 

The challenge invites final year MD students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers globally to propose their innovative ideas and help boost scientific discovery across AstraZeneca’s core disease areas.  

In October, applicants will have the chance to pitch their research ideas to a panel consisting of AstraZeneca and external life science leaders. Experts will select the finalists later this year. 

AstraZeneca will review proposals based on scientific merit and potential to create a real impact for patients, society, and healthcare systems.  

The company will award successful candidates a fully-funded postdoctoral research position. Researchers will grant access to in-house expertise, compounds, novel tools and technologies, and mentoring support to develop their ideas and innovate.  

“The events of the past two years clearly show the need to push the boundaries of medical science has never been more urgent. Rapid progress in disease understanding, as well as scientific and technological advances are genuinely changing our expectations of what is possible,” Sir Mene Pangalos, professor and executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, said in the announcement.  

We are delighted to launch the R&D Postdoctoral Challenge to support the next generation of science leaders and help them translate their ideas into meaningful benefits for patients,” Pangalos continued.  

Early last year, AstraZeneca invested $8 billion in research and development to continue to discover and develop medicines to transform patients’ lives.  

And in December 2021, AstraZeneca unveiled a $1 billion state-of-the-art research and development facility to advance next-generation therapeutics, including nucleotide-based gene-editing and cell therapies. 

The Discovery Centre (DISC) in Cambridge, United Kingdom, will include advanced robotics, high-throughput screening, and artificial intelligence-driven technology. In total, the facility will accommodate over 2,200 research scientists.   

Research institutions and various biotech companies will promote a culture of open partnership and innovation. Additionally, AstraZeneca has two other strategic R&D centers, including one in the greater Washington, DC region and one in Sweden.