Recent news
June 2011
Grand Challenges program elicits more than 600 innovations to benefit pregnant women and newborns worldwide
June 6, 2011 -- A new program that will provide grants to foster innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in rural, low-resource settings has elicited more than 600 proposed solutions with the potential to save lives worldwide. The program—called Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development—was launched in March. It leverages the collective resources of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and the World Bank. Partners aim to provide nearly $14 million for the program's first round of funding, with the goal of investing at least $50 million over five years.
The program launch in March resulted in one of the largest pools of applicants ever for a USAID competition, according to the agency. Applications for 600 innovative solutions were submitted by nongovernmental organizations, academic and medical research institutions, faith-based organizations, for-profit companies, medical associations, and foundations. Almost half of the applications came from outside the United States, and more than one-quarter were received from developing countries.
From July 26-28, up to 75 Grand Challenge finalists will gather in Washington, DC, for a development exchange that will bring together innovators, funders, and public health experts to network and share ideas. See the links below for more information.
- USAID press release
- Global Health Technologies Coalition feature story on the Grand Challenges launch
