Professional Medical Education Grants

In order to be considered, a complete grant application package must be submitted via the online portal at least 60 calendar days prior to the event date. If the completed grant application package is not received at least 60 days prior to the event date, the grant request may be denied. In addition, requests must be disease focused. 

Required documents for submitting a Professional Medical Education Grant request.

• Detailed budget
• Proposal document: needs assessment, agenda, learning objectives, target audience, outcomes measurement plan, etc.
• Current W9 (signed and dated)

Following are examples of submissions that will not be accepted for a Professional Medical Education Grant request

• Requests received less than 60 days prior to the activity start date
• Requests that are not within the identified therapeutic areas of interest
• Grants to individuals
• Personal travel
• Expenses related to HCP attendance (other than faculty members) at major meetings
• Website development or mass media production not associated with an accredited provider
• Entertainment
• Capital campaigns, building funds or operating expenses
• Infrastructure
• Professional career development (e.g. office/practice management skills, presentation skills, etc.)
• Events that do not have an educational focus
• Requests for programs that have already started or are in progress
• Service contracts
• Textbooks or equipment-related requests
• Promotional exhibit and display fees
• Recognition awards
• Charitable contributions
• Requests for meals only
• Travel costs for any non-faculty participants
• Clinical grants, including Investigator Initiated Trials (IITs). Additional information can be found here.
• Activities held in lavish venues/resort locations are strongly discouraged

Novartis will receive and review professional medical education grant requests for the disease areas listed below. Please note that these areas are subject to change and funding availability may vary.

Non-Oncology

•  Atrial Fibrillation
• Cardiovascular (ASCVD, Hyperlipidemia)
• Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) / Chronic Inducible Urticaria (CindU)
• Complement 3 Glomerulopathy (C3G)
• Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)
• Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM; Myositis)
• IgA Nephropathy (IgAN)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
• Sjogren's Disease
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) / Lupus Nephritis (LN)
• Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)

Oncology 

• Breast Cancer
• Lymphoid Malignancies (pALL, FL, DLBCL)
• Myelofibrosis (MF)
• Myeloid Malignancies (CML)
• Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET)
• PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS)
• Platelet Disorders (ITP)
• Prostate Cancer
• Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (wAIHA)

Please note that funding availability for these areas will change over the course of the year and there may be a delay in the updating of this listing.

Funding Available:

• Breast Cancer
• Cardiovascular (ASCVD, Hyperlipidemia)  
• Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) / Chronic Inducible Urticaria (CindU)
• Complement 3 Glomerulopathy (C3G)
• Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)
• IgA Nephropathy (IgAN)
• Lymphoid Malignancies (pALL, FL, DLBCL)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Myeloid Malignancies (CML)
• Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET)
• Platelet Disorders (ITP)
• Prostate Cancer
• Sjogren's Disease

Limited Funding:

• Atrial Fibrillation
• Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM; Myositis)
• Myelofibrosis (MF)
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
• PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS)
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) / Lupus Nephritis (LN)
• Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)
• Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (wAIHA) 
   

Atrial Fibrillation

• Pathophysiology - Increase knowledge of the pathophysiology of thromboembolism and stroke risk in atrial fibrillation (AFib) as well as the coagulation cascade.
• Treatment - Improve understanding of the mechanisms of action of approved and emerging anticoagulants as well as their efficacy and safety profiles. Increase knowledge of strategies to minimize stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib including regular assessment, rate and rhythm control, lifestyle modification, and medication management.
• Guidelines, Goals and Evidence-Based Medicine - Increase awareness of current guidelines in the management of patients with AFib including stroke prevention recommendations. Increase knowledge of annual cardiovascular risk assessments and bleeding risk assessment tools.
• Care Approach - Increase knowledge of the implementation of individualized patient-centered treatment plans for patients with AFib.

Cardiovascular - Hyperlipidemia and ASCVD

• Screening, Diagnosis - Increase knowledge on the role of elevated Lipoprotein(a) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the importance of Lp(a) testing as part of a comprehensive CVD management strategy.  Increase awareness of guideline-directed LDL-C screening post an ASCVD-related event (coronary or peripheral).
• Pathophysiology - Educate on the pathophysiology of ASCVD by highlighting long-term exposure to elevated LDL-C, Lp(a) as a causal and independent risk factor of CVD, and IL-6–mediated risk.
• Treatment - Increase knowledge of safety and efficacy of current and emerging lipid lowering treatments.
• Guidelines, Goals and Evidence-Based Medicine - Increase knowledge of the need for patients to reach recommended evidence-based LDL-C goals, the importance of patient adherence to treatment, and the need for guideline-based risk evaluation including Lp(a) testing.
• Care Approach - Increase knowledge of the implementation of individualized patient-centered treatment plans for ASCVD patients with persistently elevated LDL-C levels and the value of Lp(a) testing to inform treatment plans.

