Surveillance of Pneumococcal Disease Serotype Distribution in Pediatric and Adult Pneumococcal Disease in Türkiye is a grant from Pfizer that funds STEM education research. The supported studies should focus on clinically confirmed pneumococcal infections, determining the serotype-specific prevalence and serotype distribution as well as antimicrobial resistance patterns in pneumococcal isolates.

By also leveraging passive data sources, such as hospital records and laboratory reports, this initiative is expected to provide epidemiological insights. Eligible applicants include healthcare organizations in Turkey. The application deadline is 2026-05-04.

Pfizer Research Grant Request Competitive Grant Program – Pfizer Internal Review Process # Surveillance of Pneumococcal Disease # Serotype Distribution in Pediatric and Adult This competitive program aims to support projects for surveillance of pneumococcal disease serotype distribution in the pediatric and adult populations in Turkey.

The supported studies should focus on clinically confirmed pneumococcal infections, determining the serotype-specific prevalence and serotype distribution as well as antimicrobial resistance patterns in pneumococcal isolates. By also leveraging passive data sources, such as hospital records and laboratory reports, this initiative is expected to provide epidemiological insights.

Project Types and Area of Interest Potential applicants are encouraged to address existing evidence gaps in pneumococcal disease epidemiology in the pediatric and adult population through observational studies utilizing surveillance methods (prospective or bidirectional cohort). These studies should focus on integration of advanced diagnostic techniques and understanding local pneumococcal serotype distribution in disease.

This may include: • Active and passive surveillance studies addressing invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal disease and serotype distribution in the pediatric and adult population. • Analysis of serotype and antibiotic sensitivity information from pediatric and adult patients presenting with pneumococcal infections (outpatient, emergency, or inpatient settings) as recorded in routine electronic health records or surveillance systems.

• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be performed using internationally accepted methods, including but not limited : broth microdilution (reference method), Etest, or disk diffusion. Funding Range and Project Length • Individual projects requesting up to $120,000 USD will be considered.

For projects requiring third-party lab services for serotyping and the corresponding transportation of samples, an additional budget will be considered, for a possible total of $180,000. • Project Maximum project duration is 3 years.

Anticipated Grant Award Notification Anticipated Project Start Date/Duration AUG 2026 SEP 2026 4 MAY 2026 2 Applicant Eligibility Criteria • The institution and Principal Investigator (PI) must be based in the eligible country noted above.

• Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or medical practice groups (i.e., an independent group of physicians not affiliated with a hospital, academic institution, or professional society).

• If the project involves multiple departments within an institution and/or between different institutions / organizations / associations, all institutions must have a relevant role and the requesting organization must have a key role in the project. • The PI must have a medical or postdoctoral degree (MD, PhD, or equivalent), an advanced nursing degree (BSN with a MS/PhD), or a degree in Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, or Social Work.

• The applicant must be the PI or an authorized designee of such individual (e.g., PI’s research coordinator). • The PI must be an employee or contractor of the requesting organization. • Requesting organization must be legally able to receive award funding directly from Pfizer International LLC We strongly recommend that applicants confirm this with their organization or institution prior to submitting an application.

Grants awarded to organizations that are subsequently found to be unable to accept funding directly from Pfizer International LLC may be subject to rescission.

Primary Area of Interest: • Pneumococcal Infections General Area of Interest for this RFP: • Potential applicants are encouraged to address existing evidence gaps in pneumococcal disease in the pediatric and adult population through observational studies (prospective or bidirectional cohort) utilizing surveillance methods.

By leveraging passive data sources such as hospital records and laboratory reports, this initiative is expected to provide robust epidemiological insights, including the assessment of antimicrobial resistance patterns in pneumococcal isolates. These studies should focus on integration of advanced diagnostic techniques and understanding local pneumococcal serotype distribution in disease.

This may include: • Active and passive surveillance studies addressing serotype distribution from invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal disease in the pediatric and adult population. • Analysis of information from pediatric and adult patients presenting with pneumococcal infections (outpatient, emergency, or inpatient settings) as recorded in routine electronic health records or surveillance systems.

• Studies using Quellung reaction and integration of advanced diagnostic techniques (e.g., PCR-based methods, genome sequencing and other validated approaches) to confirm pneumococcal infection and accurately determine serotype distribution, would be preferred.

