"Pitch Your Disease or Asset" at RDDS 2026 September 9th

"Pitch Your Disease or Asset" at RDDS 2026 September 9th - 11th in Boston, MA

Thank you for your interest in participating in Global Genes’ RARE Drug Development Symposium (RDDS), and making a pitch for investment in your rare disease!

Please note:

Global Advocacy Alliance (GAA) membership is a requirement to submit an application for this opportunity. You will not be able to submit this application if your organization is not a GAA member. To become a Global Advocacy Alliance member, click here. Membership is free for patient advocacy groups, and formal 501(c) 3 status is not required.

If you have any questions, please email global.advocacy.alliance@globalgenes.org

Overview of the Pitch Session Opportunity

On Friday, September 11th, the sessions will highlight steps that rare disease advocacy organizations can take to attract investment in their disease and advance assets in their disease. On the main stage, two patient advocates will have the opportunity to present work led by their organization to either (1) make their disease more compelling to potential research partners, biopharma companies, or investors, or (2) pitch a therapy asset in development that they seek funding or partners for. This interactive session will review the value of both assets and the development of a strong value proposition to drive future collaboration and funding.

Following the main stage presentations, we will hold 3 interactive pitch tracks, each with 2 patient advocates presenting their work, tentatively based on the following areas:

Neurodevelopmental disorders, with/ without Epilepsy
Other Neurologic conditions, including Vision-related disorders
Metabolic & Neuromuscular conditions
Disorders of Immune or Connective Tissue Function

Disease Areas are subject to change, and additional tracks may be added based on pitch applicants.

Patient Advocates will be chosen to present on the following:

Pitch 1 - How have you made your disease attractive to industry to start a therapeutic program?

Pitch 2 - Has your organization developed or acquired a therapy and you are looking for a strategic partner to accelerate clinical development &/or commercialization?

What is the definition of a rare disease?

The definition of rare diseases and disorders varies from country to country. For this opportunity, we will use the definition used in the United States: rare diseases and disorders are those that affect patient populations with fewer than 200,000 individuals.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include registered nonprofit, charity or non government organizations that focus on one or more rare diseases. Organizations must have a valid tax ID number and be a member of the Global Advocacy Alliance.

Both international and US-based organizations are eligible to apply.

In addition, one patient advocacy representative must be available to present onstage, in person, at RDDS on September 11, 2026. If a Visa cannot be obtained for travel, another organization will be chosen to present live onstage.

Representatives of participating patient advocacy groups must consent to the recording and sharing of their session recordings, as well as the use of this session in marketing highlights.

What will the “winning” patient advocate receive as part of their participation in this session?

Each patient advocacy organization that is chosen to pitch their disease or asset will be asked to designate one person to present onstage at RDDS on September 11, 2026.

Each “winning” organization will receive:

One complimentary full-conference registration for the 2026 Rare Drug Development Summit

Travel reimbursement for one patient advocate of up to $800 for individuals living in the United States, and up to $1200 for individuals living outside of the United States. Note: travel stipends will not be issued in advance. Reimbursement will occur after the conference, with receipts submitted.
The unique opportunity to gain feedback from leading industry experts and investors with deep expertise in rare disease therapeutics.

Selection Criteria

All applications will be reviewed by a team of internal Global Genes reviewers. Finalists will be reviewed by members of the Global Genes Scientific Advisory Board. Reviewers will judge each application based on the relative strengths of the assets and value presented.

Attendee Information

First Name

Last Name

Organization

Account Id

Country

State

What is your specific disease(s) of interest? If you do not find a disease, please type it in. If you are disease-agnostic or pan-rare, type in All Rare Diseases. If not applicable, type in "NA"

Clinical Entity Id

Applications will be accepted until June 12th.

Applicants will be notified of award status by early July and awardees will be publicly announced soon thereafter.

If you have any questions, please contact us at global.advocacy.alliance@globalgenes.org.

Please select the Disease Area that applies to your pitch:

Neurodevelopmental disorders, with/ without EpilepsyOther Neurologic conditions, including Vision-related disordersMetabolic & Neuromuscular conditionsDisorders of Immune or Connective Tissue FunctionOther

Other not listed above

Select the opportunity you'd like to apply for.

Pitch 1 - How have you made your disease attractive to industry to start a therapeutic program?Pitch 2 - Has your organization developed or acquired a therapy and you are looking for a strategic partner to accelerate clinical development &/or commercialization?

Pitch Your Disease:

How have you de-risked your rare disease for investment? Can you demonstrate patient engagement and clinical trial readiness?

What data assets has your organization developed? What data is available to industry researchers?

What type of therapy is your disease well suited for? Can you make a convincing pitch to a particular type of biopharma company about the fit of your disease for their technology or platform?

Pitch Your Asset:

Has your organization developed an early stage therapeutic? Are you looking for a biopharma company to collaborate with on next steps?

Can you describe the scientific rationale that makes this asset a good fit for your rare disease? Have you developed a business model for making investment worthwhile to industry?

Has your organization led other research efforts that will streamline clinical trial planning, endpoint selection, and/or enrollment?

I agree to my data being used for the following purposes:
This opportunity to submit pitches is intended to help advocacy organizations showcase their efforts at de-risking their rare disease for therapeutic investment, and to refine their value propositions. Data from your submission will be used to gain broad insights on the challenges that advocacy organizations face in de-risking their disease and actionable ways to overcome them. Your responses will not be shared in an identified way without your explicit permission.

I agree