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1.1. The purpose of these rules (hereinafter, the “Rules”) is to govern participation in the open innovation initiative of the e-llas hub (hereinafter, the “Initiative”). The Initiative aims to attract entities proposing solutions to address at least one of the challenges detailed in the Third section (hereinafter, the “Challenges”).
1.2. The specific objectives of the Initiative are as follows:
(i) Facilitate connections between GSK and relevant entities in the national and international health and entrepreneurship ecosystem to foster alliances for the development of value-added projects.
(ii) Promote innovation and collaboration in the health and entrepreneurship ecosystem to generate solutions addressing the needs of patients with gynaecological cancers, encompassing clinical and health aspects such as psychology, nutrition, physical activities, sexuality, fertility, and technology.
1.3. The Initiative is organized by GlaxoSmithKline, S.A., with registered office at c/ Severo Ochoa, 2, Parque Tecnológico de Madrid, 28760 Tres Cantos (Madrid) (hereinafter, “GSK”).
1.4. GSK has collaborated with various entities, including companies, scientific societies, cooperative groups, patient associations, and health professionals, who have contributed their experience and resources to define and develop this Initiative. Among these collaborators are the following (hereinafter, the “Collaborators”):
1.5. This document establishes the principles governing the process of participation and selection of the best proposal capable of addressing at least one of the Challenges.
2.1. Candidates
2.1.1. Individuals and legal entities, including research centres, universities, spin-offs, startups, and others with legal capacity to assume obligations, may participate in the Initiative, provided they have correctly completed their application in accordance with the Fourth section, presenting a solution to any of the Challenges, complying with all the requirements indicated in these Rules (hereinafter, the “Candidates”).
2.1.2. Candidates who are in any of the following cases will not be able to participate in the Initiative:
(i) If the individual or the partners, directors, representatives and/or employees of the legal entity are involved in a conflict of interest with GSK or any GSK Group company. For these purposes, the definition of conflict of interest is as follows:
a. Kinship relationships up to the third degree of consanguinity or affinity, including the spouse or people with whom they maintain a similar emotional relationship with any employee or manager of the GSK Group with the capacity to influence the result of the Initiative. The term “Group” is defined as the legislative provisions outlined in Article 42 of the SpanishCommercial Code.
b. Relationships of intimate friendship or enmity with any employee or executive of any of the companies within theGSK Group who have the ability to influence the outcome of this Initiative.
c. Maintaining, or having maintained within the last two years, a professional, business, or employment relationship with any of the companies within the GSK Group on a personal basis (directly or indirectly) or through another entity owned and/or controlled by the individual in question. This specifically includes cases where the individual in question holds, directly or indirectly, a significant contribution in any company within the GSK Group (such as stocks or shares). A significant contribution is understood to be a stake of more than 30% and/or where the stake allows decision making authority.
(ii) If they do not have full ownership of the solution and/or do not have exclusive rights to use the intellectual and industrial property rights in the context of the proposed solution for the Challenge.
(iii) If they do not authorize or cannot authorize their solution to advance or be promoted by GSK during the next stages of the Initiative, in order to negotiate and, if applicable, sign, the collaboration agreement referred to in section 6.2.
(iv) If they are, wholly or partially, owned or financed by any legal entity in the pharmaceutical sector.
(v) If they are considered “large companies”, in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014.
(vi) If they are in bankruptcy proceedings or meet any of the conditions for bankruptcy.
(vii) In the case of legal entities, if they are undergoing corporate restructuring (including the acquisition by third parties of their share capital, in whole or in part, by another legal entity), unless such corporate operation does not result in an effective change of control.
2.1.3. GSK reserves the right to exclude any participant who, in its discretion, contravenes the conditions stipulated in these Rules.
2.2. Solutions
2.2.1. Solutions proposed to address any of the Challenges must meet the following requirements:
(i) They must have at least a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, corresponding to having a system or subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment.
(ii) They must be based on original technologies that are exclusively owned by the Candidate and are protected or in the process of obtaining intellectual and industrial property rights.