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) / Chronic Inducible Urticaria (CindU)

• Educate on strategies to recognize and differentiate CSU/CIndU in acute presentations, manage symptoms effectively in the emergency setting, and ensure appropriate follow-up or referral for long-term care.
• Educate on the roles of key inflammatory mediators and signaling pathways in the pathophysiology of CSU and CIndU.
• Educate on the disease presentation, diagnostic workup, and early recognition of CSU and CIndU.
• Educate on the signs of inadequate treatment response and insufficient symptom relief and the need to escalate to advanced therapies.
• Educate on the differentiation between current and emerging treatments for CSU and CIndU.
• Educate on strategies to engage patients in care decisions, ensure timely referrals, and applying real-world evidence to improve outcomes and quality of life.

Complement 3 Glomerulopathy (C3G)

• Pathogenesis, Disease Progression and Classification - Understand the central role of the overactivation of the alternative pathway in C3G.
• Screening, Diagnosis, Referral to Specialty Care - Develop strategies to screen patients and improve timely, accurate differential diagnosis in clinical practice, including classification of renal biopsy based on histological assessment.
• Current Treatment Management - Describe the safety and efficacy of targeted therapies, understand the strong, evidence-based correlation between eGFR stabilization and disease progression and incorporate evidence-based monitoring strategies by routinely assessing hematuria and proteinuria.
• Disease Burden and Quality of Life - Increase understanding of how to reduce disease burden, optimize patient outcomes and improve quality of life of patients with C3G.

IgA Nephropathy (IgAN)

• Explain the pathophysiology of IgAN, including the distinct contributions of the complement alternative and endothelin (ET) pathways to disease progression.
• Identify early clinical and laboratory features of IgA nephropathy and integrate current evidence on ET and complement‑driven pathogenesis to support earlier diagnosis and timely treatment initiation.
• Educate HCPs on the symptoms of IgAN and optimal treatment strategy for managing IgAN disease progression, including escalation beyond supportive care when necessary and routine, structured monitoring of hematuria and proteinuria.
• Strengthen awareness of the strong, evidence-based correlation between persistent proteinuria and disease progression, including the benefits of achieving lower proteinuria targets sooner.
• Apply KDIGO guidelines monitoring framework that supports timely risk stratification and informed therapeutic decision-making in clinical practice.
• Differentiate current and emerging IgAN therapies by mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety profile to inform individualized treatment selection.
• Apply current KDIGO guideline proteinuria and eGFR targets to evaluate the need for treatment escalation and multi-target approaches that simultaneously target different disease mechanisms to slow disease progression.
• Identify barriers to treatment initiation and adherence in IgAN, including vaccination considerations, and apply strategies to address these barriers in clinical practice.
• Education on patient-centric strategies that aim to reduce disease burden and overcome barriers to optimal disease management.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)

• Describe the pathophysiology of HS as a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disease, including patterns of onset and progression across adult and pediatric patients.
• Recognize best practices in the diagnosis of HS, including assessment of disease severity, inflammatory burden, pain, and overall impact on quality of life.
• Apply current clinical guidelines to support evidence-based, multimodal management of HS, with a focus on achieving inflammation reduction and sustained symptom relief in routine clinical practice.
• Develop individualized treatment goals for patients with HS that integrate treatment therapy, procedures, lifestyle interventions, and pain management strategies to support long-term disease control and improved quality of life.
• Analyze the benefits of timely treatment escalation among adult and pediatric patients with moderate HS, with consideration of emerging evidence beyond prolonged use of antibiotics and traditional systemic therapies.
• Differentiate between the current and emerging biologic treatments with the most up to date, evidence-based efficacy and safety data, outlining the benefits of early treatment.
• Outline the impact of HS on quality of life for adult and pediatric patients, common comorbidities (including mental health), long-term disease burden, and economic burden of health care cost.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Treatment - Understand current and emerging efficacy and safety data, unique MOA, and differentiation between BTK inhibitors for management of MS
• Treatment - Discuss the importance of high-efficacy Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) on MS disease progression
• Biomarkers–Understand the appropriate use of biomarkers to assess MS activity and treatment response
• Treatment - Review the mechanisms of action of current and emerging immunotherapies, their relevance to treatment decisions, and the relative risks and benefits of the options
• Special Patient Populations - Identify patients in underserved populations; populations with special needs; determine appropriate treatment; assess available data on approved disease-modifying therapies for treatment
• Patient Experience - Understand the importance of Patient-reported Outcomes and outcomes that matter to patients [ex. impact on Activities Daily Living (ADL), cognitive impairment, fatigue] and recommend optimal screening, monitoring, and adherence to treatment strategies
• Disease Progression and Quality of Life - Identify symptoms of disease progression that most impact QoL and provide strategies for management; and how Patient-reported Outcomes can be applied as viable markers in clinical trials (biomarkers for progression)
• Clinical Trials - Identify more reliable and representative clinical trial outcome measures for MS disease activity and progression
• Guidelines, Goals and Evidence-Based Medicine - Increase awareness of MS treatment guidelines/best practices
• Quality of Life and Comorbidities - Recognize the importance of the management of the silent symptoms of MS including on the impact to mental health

