Asian Fund For Cancer Research

What Asian Fund For Cancer Research does

Asian Fund for Cancer Research Limited (AFCR) is a Hong Kong-incorporated nonprofit (company limited by guarantee, tax-exempt under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance) founded in 2005 to fund cancer research, particularly cancers prevalent in Asian populations. It operates from its headquarters at Metroplaza, Kwai Chung, and serves three core constituencies: early-stage oncology researchers and biotech startups that receive grants and venture investment; cancer patients in Asia and globally who benefit from funded research breakthroughs; and the general public and corporate donors that supply charitable contributions via one-time donations, monthly giving, and memorial/honor gifts.

AFCR's "products" are programmatic rather than technology products. Its flagship is the BRACE Award Venture Competition, inaugurated in 2019 with founding partners AIM-HI Accelerator Fund and National Foundation for Cancer Research, which deploys venture-style capital (US$500K to Chimera in 2021, HK$2.3M to Degron in 2023, multi-tier prizes in 2024) into early-stage oncology companies alongside prize honoraria and KOL access. Complementary programs include the USCACA–AFCR Young Investigator Award for early-career Chinese cancer researchers, the AFCR Symposium on Precision Medicine, and the recently launched PIONEER Oncology first-in-human clinical trial platform. AFCR does not develop proprietary technology; it funds external research across botanical drug platforms, CAR-T cell therapies, nano-engineered drug delivery and biomarker detection.

AFCR's revenue model is donations-driven, supplemented by returns (if any) on its program-related investments. Distribution is conducted through the BRACE competition, direct research grants, the website, newsletter, social media (@AFCRHK), UICC-coordinated World Cancer Day activities, Hong Kong Cancer Day participation, and partnerships such as the CityU Innovation Series in Biomedicine and the AstraZeneca China iCampus linkage for portfolio company Yiviva. Leadership comprises Founder/CEO Dr. Sujuan Ba, Chairman Lance Kawaguchi, and Senior Director for Corporate Engagement Bradley Gillenwater.

Name

Asian Fund For Cancer Research

Legal name

Asian Fund for Cancer Research Limited

Website

https://afcr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Asian Fund for Cancer Research Limited (AFCR) is a Hong Kong nonprofit founded in 2005 that funds cancer research, particularly cancers prevalent in Asian populations, via grants, the BRACE Award Venture Competition, the Young Investigator Award, the AFCR Symposium on Precision Medicine, and the PIONEER Oncology clinical trial platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Research Funding

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC (FSANAHAL)

Keywords

• Cancer research funding
• Oncology venture competition
• Biomedical research grants
• Nonprofit cancer philanthropy
• Precision medicine research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: AFCR generates revenue through voluntary donations from individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations. The organization offers multiple giving options including one-time donations, monthly giving programs, gifts in memory, and gifts in honor.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AFCR is a nonprofit organization that funds innovative cancer research focused on cancers prevalent in Asian populations. It provides direct research grants to academic scientists, early-stage investment capital to oncology startups through its flagship BRACE Award Venture Competition, and operates awards and symposia to support the global cancer research community.

Product overview

AFCR offers a portfolio of cancer research support programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the BRACE Award Venture Competition for early-stage oncology companies, the Young Investigator Award for researchers, the AFCR Symposium on Precision Medicine for knowledge sharing, and direct cancer research funding programs supporting various stages from basic research to clinical trials. The PIONEER Oncology initiative provides a first-in-human clinical trial platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BRACE Award: Bridging Research from Academia to Cancer Entrepreneurship Award - a venture competition supporting early-stage oncology companies
• Young Investigator Award
• PIONEER Oncology

Products and services

• BRACE Award Venture Competition AFCR's flagship venture competition program that supports and accelerates oncology innovations toward commercialization, providing investment capital, prize honorarium, and access to a global network of cancer industry leaders and researchers for early-stage oncology companies.
• Young Investigator Award Joint award program with the US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA) that recognizes and supports promising early-career Chinese cancer researchers at the forefront of U.S.–China collaboration in oncology.
• AFCR Symposium on Precision Medicine

