Grants & Funding

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Published Date: September 17, 2009

Program Information

Program Name:

Grand Challenges: Explorations

Program URL:

http://www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Type of Scientists Funded:

Master's Student, Early Doctoral Student, PhD Dissertation Student, Medical Student, MD/PhD Student, Initial PhD Postdoc, Advanced PhD Postdoc, Initial MD Postdoc, Advanced MD Postdoc, Junior Faculty, Administrator, Senior Scientist/Faculty

Program Description:

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for Round 4 of Grand Challenges Explorations, a US$100 million initiative to encourage unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply, regardless of education or experience level.

Grant proposals are being accepted online at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations until November 2nd 2009.
Applicants may submit proposals on new technologies for contraception, or new ways to protect against infectious disease. Additionally, research may be focused on new ways to induce and measure mucosal immunity, or creating low-cost diagnostics for priority global health conditions.

Initial grants will be $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of $1 million or more. Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.

We are looking forward to receiving innovative ideas from scientists around the world and from all scientific disciplines.

Public Contact Information

Program Award Term and Application Process

• Award Term Fixed or Variable?    Fixed
• If fixed, enter total term?    1  Year
• Award Renewable?    Yes
• Renewable term fixed or variable?    Variable
• Minimum Term    1  Year
• Maximum Term    5  Years
• Does an individual or institution apply to the program?    Individual
• Is there an application deadline?    Yes
• Application deadline(s):
  11/02/2009
• Deadline Comments   
  Round 4 competition:
  
  November 2, 2009 12:00 noon PST: Application deadline. February 2010: Proposal review completed. April 2010: Selections completed and notifications sent. May 2010: Grants published on www.grandchallenges.org

Program FUNDS

• Stipend Information:
  
  
• Annual stipend type:    Fixed
• What is the annual or representative stipend amount?    $ 100000
• Stipend Details:   
  Initial grants will be awarded multiple times per year at approximately $100,000 each. An additional $1 million in funding will be available for projects that show promise.
• 
  Research Allowance Information:
  
  
• Annual research allowance type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Indirect Costs (Institutional Funds) Information:
  
  
• Indirect costs type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Other Costs Information:
  
  
• Other Costs type:    Not Applicable

Program Eligibility Requirements

Research Areas:

Anatomy, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biology, Biophysics, Biostatistics, Cancer, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Clinical Research, Developmental Biology, Disease-Specific Research: Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Earth Systems, Epidemiology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Geology, Immunology, Instrumentation, Materials Science, Mathematical and Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physics, Physiology, Science Education, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Structural Biology, Toxicology, Virology, Zoology

Application by invitation or nomination only?

No

Are awards limited to specific groups?

None provided

Must applicants be U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents?

No

U.S. geographic limits?

No

International geographic limits?

No

Institutional limits?

No

Non-research activity allowed for postdoctoral and junior faculty awards?

Not Applicable

If yes, specify at least one of the following: percentage time and activities allowed

• Other eligibility requirements:   
  Grand Challenges Explorations is open to both foreign and domestic non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, and academic institutions. Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization as different grant terms and conditions may apply.

Program competition information

• Number of Applicants in Most Recent Competition Year:    7000
• Number of Awards in Most Recent Competition Year:    185
• Institutional Award Rates   

  Category	# Applicants	# Awards
  Institutional Awards

• Awardee's subsequent careers/accomplishments tracked after end of term?    No
  
• Total dollars awarded in the most recent competition year    18500000