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)

• Awareness of the unmet needs in PNH patients
• Understand how current and emerging treatments differ with their efficacy and safety data
• Understand the definitions and guidelines with lines of therapy use
• Understand the importance of hemoglobin normalization in PNH patients, and its impact on fatigue and QoL
• Explain the new pathways and unique MOAs of treatments
• Understand the importance of patients adhering to treatment to ensure optimal PNH management
• Understanding when and what treatments to initiate for “watch and wait patients”
• Educate on vaccination requirements and mitigation strategy for encapsulate bacteria
• Recognizing the signs and symptoms of BTH for immediate intervention

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

• Describe the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of PMR, including the role of IL-17A–mediated inflammatory pathways and related therapeutic implications.
• Apply guideline-recommended diagnostic criteria to differentiate PMR from mimicking conditions and reduce delays in diagnosis and inappropriate glucocorticoid use, particularly in older and comorbid populations.
• Implement evidence-based glucocorticoid treatment strategies, including appropriate initiation, tapering, and use of validated tools to minimize cumulative steroid burden.
• Identify clinical and laboratory predictors of relapse, prolonged disease course, and glucocorticoid-related comorbidities to support risk stratification and individualized management.
• Evaluate the efficacy and safety of current and emerging therapies for PMR to inform evidence-based treatment decisions.
• Recognize the clinical and economic burden associated with prolonged glucocorticoid exposure in PMR and its impact on patient outcomes.

Sjögren’s Disease

• Pathogenesis - Understand the theoretical development of autoimmune response in Sjögren’s Disease with a focus on B cells.
• Screening and Diagnosis - Emphasize the importance of early diagnosis, using diagnostic tools like ultrasound, and recognize the utility of biomarkers in diagnosis.
• Disease Burden - Understand the burden of the disease and its systemic manifestations, recognizing that Sjögren’s is a serious, B-cell driven inflammatory disease with multi-system manifestations that require urgent recognition and treatment.
• Treatment - Recognize the urgency to treat with Sjögren’s-specific systemic therapies beyond just symptom control, understanding the MOA of new and emerging treatments for Sjögren’s. Gain knowledge around moderate-to-severe Sjögren’s, and establish a new treatment algorithm
• Quality of Life - Communicate the burden of the disease to ensure HCPs, both specialists and other HCPs, appreciate the full impact Sjögren’s disease has on patient’s lives (impact of daily living, work impairment, psychological, physical functioning, and social well-being).

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

• Diagnosis and Disease Progression - Educate on the diagnosis of SMA made through gene testing and/or clinical diagnosis and counseling on disease progression based on subtype and presentation.
• Guidelines, Goals and Evidence-Based Medicine - Identify current recommendations for care and apply evidence-based strategies to treat patients with SMA.
• Coordination of Care - Utilize shared decision making and the multidisciplinary team to effectively treat patients with SMA.
• Transition of Care - Encourage effective management of transitions of care between pediatric and adult patient care.
• Disease Burden and Quality of Life - Increase knowledge of activities of daily living assessments, measurement of caregiver burden, and other quality of life measurements to gauge disease progression and response to treatment.
• Clinical Trials and Treatment - Differentiate between current and emerging treatments with the most up to date, evidence-based efficacy and safety data for treatment of patients with SMA.
• Gene Therapy - Broaden understanding of gene therapies including how to minimize barriers to use, safety and efficacy, mechanism of action and administration.
• Scales and Assessments - Educate on the use of scales and assessments, including patient-reported outcomes, to assess disease progression and guide treatment selection.
• Biomarkers - Educate on the developing use of biomarkers to assess SMA activity and treatment response.

