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GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE GATES FOUNDATION AND ITS PARTNERS

The Gates Foundation and its Grand Challenges partners have launched three new Grand Challenges:

  1. GRAND CHALLENGES EXPLORATIONS ROUND 15

The Grand Challenges Exploration Round 15 supports early-stage research projects including ideas that have never been tested and scientists from a wide range of disciplines and regions. Proposals to be submitted must focus on following topics:

•             Explore New Ways to Measure Delivery and Use of Digital Financial Services Data

•             Addressing Newborn and Infant Gut Health through Bacteriophage-Mediated Microbiome Engineering

•             Surveillance Tools, Diagnostics and an Artificial Diet to Support New Approaches to Vector Control

•             New Approaches for Addressing Outdoor/Residual Malaria Transmission

•             New Ways to Reduce Pneumonia Fatalities through Timely, Effective Treatment of Children

•             Enable Merchant Acceptance of Mobile Money Payments

COVERAGE:          

Round 15 of the Grand Challenges Exploration will provide initial grants of US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be submitted through an Online System which can be assessed at http://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/ApplicationInstructions.aspx. Applicants must create an account and register for a topic to be able to start the online application process.

Detailed information is available at www.grandchallenges.org

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

All applications must be submitted by WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2015.

  1. SAVING LIVES AT BIRTH: A GRAND CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT

This challenge which is in its 5th round seeks groundbreaking prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the time of delivery. The challenge will fund proposals with  innovative ideas that empower pregnant women and their families to practice healthy behaviors and be aware of and access health care during pregnancy, childbirth and the early postnatal period, especially the first two days after birth in three main domains: (1) technology; (2) service delivery; and (3) “demand side”.

COVERAGE

There are three types of awards under this challenge:

  1. Seed Funds to support the development and validation of ideas capable of impacting health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies in low-resource settings,
  2. Validation Funds to introduce and validate the effectiveness of innovations to reach proof-of-concept, and
  3. Transition to Scale Fund to develop, refine, and rigoursly test the impact of integrated solutions that have previously measured promising health outcomes in a controlled or limited setting and have the potential to credibly scale to improve the lives of millions of pregnant women and newborns in multiple countries.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

All applications must be submitted through an Online System at https://savinglivesatbirth.fluxx.io/user_sessions/new by FRIDAY MARCH 27, 2015

Detailed information is available at: http://www.savinglivesatbirth.net/

  1. ALL CHILDREN READING: A GRAND CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT

This challenge has two grant opportunities:

  1. Technology to Support Education in Crisis and Conflict Settings Ideation Challenge seeks technology--supported approaches for adapting, developing and delivering learner-centered educational materials for learners in crisis and conflict situations (health crisis, natural disaster, and conflict zone) where formal schooling has been interrupted and infrastructure and trained; in-person human resources are extremely limited.

Proposed solutions should be usable within the first six months after the onset of the crisis or conflict and be usable within the context of a developing country.

Details on how to apply can be found at https://www.omnicompete.com/crisisandconflictedtech.html

COVERAGE

The total award of up to US $50,000 will be made for the all three the categories with at least one award in each. 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

All applications must be submitted latest by on MONDAY MARCH 30, 2015 AT 11:59 PM (US EASTERN TIME).

  1. The Tracking & Tracing Books Prize Competition is seeking innovations to track books destined for early-grade classrooms and learning centers in low-income countries and allow stakeholders, ranging from parents to Ministries of Education and donor agencies, to quickly and easily access tracking information. There are three phases to this Prize Competition. The first phase requires a written description of the proposed innovation and the expertise and experience of the Solver.

COVERAGE

There is a prize pot of at least US $20,000 for Phase 1 and a further prize of $100,000 for successful entrants to pilot their work in Phases 2 and 3.

Details on how to apply can be found at https://www.omnicompete.com/trackingandtracingbooks.html

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

The application deadline is TUESDAY APRIL 1, 2015.  Enquiries related to this Competition may be directed via email to grandchallenges@innocentive.com.