The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its funding partners in the Grand Challenges family of grant programs are inviting innovators to apply for three new grant opportunities:

1) Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions, is now accepting grant proposals for its latest application round. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies.

Proposals are being accepted online until May 7, 2013 on the following topics:

  * The "One Health" Concept:  Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions  – NEW
  * Increasing Interoperability of Social Good Data – NEW
  * Develop the Next Generation of Condom – NEW
  * New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases
  * Labor Saving Strategies and Innovations for Women Smallholder Farmers

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

2) Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development has launched its third call for innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the world. Saving Lives at Birth partners will fund transformative approaches that cut across three main domains: (i) science & technology, (ii) service delivery, and (iii) demand-side innovation.

The application deadline is March 28, 2013. Details on how to apply for a grant can be found at www.savinglivesatbirth.net.

3) The Grand Challenges Brazil partnership has launched Reducing the Burden of Preterm Birth. This program seeks to develop new ways to prevent preterm birth; to improve the survival, health, and development of preterm infants; and to scale-up known effective prevention and treatment options.

Grants will be to Brazilian researchers, but partnerships including those with researchers in other countries are encouraged. Letters of Inquiry for this opportunity are due May 7, 2013. More information and the English version of the request for proposals can be found at

www.grandchallenges.org/GrantOpportunities/Pages/reducetheburden.aspx

The Grand Challenges Team is looking forward to receiving innovative ideas from around the world and from all disciplines. If you have a great idea, please apply. If you know someone else who may have a great idea, please share this message.