The value of biopharma deals involving nonprofit partners declined sharply over the past several years, falling to about $127.43 million in 2025 after exceeding $21.4 billion in 2021. The 2025 total also represents a steep drop from 2024’s $754.56 million.

The value of biopharma deals involving nonprofit partners declined sharply over the past several years, falling to about $127.43 million in 2025 after exceeding $21.4 billion in 2021. The 2025 total also represents a steep drop from 2024’s $754.56 million.

Biopharma partnerships involving nonprofits have declined sharply since peaking during the pandemic. Deal value surged from $5.18 billion in 2019 to $21.44 billion in 2021, driven by COVID-19 collaborations and vaccine-related funding, before falling to $7.99 billion in 2022 and $754.6 million in 2024. So far in 2025, nonprofit deal value totals $126 million through the third quarter.

Biopharma partnerships involving nonprofits have declined sharply since peaking during the pandemic. Deal value surged from $5.18 billion in 2019 to $21.44 billion in 2021, driven by COVID-19 collaborations and vaccine-related funding, before falling to $7.99 billion in 2022 and $754.6 million in 2024. So far in 2025, nonprofit deal value totals $126 million through the third quarter.

Iveena Delivery Systems Inc. has been awarded a $2 million phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to advance the development of novel topical eye drops to control pediatric myopia and other refractive disorders.

Nonprofit dealmaking in biopharma has been limited in 2025, with total disclosed value reaching just $99.7 million through July. Nearly all of that came in January, when deals totaled $96.9 million. After a quiet first quarter, modest activity resumed with $1.4 million in April and $1.6 million in July, while the other months saw no reported nonprofit partnerships.

Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc. has been awarded a $4 million grant by California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support the completion of IND-enabling activities with ENTLEP-001, a durable genetic medicine for the treatment of congenital generalized lipodystrophy.

Biopharma nonprofit deals remained low in 2024, compared to the pandemic and pre-pandemic years, while grants saw a slight decline from the previous year.

Ymmunobio AG, in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute, has received an Innosuisse grant to develop innovative radioactive loaded antibodies for the treatment and diagnosis of solid tumors based on Ymmunobio’s proprietary YB-800.

Through September 2024, biopharma firms secured $720.56 million in nonprofit deals, up in value through July and also marking a 21% rise from the $593.23 million in the first three quarters of 2023, though still falling short of 2019-2022 levels. Grants saw an even sharper surge, jumping 131% year-over-year from $1.66 billion to $3.84 billion in the same period, falling short only of 2020 in value.