Grand Challenges Explorations is a new five-year US$100 million fast-track grants initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It will support hundreds of early-stage research projects pursuing creative concepts for new global health solutions, including vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other technologies for health problems disproportionately affecting poor countries.

Projects will initially be funded at the level of US$100,000 each, with the opportunity for additional funding in the future for projects that show promise.

A key goal of the Explorations initiative is to promote greater diversity in global health research. In particular, it hopes to involve scientists who do not typically work in global health – this includes innovators in the developing world, from complementary disciplines, and in the private sector, as well as young investigators.

Fast-track grants
To make it as easy as possible for scientists to apply, the Explorations initiative will use a new fast-track grant-making approach. Applicants for Explorations grants will be asked to submit relatively short funding proposals, and will not necessarily be required to show preliminary data.

Getting involved
Sign up at the Grand Challenges in Global Health website – http://www.gcgh.org/channels/gcgh in early 2008 - to receive email updates with news and information on Explorations funding opportunities. The first call for grant proposals will be posted to the website in early 2008, along with the list of topics being addressed and application instructions.