Breast Cancer

• Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC):
  • Discuss overall survival (OS) from RCT findings as a gold-standard, clinically meaningful endpoint in oncology
  • Recall the differences in trial populations and criteria for different CDK4/6 inhibitor trials
  • Examine the latest endocrine and targeted therapies and the mechanisms behind treatment resistance and response
  • Recognize prognostic and predictive factors of various BC subset classifications
• Early Breast Cancer (eBC):
  • Educate on the unmet needs in the treatment of eBC including risk of recurrence
  • Consider clinical vs. genomic risk evaluations in prognosis and treatment decisions
• eBC and ABC:
  • Recognize evolving guidelines, levels of evidence and recommendation categories for targeted BC therapies
  • Discuss the appropriate detection, monitoring, & management of adverse events for targeted BC therapies
  • Discuss the role of liquid biopsy to detect Minimal Residual Disease
  • Evaluate patient criteria, clinical data, and sequencing strategies for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors across BC stages, including relapses
  • Consider the importance of patient QOL when making BC treatment decisions
  • Address barriers to optimal BC care for diverse and minority populations
  • Educate on the importance of adherence and persistence in optimizing patient outcomes

Lymphoid Malignancies (pALL, FL, DLBCL)

• Educate the medical community on the efficacy, safety, and medical value of approved and investigational T-Cell therapies in the third-line setting of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL), and Pediatric Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (pALL)
• Educate community HCPs on differentiation of T-Cell therapies and its place in therapy, appropriate patient selection/eligibility, and optimal management of patients undergoing CAR-T therapy
• Educate community HCPs on the value of CAR-T therapy and the importance of timely referral and broad access to treatment for patients in need
• Education on how to set up CAR-T therapy programs and options for outpatient infusion
• Educate about adverse event management strategies associated with T-Cell therapies to ensure optimal patient outcomes
• Educate payers on the overall value of T-Cell therapies, their place in therapy, and risk/benefit profile

Myelofibrosis (MF)

• Explain the pathobiological drivers and symptom burden of myelofibrosis and identify areas of ongoing unmet need despite current therapeutic approaches.
• Educate on contemporary diagnostic and validated prognostic risk stratification frameworks to inform individualized treatment decision making in patients with myelofibrosis.
• Understand the mechanisms of action and efficacy and safety data for current and emerging therapies for myelofibrosis.
• Understand individualized, evidence-based management strategies for patients with myelofibrosis, integrating disease risk, symptom burden, safety considerations, and evolving treatment paradigms.

Myeloid Malignancies (CML)

• Understand the current and emerging efficacy and safety data with CML therapies in first-line and second-line settings and apply evidence-based guidelines to optimize therapy selection and sequencing
• Educate on the challenges patients encounter with treatment intolerance and resistance with therapies, the different tolerability profiles of treatments and how tolerability with efficacy influences patient quality-of-life outcomes
• Understand the clinical benefits of molecular monitoring/mutation testing, treatment milestones per NCCN guidelines and deep molecular response (DMR)/ Treatment free remission (TFR) for patients with CML
• Educate on adverse event management, dose optimization and treatment for optimal patient outcomes

Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs)

• Recognize the challenges with the accurate diagnosis and management of NETs/Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs)
• Educate on the relevance of precision medicine in the accurate diagnosis and management of NETs/GEP-NETs, especially in the community setting
• Understand the impact of NETs/GEP-NETs on patient quality of life (QOL)
• Understand evolving data regarding diagnosis and imaging modalities for NETs/GEP-NETs
• Recognize the importance of early intervention upon clinical or radiological progression of NETs/GEP-NETs
• Explain the importance of appropriate treatment sequencing and selection for NETs/GEP-NETs
• Discuss the current and emerging treatment landscape for NETs/GEP-NETs
• Consider the appropriate patient type and tumor origin/characteristics when determining individual treatment selections
• Consider the use of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of NETs/GEP-NETs
• Apply a multidisciplinary approach to the management of NETs/GEP-NETs

PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS)