(iii) They must be technologies that can be transferable or licensable.
2.2.2. Likewise, the proposed solutions must consider the following aspects in their value proposition:
(i) They must fully or partially address any of the Challenges, providing differential value to GSK through the application of innovative technologies. Solutions focusing specifically on the field of gynaecological cancer will be prioritized, considering the requirements and conditions established in the Third section for each Use Case (hereinafter, the “Use Cases”). However, solutions not initially designed for gynaecological cancer or for the context of the chosen Challenge are allowed, provided they demonstrate the ability to adapt to the specific needs of this field.
(ii) They must be adapted or have the capacity to adapt to the Spanish regulatory system.
(iii) They must have a high potential for growth and scalability within
2.2.3. Solutions falling into any of the following categories cannot be submitted:
(i) Non-patentable technologies, technologies in the public domain, or technologies protected, in whole or in part, by third-party rights without the necessary permissions from the Candidate.
(ii) Solutions that are offensive or degrading, or promote violence, racism, or violations of fundamental rights and public freedoms recognized by applicable laws, and the protection of children and young people, as well as those that constitute and/or imply an invasion of personal or family privacy, or a violation of the law, the honour of others, and/or the confidentiality of communications.
2.2.4. GSK shall exclude any proposed solution that violates any of the conditions specified in these Rules, at its sole discretion.
3.1. GSK and the Collaborators aim to develop solutions to the Challenges outlined below as part of the Initiative. Applications that provide solutions to any of the Challenges and enhance any of the Use Cases specified for each Challenge will be gathered by the Initiative.
3.1.2. Challenge 1: How might we achieve earlier diagnosis of gynaecological cancer to enhance the management and prognosis of the disease?
(i) Use case 1: Diagnostic or screening methods, which offer benefits over current techniques, such as faster results or less invasive techniques. It may be based on an in vitro diagnosis, biomarker analysis, or other methods.
The solution must meet the following conditions:
a. Be aimed at healthcare professionals.
b. It must impact at least one of the following areas:
(ii) Use case 2:Methods and/or tools for symptom analysis, triage, and/or pre-diagnosis, speeding up referral to the appropriate specialist in cases where there is suspicion of gynaecological cancer, promoting early diagnosis.
The solution must meet the following conditions:
a. Be aimed at health professionals and/or the general population.
b. It must impact at least one of the following areas:
3.2. Challenge 2: How might we provide comprehensive support to patients diagnosed with gynaecological cancer to facilitate the disease’s journey?
(i) Use case 1: Accompaniment throughout the clinical process, reducing stress, uncertainty, and/or doubts for patients and facilitating disease management for both patients and healthcare professionals.
The solution must meet the following conditions:
a. Be aimed at healthcare professionals and/or patients.
b. It must impact at least one of the following areas:
(ii) Use case 2: Emotional support during the oncological process and beyond treatment concludes, thereby enhancing the accessibility of psychological support beyond the existing resources offered by health centres.
The solution must meet the following conditions:
a. Be directed at patients and/or people around them.
b. The recommendations, exercises or guidelines must be personalized according to the needs and typology of the patient (age, type of cancer, family environment, socioeconomic level, among others).
c. Currently being or having the potential to be a digital therapy.
(iii) Use case 3: A collection of dependable, validated, and aggregated health habit guidelines and resources that target areas where public centres may be deficient in terms of resources throughout the oncological process.
The solution must meet the following conditions:
a. Be directed to patients.
b. Contain audiovisual support to facilitate understanding of the information.
c. The information offered through the solution must have scientific support and must have, be in the process of obtaining or have the potential to obtain, validation by a prestigious scientific society.
4.1. Candidates shall be registered via the official website www.hub-ellas.es. Accessible on this website is a Candidate Kit comprising a manual that provides comprehensive information regarding the registration form prerequisites and procedural requirements for engaging in the Initiative.
4.2. Candidates are required to submit an application registration form between February 28 and May 10th, 2024. The right to extend this deadline is reserved by GSK.
