Estimating the Global Burden of Diarrheal Diseases - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligibility
Who is eligible for grants?
This opportunity is open to research institutes, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions. with demonstrated expertise in disease burden estimation, epidemiology, biostatistics, and related quantitative methods. Organizations must have official registration. We cannot make grants to individuals.

We welcome proposals from:

• LMIC-based institutions
• Partnerships led by LMIC institutions
• Global consortia that include meaningful LMIC partner engagement and capacity development

Applications that pair high-quality analytic output with intentional LMIC capacity building are especially encouraged.

Individuals and organizations classified as individuals for U.S. tax purposes are not eligible to receive an award from the foundation as part of this initiative.

Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization as different terms and conditions may apply. You should confirm your organization's tax status with the appropriate advisor or entity within your organization such as your grants or contracts department, finance, or office of sponsored research. The foundation may request additional information regarding your tax status. For information about tax statuses, you may check with your own advisors and review information provided on the Internal Revenue Service web site at: www.irs.gov.

How will reviewers assess LMIC leadership vs global partner roles in practice?
Leadership by LMIC investigators versus engagement of LMIC partners will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Involvement of LMIC investigators should be appropriate for the specific proposal based on scope, expertise, and feasibility. For projects with an HIC partner lead, proposals that capacitate LMIC partners to complete and lead similar analyses in the future will be prioritized.

What qualifies as "meaningful" LMIC engagement or capacity strengthening?
The expectation is that grants will be led by or involve engagement of LMIC partners in the formal analyses proposed, with the goal of capacity building such that LMIC investigators could complete and lead similar analyses in the future.

Application Process

What must my application include?
Please refer to the Application Instructions document.

Am I able to edit my proposal once submitted?
Yes, you may edit your proposal up until the specified deadline.

What amount of indirect cost is available?
Details of the foundation indirect cost policy guidelines can be found here: Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy.

How do applicants apply for this grant (including the application link, steps, and confirmation process)?
Applications are submitted through the Grand Challenges portal via the "Apply for This Opportunity" link on the RFP page. Once you submit your application, you will receive an email confirming your submission. You may edit your application up until the RFP deadline.

What are the required documents for submission and are templates provided?
Required components include an applicant profile, an up to 3-page proposal, a table describing methods for estimating burden measures, and a 1-page budget table/narrative. Templates are provided within the application system. The details of the application process are detailed within the Application Instructions document.

What are the selection criteria?
Proposals are evaluated based on scientific rigor, methodological transparency, feasibility, quality of data and methods, relevance to diarrheal burden estimation, team expertise, partnership strength (especially LMIC engagement), and potential to improve existing estimates and support LMIC capacity.

How many proposals will be funded?
The number of awards will depend on the quality and innovativeness of the applications, the overall mix of the cohort, and the available funding envelope.

Can one person be involved in multiple applications (PI or co-investigator)?
An organization may submit multiple applications. For a given RFP, each application must name a different Principal Investigator (PI), identified by a unique email address. A PI may lead only one application within that RFP but may participate as a collaborator on other applications. Applicants may also apply to multiple open RFPs.

Who manages the grant funds (institution vs. team)?
Grants are awarded to institutions rather than individuals, and the recipient organization is responsible for managing the funds. In cases involving sub-awardees, the primary organization receives the funding and oversees all financial management and relationships with sub-awardees.

What happens if a project is not completed within 2 years? Are extensions possible?
The standard grant duration is up to 2 years. Any extensions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Will translations (e.g., French) be available?
Yes, the RFP language will be translated into Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish and should be available on the webpage early next week.

Review Process
How does the review process work?
Please refer to the Rules and Guidelines document.

Can I get a list of potential reviewers who might be assigned to my application?
No. We do not make public the roster of reviewers.

Can I request that my application not be reviewed by a specific individual?
No. However, we will ask reviewers to self-identify conflicts of interest and will not assign reviewers with conflicts.

Will I receive specific feedback on my application if it is not selected?
Due to the rapid proposal and review timelines applicable to this RFP, applicants with proposals that are not selected for award may receive a notification of decline without specific feedback.

Award Information

Are grant awards made directly to individuals?
No. All awards are made to the organization where the individual holds their primary appointment. Institutions must agree to the terms and conditions governing each grant award prior to award activation.

How much money will each grant provide?
We will consider applications requesting up to $1.5 million USD per project, with a maximum grant duration of two years. Proposed budgets should be commensurate with the scale and complexity of the work (e.g. geographic scope, minimal vs. expanded outputs generated). Indirect costs are allowable and must be included within the total requested funding, in accordance with the Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy).

