he Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for Round 6 of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply – from any experience level, from any discipline, and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies.

Grant proposals are being accepted online ( http://sci.scientific-direct.net/c.asp?874925&37cb75f1ab0d06ee&1 ) until November 2, 2010 on the following topics:

* New! The Poliovirus Endgame: Create Ways to Accelerate, Sustain and Monitor Eradication
* New! Create the Next Generation of Sanitation Technologies
* New! Design New Approaches to Cure HIV Infection
* Create New Technologies to Improve the Health of Mothers and Newborns
* Create Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global Health Diseases

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 here:
http://sci.scientific-direct.net/c.asp?874925&37cb75f1ab0d06ee&1

We encourage you to sign up to receive email updates on this and future grant opportunities.

We are looking forward to receiving innovative ideas from around the world and from all disciplines. If you have a great idea, apply. If you know someone who may have a great idea, please forward this message.

Thank you for your commitment to solving the world’s greatest health challenges.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people – especially those with the fewest resources – have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.