4.3. Candidates are required to provide truthful information during the registration process for the Initiative. Those who provide data that is inaccurate or fraudulent (in whole or in part) will be disqualified from participating.
4.4. When completing the registration form, the following must be taken into consideration:
(i) In the event that the Candidate has a single solution that addresses one or more Use Cases of one of the Challenges or of the two Challenges, as described in the Third section, a single registration must be submittedprovinga comprehensive explanation of the solution and its implications for each of the proposed scenarios.
(ii) In the event that the Candidate has two or more solutions that impact different Use Cases of the Challenges, as described in the Third section, a registration must be submitted for each solution, providing an explanation of its impact on the specified Use Case.
4.5. Candidates can send any questions or queries to the following email address: [email protected].
5.1. In accordance with the provisions of the Second and Third sections, a pre-screening will be performed on the proposed solutions that satisfy the selection criteria.
5.2. A multidisciplinary jury will review the submissions to the Initiative and select five finalists to advance to the next phase of the process.
5.3. The jury will be composed of eight members, designated by the Collaborators, in the subsequent manner:
A representative of GSK
It is noted that the vote of each member of the jury will have the same weight to make the final decision on the winning solution.
5.4. Candidates will be evaluated primarily based on the following criteria:
(i) Team:Candidate’s ability to provide the necessary and qualified human resources for the development of the solution’s pilot project.
(ii) Partnerships and financing: Candidate’s ability to provide the necessary and qualified human resources for the development of the solution’s pilot project.
(iii) Collaboration with GSK: Nature of the collaboration they are willing to engage in with GSK, which may include granting rights, assignment, or exclusive licensing of the solution, among other collaboration agreements.
5.5. The presented solutions shall undergo a fundamental evaluation predicated on the subsequent criteria, the specifics of which shall be determined in accordance with the applicable Use Case:
(i) Adaptation to the challenges: Solutions with the ability to specifically address any of the Challenges and meet the needs outlined by GSK will be prioritized. Solutions not initially designed for gynaecological cancer or for the context of the chosen Challenge must be submitted with a detailed proposal of how the solution will be modified, adjusted, or customized to effectively apply and address the Challenge and the conditions of the applicable Use Case.
(ii) Impact: Ability to positively impact the health and well-being of patients with gynaecological cancer. It will be valued that other actors benefit from the solution, such as health professionals, family members, health institutions and caregivers, depending on the applicable Use Case.
(iii) Maturity: Degree of development, considering the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)1. Solutions with a higher degree of maturity will receive a higher score.
(iv) Innovation: Ability to differentiate from other solutions and add value through the application of technologies that solve the Challenge.
(v) Manufacturing process: Feasibility, complexity, and scalability of the manufacturing process. The efficiency and feasibility of bringing the solution to large-scale production will be considered.
(vi) Usability: Simple and intuitive use of the tool. Ability of the solution to be easily integrated into the daily work of healthcare professionals, into the daily life of patients and, in general, into the daily routines of the solution’s users, as appropriate.
(vii) Personalization: Ability to adapt to the individual needs of each user, resulting in the delivery of relevant information and the creation of personalized experiences that respond to the specific characteristics and preferences of each user. Likewise, the humanization of technologies based on NPL (natural language processing) or other similar technologies will be considered.
(viii) Economic and financial viability: Financial projections, monetization strategies and business models.
(ix) Scalability: Ability of the solution to scale to other therapeutic areas, expand internationally and address the Challenge in a global context.
(x) Social responsibility: Considerations on sustainability during the development of the solution and for its implementation, and on ethics in research.
5.6. The finalist Candidates will be notified and invited to a Pitch Day, during which they will present their solutions to the jury. Based on this, the jury will select the winning solution for the Initiative.
5.7. To ensure impartiality in the selection process, should health professionals be among the five finalists, the GSK representative on the jury will refrain from casting a vote in the final selection of the the winning solution.