• Assessment of antimicrobial resistance patterns in pneumococcal isolates, including multidrug resistance and its association with specific serotypes, to determine prevalence of resistant strains and inform treatment strategies and public health interventions. • Documentation of the impact of PCV introduction on pneumococcal disease serotype distribution at the population level using passive surveillance data.

3 • Comparative analysis of pneumococcal disease serotype distribution stratified age group, gender, or other demographic factors, by geographic region, by clinical presentation, by isolate source, etc. • Investigation of comorbidities and risk factors (e.g., chronic diseases, immunosuppression, smoking) associated with pneumococcal disease serotype distribution.

• Exploration of novel approaches to more accurately describe the burden of pneumococcal disease using clinical, laboratory, and surveillance data sources. • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be performed using internationally accepted methods, including but not limited: broth microdilution (reference method), Etest, or disk diffusion.

Results should be interpreted according to recognized standards such as EUCAST, CLSI and etc. The selected methodology and breakpoints must be clearly specified and applied consistently, and serotype-stratified resistance reporting is encouraged where feasible.

• Priority will be given to studies with definitive plans for publishing the results of the study in public forums (ie, presentations at conferences / congresses, abstracts / posters, publications in local or international journals).

• Research areas not funded • Studies on vaccine efficacy, effectiveness or immunogenicity • Studies evaluating the serotype distribution in community-acquired pneumonia using Pfizer’s urinary antigen detection test • Evaluations of competitor pneumococcal vaccines in isolation Expected Approximate Monetary Range of Grant Applications IMPORTANT: Grants will be distributed following a fully executed agreement and submission of Final Protocol, Documentation of IRB/IEC Approval, Regulatory Approval (if applicable), Exemption or Waiver.

• Individual projects requesting up to $120,000 USD will be considered. For projects requiring third-party lab services for serotyping and the corresponding transportation of samples, an additional budget will be considered, for a possible total of $180,000. • Award amounts include direct costs, institutional overhead costs (capped at 28% per Pfizer policy), and indirect costs.

IMPORTANT: Be advised applications submitted after the due date will not be reviewed. *Please note the deadline is 23:59 Eastern Standard Time (e.g., New York, GMT -5) > Anticipated Project Start Date > Anticipated Project End Date IMPORTANT: Please read this section carefully since applications submitted not following these instructions will not be accepted and will be cancelled.

• Note: there are individual portals for each grant application type. Please be sure to use the URL above. • First-time users should click “Create your password”.

• Click the “ Start A New Research Grant Application ” button. • Requirements for submission: • Complete all required sections of the online application • IMPORTANT: Upload proposal (see Appendix) in the Proposal/Protocol field. • For the question “ Competitive Grant?

” select “ Yes ” • Select the following Primary Area of Interest: VAV - Pneumococcal - RES • Select the following Competitive Grant Program Name: 2026 VAC TR Surveillance of Pneumococcal Disease Serotype Distribution RES • If you encounter any technical difficulties with the website, please click here or the “Technical Questions” link at the bottom of the page in cybergrants.

• Please click here to view “Frequently Asked Questions” regarding the Competitive Grant Program. • If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to the Grant Officer, Neha Singhal (GlobalMedicalGrants@pfizer.

com ), with the subject line “Surveillance of Pneumococcal Disease Serotype Distribution in Pediatric and Adult Populations in Turkey – 3APR2026” Review and Approval Process • Grant requests received in response to a general RFP are reviewed by Pfizer to make final grant decisions. Mechanism by which Applicants will be Notified: • All applicants will be notified via email by the dates noted above.

• Applicants may be asked for additional clarification during the review period. • If your grant is approved, your institution will be required to enter into a written grant agreement with Pfizer. Please click here to view the core terms of the agreement.

• Under Pfizer's competitive grant program, modifications to grant agreements will not be reviewed unless a genuine conflict exists as between applicable law and the terms of the relevant grant agreement. Applicant is encouraged to share the core terms with counsel for approval prior to submitting an application.

• Except where prohibited by applicable law and, in any case, subject to review by Pfizer Legal, payment of grant funding may only be paid to the grantee organization. • Teixeira R, Kossyvaki V, Galvez P, Méndez C. Pneumococcal Serotype Evolution and Burden in European Adults in the Last Decade: A Systematic Review.

Microorganisms. 2023 May 24;11(6):1376. doi: 10.

3390/microorganisms11061376. PMID: 37374878; PMCID: PMC10303156. • Nakano S, Fujisawa T, Koide S, Sugawara Y, Chang B, Ito Y, Suga S, Ohnishi M, Akeda Y, Sugai M.

Serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in paediatric patients in Japan (2020-5 2023). J Med Microbiol. 2025 Dec;74(12):002105.

doi: 10. 1099/jmm. 0.

002105. PMID: 41384376; PMCID: PMC12699485. • Fletcher M, Daigle D, Siapka M et al.

Serotype distribution of invasive pneumococcal disease from countries of the WHO Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions: a systematic literature review from 2010 to 2021. Front. Public Health 2024 Jul 10;12:1402795 • Man MY, Shum HP, Yu JSY, Wu A, Yan WW.

Burden of pneumococcal disease: 8-year retrospective analysis from a single centre in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Med. 2020;26(5):372-81 Pfizer supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies.

Pfizer’s competitive grant program involves a publicly posted general Request for Proposal (RFP) that provides detail regarding a general area of interest, sets timelines for review and approval, and uses an internal Pfizer review process to make final grant decisions. Organizations are invited to submit an application addressing the research gaps as outlined in the specific RFP.

For all Investigator Sponsored Research (ISRs) and general research grants, the grant requester (and ultimately the grantee) is responsible for the design, implementation, sponsorship, and conduct of the independent initiative supported by the grant, including compliance with any regulatory requirements.

Pfizer must not be involved in any aspect of study protocol or project development, nor the conduct or monitoring of the research program. An ISR grant request cannot be submitted for a study that has already commenced and was not originally supported by Pfizer. 6 IMPORTANT: RFP Submission Requirements Applications will be accepted via the online portal listed in the How to Submit section.

Project Proposals/Protocols should be single-spaced using Calibri 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Note there is a 15-page limit exclusive of references. When uploading your Full Proposal please ensure it addresses the following sections: • Provide the main goal of the study and the study population (if applicable).

Provide a detailed definition that is directly linked to the primary objective. Assessment of Need for the Project • This should reflect your study rationale. Provide a brief description of the medical/scientific question and the rationale of how this trial or study addresses the question.

• Describe the primary audience(s) targeted for this project. For Investigator Sponsored Clinical Trials, please specify the age, gender and other demographic information for trial population. • Also indicate whom you believe will directly benefit from the project outcomes.

Describe the overall population size as well as the size of your sample population. Project Design and Methods • Describe concisely the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. For a clinical interventional study, include inclusion/exclusion criteria, treatment plan and statistical plan.

• Explain what measures you have taken to assure that this project idea is original and does not duplicate other projects. Describe how this project builds upon existing work, pilot projects, or ongoing projects developed either by your institution or other institutions related to this project. • Specify type and frequency of safety, efficacy, and/or outcome measures.

Also indicate the method(s) used to assess measures. • Provide a publication plan describing intended submission of abstracts to (a) congress(es) or intended submission of (a) publication(s) to peer-reviewed journals. Anticipated Project Timeline • Provide an anticipated timeline for your project including project start/end dates.

• An ISR grant request cannot be submitted for a study that has already commenced and was not originally supported by Pfizer. • If there is any additional information you feel Pfizer should be aware of concerning the importance of this project, please summarize here. • Early-career applicants: Letter(s) of support from mentor(s) and collaborators describing how the award will advance the applicant’s career.

• This information is used to assess the capability of the organizational resources available to perform the effort proposed. Identify the facilities to be used [laboratory, animal, clinical and “other”]. If appropriate, indicate their capacities, pertinent capabilities, relative proximity and extent of availability to the project.

7 • The budget amount requested must be in USD • While estimating your budget please keep the following items in mind: • General organizational running costs such as legal fees, insurance, heating, and lighting etc. should be included in an Institutional Overhead (if required). These costs are not specific to a grant request and therefore, should not appear as line items in budgets.

However, costs that are specific to the study (e.g., some countries require insurance to be taken out on a per-study basis for clinical research) would be acceptable to be included as line items. • The inclusion of these costs cannot cause the amount requested to exceed the budget limit set forth in the RFP.

• Pfizer does not provide funding for capital purchases (infrastructure expenses such as equipment, purchases of software or software licenses, technology or bricks and mortar). Equipment hire/leasing is acceptable and may be included in project budget. • It should be noted that grants awarded through GMGP cannot be used to purchase Pfizer therapeutic agents (prescription or non-prescription).

• Pfizer maintains a company-wide, maximum allowed overhead rate of 28% for independent studies and projects. Please click here for details. • Project Plan or Proposal