Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations Rewards Bold Ideas

May 6, 2009 by Mary Anne Simpson

Bold Researchers. Credit: CDC

Even in troubled times, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recognize innovation for the betterment of mankind takes money. The Gates Foundation is providing $100,000 to 81 cutting edge health researcher with the possibility of acquiring an additional $1 million if the starter research efforts pan out. The grants were selected from over 3,000 proposals and the awarded grants represent 17 countries from all levels of scientific achievement based in universities, research institutes, non-profit organizations and private companies located around the globe.

The Grand Challenge Exploration is a five-year $100 million initiative to promote global health. The latest May 4th grants together with the October, 2008 grants total 186 separate grants. The topics include unconventional new hypothesis research which includes NIH's Kuan Ten Jeang's research to Create New Ways to Prevent or Cure HIV Infection, Qian Gao at Fudan University for research, To Create Drugs and Delivery Systems to Limit Drug Resistance, and numerous research projects in preventing and treating malaria

In all, the Grand Challenges Explorations launched in 2008 is the nimble and bold wing of the original Grand Challenges in Global Health founded in 2003. The aim is to give researchers with unorthodox and strikingly creative approaches a chance to explore their ideas. A list of topics is available on-line at the Grand Challenges Exploration website, but in short grants are awarded for vector research, alternative prevention, alternative treatment, biomarkers, diagnostics, drugs, nutrition, research tools, and vaccines research. Grant proposals do not have to include preliminary data and the application is a mere two-pages in length.

The general idea is to promote badly needed cross-disciplinary solutions to disease and prevention in all areas of the world. The Gates Foundation encourages non-traditional researchers and investigators from all backgrounds to make a proposal for the discovery for new tools, new approaches and technologies for saving millions of lives.

For more information:
Grand Challenges Explorations http://www.grandchallenges.org

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