6.1. Three thousand euros (€3,000) will be awarded to the winning Candidate. This incentive is contingent upon the winning Candidate allocating the specified amount to the development of the winning solution. Consequently, the Candidate agrees to provide GSK, upon request, with evidence that the prize has been utilised effectively for the aforementioned purpose.
6.2. Furthermore, the winning Candidate will have the opportunity to enterinto a negotiation phase with GSK, wherein the nature of the partnership between the two parties will be assessed in order to develop and commercialize the successful solution. Generally speaking, the following will be implied by the collaboration in the event that the parties are able to reach a consensus and the negotiations are successful:
a. On behalf of GSK:
Provide additional funds for the development and commercialization of the winning solution.
Offer guidance and support in aspects related to research, development and strategy within the pharmaceutical sector.
Act as a strategic connector within the framework of the Initiative, facilitating the interaction of the winner with public and private healthcare environments, such as health professionals, patients, research institutions, companies linked to the purpose of the solution and other relevant actors in the sector.
b. On behalf of the winning Candidate
Granting of rights, assignment, or license of the intellectual and industrial property rights of the solution, in accordance with the provisions of the Eleventh section and according to the terms of the collaboration agreement.
Provide your experience and technical and technological knowledge for the joint development of the solution.
6.3. GSK shall retain the prerogative to decline signing the collaboration agreement referenced in section 6.2 prior to its effective execution.
7.1. The Candidates ensure that no content protected by the intellectual and/or industrial property rights of a third party will be incorporated into the projects during their execution. When Candidates utilise the intellectual property of third parties, they warrant that they have obtained permission from those third parties to transmit and use the rights in question. To support this claim, they are required to provide documentary evidence. The Candidates must guarantee that all projects and information submitted to this Initiative are done so voluntarily and do not violate any third-party rights, including but not limited to intellectual property and industrial property rights, patent rights, rights over business or industrial secrets, confidentiality, and non-disclosure obligations. The Candidates hereby release GSK and its subsidiaries from any liability pertaining to claims of authorship, invention, or property exploitation concerning the material of the project submitted for this initiative. Should any claim be made by a third party regarding the purported infringement of their rights, resulting in damages or losses for GSK, the company shall have the right to receive complete compensation from the Candidate.
7.2. By way of example, but not limited to, GSK reserves the right to disqualify Candidates in the following cases:
(i) In the event that they falsify and/or hide any information relevant to the development of the Initiative.
(ii) In the event that they present projects with viruses or other malicious components that could damage, interfere with or violate the security of GSK ‘s computer and/or technological systems.
7.3. Without prejudice to the foregoing, GSK will have the power to disqualify any Candidate who, in its discretion, does not comply with any term or condition stipulated in the Rules.
8.1. During its participation in the Initiative and/or receipt and enjoyment of the acknowledgement, the winning Candidate of the Initiative hereby grants GSK explicit permission to capture and reproduce its image and brand (including the voice and name of the Candidate, an individual, or the representative if the Candidate is a legal entity) in any manner (including for public communication, exploitation, reproduction, publication, and transformation).
8.2. This authorization grants unrestricted access to the brand, name, image, and voice, and where applicable, the brand itself, for promotional purposes across all media platforms, for the duration of the rights and in perpetuity.
8.3. The authorizations granted in this section are provided without charge and in exchange for nothing more than the delivery of the acknowledgement specified in the Sixth section to the winning Candidate.
9.1. In light ofits dedication to upholding human rights, ensuring compliance with legislation, and combating corruption, GSK requires that all legal entities and individuals with whom it conducts business, including the Candidates, conduct their operations in adherence to business ethics principles, transparent management practices, and strict adherence to current legislation.
9.2. Candidates affirm their commitment to adhere to the stipulations established by GSK in order to partake in the Initiative, uphold the GSK Code of Ethics, and refrain from any legal transgressions.
9.3. Candidates are required to ensure that their applications do not contain any unlawful or potentially infringing material that could compromise fundamental rights. Engaging in any behaviour that violates the GSK Code of Ethics or the law will result in immediate disqualification.