Quantifiable outcome

• US$500,000 investment provided to Chimera Bioengineering, bringing total new funds to US$7.5 million
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• City University of Hong Kong (CityU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFCR and CityU established closer collaboration and jointly created the Innovation Series in Biomedicine, promoting academic innovations and entrepreneurship activities in Hong Kong, featuring genomic and precision medicine leaders from Asia and the U.S.
• AstraZeneca ChinaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AstraZeneca China's iCampus partnership with Yiviva (AFCR-funded company) connects Yiviva with AstraZeneca's Innovation Campus, state-of-the-art facilities, expertise, and ecosystem to accelerate development of innovative systems biology medicines, validating Dr. Cheng's pioneering approach to learn from traditional medicines using modern science.
• AIM-HI Accelerator FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AIM-HI Accelerator Fund is a founding partner of the BRACE Award Venture Competition along with AFCR and National Foundation for Cancer Research. AIM-HI is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit created by National Foundation for Cancer Research to provide oncology startups with resources to drive discoveries forward to clinics.
• National Foundation for Cancer ResearchflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019National Foundation for Cancer Research is a founding partner of the BRACE Award Venture Competition along with AFCR and AIM-HI Accelerator Fund. Both organizations support cancer research and have collaborated on global clinical trials and researcher networks.
• Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)coreOthers · 1 January 2018AFCR is a member organization of the Union for International Cancer Control, participating in annual World Cancer Day initiatives and the international cancer community's efforts to raise awareness and save lives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Foundation for Cancer Research: US-based nonprofit cancer research funder and AFCR's founding BRACE Award partner. Both organizations fund early-stage oncology research globally and co-support clinical trials, making NFCR the most directly comparable peer in mission, program structure, and target beneficiaries.
• AIM-HI Accelerator Fund: 501(c)(3) nonprofit accelerator created by NFCR to provide oncology startups with resources for commercialization. Co-founding partner of AFCR's BRACE Award competition, operating an essentially identical venture philanthropy model targeting early-stage oncology companies.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Research UK: World's largest cancer research charity, funding research across basic, translational, and clinical stages globally. Operates at substantially larger scale than AFCR but shares the same donor-funded, mission-driven model of accelerating cancer research breakthroughs.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: US cancer research charity founded by Jim Valvano, funding translational research and young investigators. Comparable in mission and donor-supported model, though it operates primarily within the United States rather than Asia.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): Major scientific organization advancing cancer research through grants, meetings, and publications. Comparable as a US-based convening and funding body for the cancer research community, though its scale and breadth far exceed AFCR's regional focus.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: US-based nonprofit funding high-impact cancer research and early-career investigators. Comparable in mission-driven research funding and recognition of young investigators (parallel to AFCR's USCACA Young Investigator Award).
• Worldwide Cancer Research: UK-headquartered charity funding cancer research projects globally across any cancer type. Comparable in donor-funded discovery research focus and international grant-making scope.
• Stand Up To Cancer: US-based charitable program funding collaborative translational cancer research. Comparable in raising and deploying significant donor capital for high-risk, high-reward oncology research, though operating primarily in US/UK geographies.
• Prevent Cancer Foundation: US nonprofit focused on cancer prevention and early detection through research, education, and outreach. Comparable in mission of reducing cancer burden and combining research funding with public-facing prevention education, paralleling AFCR's cancer prevention content.

Regional players

• Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society: Hong Kong-based nonprofit running Hong Kong Cancer Day and cancer awareness/education programs. AFCR is documented as a partner organization; comparable as a regional Hong Kong cancer nonprofit but focused more on awareness/services than research funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afcr_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-fund-for-cancer-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments4 records

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Frequently asked questions about Asian Fund For Cancer Research