Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is looking for new approaches to preventing unintended pregnancies

13 oktober 2009

GCE, an extension of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s commitment to the Grand Challenges in Global Health, has opened her Grand Challenges Explorations Round 4. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $100 million to encourage scientists worldwide to expand the pipeline of ideas to fight our greatest health challenges. One of the four topics of Round 4 is to ‘Create New Technologies for Contraception’. Therefore GCE is looking for solicit novel and innovative approaches to preventing unintended pregnancy.

Create New Technologies for Contraception
In recent decades, there have been tremendous improvements in the reproductive health of men and women in the developing world. Nonetheless, many do not have access to health supplies and services that enable planning the number and timing of pregnancies, safe delivery of children, and management and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

It is estimated that 200 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for effective contraception even while family planning is one of the most cost effective ways to reduce maternal, infant and child mortality.

Call for proposals
To fight these challenges GCE seeks proposals that are ‘off the beaten track’, daring in premise, and clearly different from the approaches currently being developed or employed. Technologies or approaches should enhance uptake, acceptability and provide for sustained use; enable or provide for low-cost solutions; promote effective delivery and administration of new solutions; and ensure or enhance safety.

Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) supports hundreds of early-stage research projects - including many ideas that have never before been tested - and scientists from a wide range of disciplines and regions. The Explorations initiative funds innovative ideas that could lead to new vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, and other technologies targeting diseases that claim millions of lives every year.

The other 3 topics for Grand Challenges Explorations Round 4 are:
· Create New Ways to Induce and Measure Mucosal Immunity
· Create Low-Cost Diagnostics for Priority Global Health Conditions
· Create New Ways to Protect Against Infectious Disease

The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline, from student to tenured professor, and from any organization – colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies.

Proposals can be submitted until November 2, 2009. More information can be found here.