10.1. The Candidates acknowledge and consent to the processing of their personal data by GSK in adherence to the stipulations outlined in these Rules, with specific reference to this section.
10.2. As the “data controller,” GSK is liable for the processing of personally identifiable information.
10.3. In order to facilitate and oversee the Candidates’ involvement in this Initiative, their personal information will be processed. The processing is justified on the grounds of the contractual relationship that results from your involvement in this initiative.
10.4. The data will be retained for the duration required to oversee your involvement in the Initiative and, thereafter, to resolve any potential legal obligations associated with it, and solely for that purpose of liability management.
10.5. Participants to the Initiative, including Entrepreneur Capital SL, identified with CIF B 85053353, and companies collaborating with GSK that participate in the Initiative’s organisation or administration may be granted access to your data.
10.6. Candidates may submit requests to the following email addresses for access to, rectification of, or deletion of their personal data, limitation of its processing, opposition, or portability of their data, as permitted by the General Data Protection Regulation:
10.7. In the event of any violation of your rights, you may file a claim with the Spanish Data Protection Agency, whose contact details appear on its website (www.aepd.es).
10.8. If the Candidate decides to provide the personal data of third parties, he/she undertakes, under his/her sole responsibility, to have previously obtained their consent for their data to be processed by GSK, having previously informed them of everything provided for in Article 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation.
11.1. Upon the declaration of the winning solution, GSK and the winning Candidate shall engage in negotiations and, if deemed suitable, execute an agreement encompassing the final provisions of the licence or transfer, the means by which the asset shall be utilised and/or exploited, and the economic conditions. To ensure clarity, the selection of the winning solution does not obligate any of the involved parties to execute a legally binding contract. However, should an agreement be reached, it must respect these Rules.
11.2. The contractual agreement should foresee the transfer or licencing of all intellectual and industrial property rights pertaining to the proposed solution’s substance to GSK, which GSK shall have the authority to transfer to third parties (such as Collaborators), insofar as such rights are required for its execution. The winning Candidate becomes liable for the calm enjoyment and enjoyment of said rights, subject to exploitation in any form or medium, in accordance with the stipulations of the corresponding agreement.
11.3. In order to exploit the technologies utilized/developed for the winning solution of the Initiative, the winning Candidate agrees to engage in good faith negotiations with GSK regarding the terms of the licence and/or authorizations required to grant GSK access to the Candidate’s intellectual or industrial property rights pertaining to those protectable elements of its solution (including know-how). Similarly, the Candidate guarantees that it possesses all the requisite rights, authority, and titles to execute the transfer or licence of the aforementioned rights, thereby assuring GSK of its unrestricted use and rightful enjoyment of said rights and the entities upon which they are granted, without any obligation or burden to that conclusion.
11.4. Candidates are permitted to utilise protectable elements from a third party only if they procure the corresponding intellectual and/or industrial property rights in advance, in the best interests of both themselves and GSK and its subsidiaries.
11.5. Once assigned or licensed, GSK may, on its own, through GSK Group companies, use, exploit, and/or develop the winning solution. In the case of developments, GSK may protect or register it through industrial or intellectual property rights or keep it secret. Titles to industrial or intellectual property rights that may be requested will be registered in the name of GSK or whoever it designates, and GSK, or whoever it authorizes, in the places where it wishes to obtain protection on its behalf.
11.6. In the case of the remaining solutions not selected as winners, GSK shall respect the intellectual and industrial property rights, which shall be owned by the respective Candidates.
11.7. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that GSK has additional interest in non-winning solution, this will be communicated to the Candidate that proposed it with the aim of establishing a parallel agreement to this Initiative.
12.1. All information and documentation, including, but not limited to, commercial, financial, and technical documentation and information, provided by the Candidates and by GSK in the framework of the Initiative, directly or indirectly, whether orally, in writing, or through any medium, including electronic, shall be considered confidential information (hereinafter, the “Confidential Information”).
