New EQT Foundation program to fund rare disease research
Awards will support projects investigating new therapies, technologies
The EQT Foundation, a branch of the investment organization EQT, will fund breakthrough research grants investigating rare diseases such as aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency.
“Rare diseases often go unseen and unheard, leaving millions, many of them children, without effective treatments or timely diagnoses,” Cilia Holmes Indahl, CEO of EQT Foundation, said in a foundation press release. “Through this fast-track grant program, we’re not just funding research, we’re supporting bold scientists to make the leap from lab to clinic.”
Funded projects will receive seed awards of between €25,000 and €100,000. The EQT Foundation hopes to support work investigating new therapies, diagnostic tools, technologies, and preclinical models related to rare diseases. The call is open to scientists worldwide who are affiliated with accredited nonprofit institutions. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 1, 2025. A panel of scientific experts will evaluate proposals, and short-listed applicants will be invited to interview with the EQT Foundation team.
EQT Foundation grants to focus on diseases such as AADC deficiency
AADC deficiency is an ultra-rare genetic disorder. Symptoms include movement disorders and delayed developmental milestones. As with many rare diseases, the path to diagnosis and treatment of AADC deficiency can be difficult. Low awareness and limited available information commonly contribute to these challenges.
With its new grant, the EQT Foundation aims to support innovation in diagnosing, treating, and managing rare diseases such as AADC deficiency.
The grant program supports research with strong potential for clinical impact that focuses on novel therapies such as gene and RNA treatments, enzyme replacement, oral drugs, and innovative delivery approaches. Experimental gene therapies have shown promise in AADC deficiency. One such treatment, Kebilidi (eladocagene exuparvovec-tneq), is now approved in the U.S.
It also prioritizes biomarker discovery to enable earlier diagnosis, improve trial design, and track treatment response in rare diseases, as well as technologies that accelerate clinical trials, including registries, digital biomarkers, and artificial intelligence-driven evidence generation. Additionally, the program encourages innovations that increase access to treatments in low-resource settings and that use human-relevant disease models to better understand how diseases work and make drug development safer.
“We believe breakthrough technologies can help improve treatments for rare diseases in cost-effective ways, representing an interesting new area for impact investors looking to improve quality-adjusted life years,” Indahl said.
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