Scope clarifications

Can proposals include primary data collection, or must they rely on existing datasets?
Proposals should focus on using existing data. Limited primary data collection activities may be supported if they support robust burden estimation, but it must be demonstrated that the new data collection activity will meaningfully contribute to and impact the estimates.

To what extent can proposals include surveillance strengthening alongside modeling?
Proposals are expected to leverage existing data systems; while surveillance strengthening should not be the primary target of funding, it may be a byproduct of a project.

Can proposals include digital tools (AI/ML, dashboards, real-time systems)?
Yes, if they contribute to estimation, analysis, or communication of burden results.

Are serology and novel diagnostic approaches acceptable?
These approaches could be acceptable depending on the full analyses proposed.

Methods and Technical Expectations

What methodological approaches are most competitive (statistical vs AI/ML vs hybrid)?
The RFP is method-agnostic. Competitive proposals demonstrate rigor, transparency, strong data use, and clear assumptions, regardless of method.

What metrics define "improvement" over existing estimates (e.g., GBD)?
Improvement may include better transparency, alternative assumptions, improved uncertainty estimation, or novel data integration.

How should uncertainty be quantified and presented?
Estimates must include point estimates with uncertainty/confidence intervals.

Are applicants expected to generate new pathogen data if unavailable?
Applicants are expected to rely on existing data but must justify their approach.

How should proposals address limited or biased lab-confirmed data?
Through transparent modeling assumptions and uncertainty analysis.

Can community-generated or non-traditional data sources be used?
Yes, if scientifically justified and methodologically sound.

Geography, Strategy and Impact Expectations

How competitive are single-country vs multi-country proposals?
Both are eligible. Priority will be given to high-burden and high-impact settings.

Can subnational (district/province-level) estimates be sufficient?
Subnational analysis is allowed and may be valuable if it improves relevance, but projects that are limited to a district or province without country-wide estimates are less likely to be impactful towards the goals of the RFP.

How should applicants balance depth (one country) vs breadth (multiple countries)?
As the goal is to inform questions of future diarrhea burden and pathogen prioritization, understanding these outcomes at a broader scale or in populous countries would be best suited to the goals of the RFP.

What specifically makes an estimate "decision-useful" for policymakers?
Estimates that help prioritize pathogens, guide investments, and inform public health decision-making. Ability to compare across different estimates is critical.

How strongly are policy translation and government engagement weighted?
Practical relevance and usefulness for decision-makers are key evaluation criteria. This may or may not include engagement of government representatives and/or policy makers.

Are outputs like dashboards or decision tools expected?
Not required, but may strengthen proposals if they enhance usability.

How should proposals demonstrate real-world impact pathways?
By clearly explaining how outputs may be used by policymakers, researchers, or programs.

To what extent are applicants encouraged to include climate, WASH, nutrition, and environmental factors?
These are not required but may be included if they strengthen burden estimation.

Can proposals integrate agriculture, food safety, or environmental health?
Yes, if relevant to diarrheal disease burden estimation.

How can local/community data systems be strengthened within proposals?
Proposals are expected to leverage existing data systems; while data system strengthening should not be the primary target of funding, it may be a byproduct of a project.

Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

How can applicants protect their ideas and ensure confidentiality when sharing concepts in proposals? 
When submitting materials to the Foundation please keep in mind that because we have a focus on achieving charitable outcomes, we view information that we obtain through our grantmaking as a public good. Subject to the Gates Foundation's Privacy & Cookies Notice, the Foundation may also share information you provide to us (either orally or in writing) with third parties, including external reviewers, consultants, contingent workers, key partners and co-funders. You should assume that nothing will be kept confidential and should not include any information in the proposal, budget, supplemental materials, or reports that you consider proprietary.

Who owns Intellectual Property in funded projects?
Grantees retain ownership of intellectual property (IP) developed through foundation-funded grants. The foundation does, however, require that grant outputs be made widely available to the intended beneficiaries. You can read more here: Gates Foundation Global Access and IP Policy

Technical Support

I forgot my password. How do I reset my password?
You can request to update your password within the application site. If you continue to have issues, please reach out to [email protected].

How will I know if my application was submitted?
Once an application is submitted, an email confirmation will be sent.

I'm having trouble uploading my application file. What should I do?
If you are having issues submitting your application, we would encourage you to submit from a different browser. If the issue persists, please email the specifics of your problem to [email protected].

How often do you intend to update the Frequently Asked Questions, and do you plan to provide answers to all questions submitted?
We will periodically post answers to questions as they are submitted, but do not have a specific schedule. We will provide answers on this page that are of relevance and of general interest to potential applicants. For answers to specific questions that are not covered here, please email [email protected]