12.2. The Candidates and GSK mutually agree not to reproduce, publish, or disseminate the Confidential Information and to use it solely within the scope of the activities that are the subject of the Initiative.
12.3. Both GSK and the Candidates shall implement reasonable measures to ensure adherence to the confidentiality obligations stipulated in this subsection.
12.4. Regardless of the outcome, the winning Candidate must execute an explicit confidentiality agreement with GSK in order to proceed with negotiations.
12.5. Information shall not be deemed confidential if (i) it is or has become public knowledge by any means without breaching the confidentiality obligations established in these Rules, or (ii) it is independently developed by GSK or GSK Group companies without relying on Confidential Information received from the Candidates.
12.6. GSK or the Candidates shall promptly notify the other party of any legal obligation to disclose the Confidential Information, whether in whole or in part, so that the other party may take appropriate actions to mitigate or prevent any harm. Under all circumstances, disclosure will be limited to the minimum amount of Confidential Information necessary to satisfy the legal obligation.
12.7. In the event that personnel at their disposal fail to adhere to the confidentiality obligations, both the Candidates and GSK shall be held liable for any resulting damages. This extends to any individual or organisation that may subsequently be subcontracted to assist in the Initiative.
12.8. The Candidates and GSK undertake to inform the persons who have access to the Confidential Information of the existence and scope of this confidentiality obligation assumed by participating in the Initiative.
12.9. The confidentiality obligation shall endure until the Confidential Information is or becomes available to the public.
13.1. The winning Candidate (who then enters into a legally binding contract with GSK, if applicable) and/or the Candidates with whom GSK indicates interest in jointly developing a solution to the challenge (during the negotiations and for the duration of the contract’s validity), shall not disclose or transfer their proprietary information to a third party nor commercially exploit them with any entity other than GSK or GSK Group companies.
13.2. The above includes, but is not limited to, the fact that such Candidates may not collaborate with third parties that could be considered direct or indirect competitors of GSK.
14.1. These Rules will be published from the beginning of the Initiative and while it lasts, on the following website: www.hub-ellas.es
14.2.These Rulesmay be modified, interrupted and/or cancelledif justified circumstances arise that require it. Likewise, GSK reserves the right to declare all or any of the benefits void if no solution presented meets the expected quality at the discretion of the jury.
This will be made known to the Candidates, through the same means in which the Initiative was communicated, exempting GSK from any obligation or financial compensation.
14.3. Participation in the Initiative implies the express and unreserved acceptance of these Rules by the Candidates.
14.4. The Candidates undertake to accept and respect, in all terms, the decisions of the jury, expressly waiving any claim regarding these decisions.
14.5. These Rules are published in Spanish and English. In the event of any discrepancy between the two versions, the Spanish version shall prevail over the English one.
15.1. The tentative dates to carry out the Initiative are as follows:
Between February 28 and May 5, 2024 – Reception of registration requests for the Initiative
Between April 22 and May 10, 2024 – Pre-filtering of proposals that meet the selection requirements
Between May 13 and May 31, 2024 – Evaluation of Candidates by the jury
Between June 3 and June 7, 2024 – Selection and communication of finalists
Between June 17 and June 21, 2024 – Session for the presentation of proposed solutions (Pitch Day)
Between June 24 and June 28, 2024 – Selection and communication of the winning solution
15.2. Changes to the scheduled calendar are subject to GSK’s discretion. Candidates involved will be duly informed of the revised dates in the event of any modifications.
16.1. These Rules are governed by Spanish law.
16.2. In the event of a dispute, GSK and the Candidates for the Initiative voluntarily forfeit any other applicable jurisdiction and submit to the common laws of Spain and the jurisdiction of the Courts and Tribunals of the city of Tres Cantos, Madrid.
NP-ES-AOU-WCNT-240002 (v2) 02/2024
[1] To determine the maturity level, the following TRLs will be considered:
For more information, please contact your healthcare professional.
NP-ES-AOU-WCNT-240001 (v1) 02/2024