Seegene Inc (KQ:096530), a South Korean company offering a solution for PCR molecular diagnostics, announced on Monday an extension of its strategic partnership with Springer Nature, a German provider to the global scientific community and the publisher of scientific journal Nature.

Together, Seegene and Springer Nature have launched 'Nature Awards MDx Impact Grants in partnership with Seegene', a new project for the development of diagnostic assays. The program invites researchers worldwide to develop innovative diagnostic assays using Seegene's advanced multiplex PCR technology.

The global call for proposals builds on the success of the 2023 Open Innovation Program, which attracted 281 applications from 47 countries, with 26 submissions selected. With the launch of the second phase, Seegene and Springer Nature say that they are setting the stage for even broader participation and innovation, furthering their commitment to democratising molecular diagnostics.

The chosen final awardees will receive significant support, which includes research funding of up to USD600,000 per project as well as Seegene's provision of syndromic PCR assays, extraction assays, consumables, instruments and relevant software required for their clinical research project.