Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation selects innovative projects in partnership with FAPESP

Seventeen Brazilian state research foundations (FAPs) participate in Grand Challenges Explorations program. Selected studies to receive up to US$ 200,000 and will compete for up to an additional US$ 1 million

Agência FAPESP – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has issued a call for proposals for innovative research projects under the auspices of the program Grand Challenges Explorations. A partnership formed by FAPESP and the state research foundations (FAPs) of 16 other Brazilian states could double the value of the funding to the Brazilian projects selected.

The topics of the call for proposals are: malaria, neglected tropical diseases, communication of social projects and innovations for women farmers. Candidates have until November 7 to submit proposals.

Interested parties can register via internet at the Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) site and must fill out two pages presenting the proposals. Applicants are not required to submit preliminary data or proof of success. The project must be new and have the potential to produce significant changes in the health area.

The foundation will announce selected proposals at the beginning of 2013, and each will receive US$ 100,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Each Brazilian project selected will receive an additional US$ 50,000 to US$ 100,000 from the FAP in their respective state.

Successful projects that have utilized the initial funding will also have the opportunity to compete for additional funding of up to US$ 1 million.

GCE is a funding program for individuals with innovative and bold ideas to resolve major challenges in the area of health, agriculture and development.

Created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2008, GCE has financed more than 700 researchers in 45 countries, including three Brazilians. “Brazil has major innovative capacity, with a number of significant scientific articles published. With this partnership with FAPs, we want to stimulate greater participation of innovative Brazilians who present very promising ideas,” comments Steve Buchsbaum, deputy director of strategy, global health and discovery at the Gates Foundation.

GCE is open to researchers from different fields, countries and levels of experience: students, professors and researchers from the most varied organizations such as universities, public laboratories, research institutions, nonprofit organizations and private companies.

“This is an important instrument supporting innovation, and we believe that the complementary funding offered by FAPs reflects the confidence that we have in the capacity of Brazilian scientists to contribute to global health,” says Mario Neto Borges, president of the Minas Gerais Research Foundation (Fapemig) and of the National Council of State Research Foundations (Confap).

GCE conducts two public calls for tender per year and evaluates approximately 80 projects each round. In each round, four to six challenges are presented in search of original solutions.

For the 10th round, the proposals should involve the following topics: New Approaches for Interrogation of Anti-malarial Compounds; Aid is working. Tell the World; New Approaches in Model Systems, Diagnostics and Drugs for Specific Neglected Tropical Diseases; Labor Saving Innovations for Women Smallholder Farmers.

For a complete description of the topics and to register to submit a project, candidates must create an account on the GCE site.

Detailed information on the call for proposals, including tips for candidates, are available at: www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/ApplicationInstructions.aspx.