• Diagnosis and Progression - Understand the clinical spectrum of PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS), the role of mosaicism, and the principles of confirming diagnosis through detection of PIK3CA variants. Describe expected patterns of disease progression and complications based on phenotype and organ-system involvement. Improve recognition and diagnosis of Lymphatic Malformations (LyM).
• Guidelines, Goals, and Evidence-Based Care - Identify current recommendations for care and apply evidence-based strategies to treat patients with PROS.
• Coordination and Transition of Care - Use shared decision-making within a multidisciplinary team (e.g., specialists in genetics, vascular anomalies, dermatology, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation). Promote coordinated longitudinal management and effective transition planning from pediatric to adult care as well as management of adult patients.
• Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life  - Increase knowledge of patient-reported outcomes, pain and symptom inventories, functional status and activities of daily living measures, and measures of caregiver burden to evaluate disease burden and response to intervention over time.
• Clinical Trials and Treatment - Differentiate between current and emerging treatments for PROS and LyM including current and emerging agents targeting the PI3K pathway. Interpret evidence-based efficacy and safety data available for treatments.
• Genomic Medicine - Strengthen understanding of genotype-phenotype considerations in mosaic disorders (e.g., variant allele fraction and tissue distribution). Identify barriers to access for molecular testing and targeted therapies.
• Scales and Assessments - Educate on the use of scales and assessments to assess disease progression, quantify burden, and guide treatment selection. 

Platelet Disorders (ITP)

• Understand the unmet needs in the academic and community setting and how the current and emerging therapies in early and later line settings address these barriers
• Understand the innovative treatment goals for the management of patients (i.e. durability of response, time to treatment failure, stable response off treatment)
• Explain the new pathways and unique MOAs of emerging treatments
• Understand the treatment sequence with current therapies versus investigational therapies for long term management in patients
• Understand the latest definitions and guidelines compared to existing guidelines for ITP (i.e. ASH, IWG, ISTH)
• Awareness of the non-clinical barriers to emerging treatments in the community setting and how to address the challenges

Prostate Cancer

• Discuss the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for Prostate Cancer (PC)
• Discuss the role of precision medicine for PC imaging and therapy and consider the integration of an oncology Precision Medicine medical model into care plans
• Discuss the utility and appropriate use of novel imaging modalities including interpretation of the imaging results for advanced PC
• Understand the mechanism of action (MOA) of radioligand therapy (RLT) for PC.
• Differentiate current and evolving PC treatments based on evidence based-medicine, guidelines, and emerging data
• Understand the safety and efficacy data of current and novel PC treatments based on evidence based-medicine, guidelines, and emerging data both in clinical trials and real-world evidence.
• Explain the importance of appropriate treatment sequencing and selection for treatment of different stages of PC based on emerging data
• Consider patient types that are most appropriate for current and emerging PC treatments based on emerging data
• Utilize a multidisciplinary team and collaborative approach for the diagnosis and treatment of PC
• Consider the patient’s perspective and quality of life when formulating a treatment plan for PC. Increase knowledge of appropriate counseling such as patient-facing radiation safety counseling and post-treatment care.
• Ensure shared decision-making between physicians and patients when diagnosing and treating PC
• Recognize barriers to optimal care for diverse and minority populations due to lack of awareness of PC disease incidence, burden and diversity in clinical trials.
• Improve knowledge for sequencing advanced PC therapies
• Provide knowledge on how to establish PC radiopharmaceutical treatment centers including workflows, radiation safety, and regulatory requirements.

Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (wAIHA) 

• Understand the unmet needs in the academic and community setting and the current and emerging treatment landscape in line of therapies
• Explain the new pathways and unique MOAs of emerging treatments
• Understand innovative treatment goals for the management of patients (i.e. sustained response off treatment (SROT), Treatment Free Remission (TFR)).
• Understand long term management strategies to endure optimal patient outcomes and adherence
• Understand the definitions and clear guidance on lines of therapy

Novartis considers funding for established fellowship programs with non-profit organizations including medical societies, academic institutions and organizations that align with the Novartis mission of addressing identified education gaps in particular therapeutic areas of interest currently listed online.

Requirements for seeking fellowship funding

Fellowships must have established both eligibility and selection criteria for fellows and an independent committee for fellowship selection. Fellows cannot have been selected at the time support is sought.
To seek funding support, the following documents must be submitted:

• Organizational W-9
• Budget
• Program objectives or specified research priorities
• Program agenda or timeline
• Needs assessment
• Letter of request and outcomes measurement/evaluation plan

The fellowship term may be for up to 1 year. Organizations can apply for the additional years if needed.
Novartis funding cannot go towards any overhead including admin expenses, insurance, lodging, etc.

Funding requests that will not be supported

• Requests received less than 60 days prior to the activity start date
• Requests that are not within the identified therapeutic areas of interest
• Requests for textbooks or equipment-related requests only
• Recognition awards
• Requests for meals only
• Requests for travel or conference registration fees only

HR+/HER2-negative Early Breast Cancer

Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP NET) 

Sjogren's Disease (SjD)

Submit your education grant request