Skip to main content

Grand Challenges

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Main menu

  • About
  • Challenges
  • Awarded Grants
  • News
  • Grant Opportunities
  • Search

You are here

  1. Home
  2. Awarded Grants

Print link

Print

Awarded Grants

Filter by Initiative

  • Grand Challenges Explorations Apply Grand Challenges Explorations filter (1514)
  • Grand Challenges Apply Grand Challenges filter (179)
  • Grand Challenges for Development Apply Grand Challenges for Development filter (141)
  • Grand Challenges India Apply Grand Challenges India filter (47)
  • Grand Challenges Brazil Apply Grand Challenges Brazil filter (46)
  • Grand Challenges Africa Apply Grand Challenges Africa filter (16)
  • Grand Challenges Canada Apply Grand Challenges Canada filter (12)
  • Grand Challenges China Apply Grand Challenges China filter (8)
  • Grand Challenges South Africa Apply Grand Challenges South Africa filter (4)

Filter by Challenge

Filter by Awarded Year

  • 2019 Apply 2019 filter (121)
  • 2018 Apply 2018 filter (129)
  • 2017 Apply 2017 filter (98)
  • 2016 Apply 2016 filter (162)
  • 2015 Apply 2015 filter (171)
  • 2014 Apply 2014 filter (152)
  • 2013 Apply 2013 filter (184)
  • 2012 Apply 2012 filter (244)
  • 2011 Apply 2011 filter (258)
  • 2010 Apply 2010 filter (142)
  • 2009 Apply 2009 filter (157)
  • 2008 Apply 2008 filter (105)
  • 2006 Apply 2006 filter (1)
  • 2005 Apply 2005 filter (43)

Filter by Country

Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems. Each initiative is an experiment in the use of challenges to focus innovation on making an impact. Individual challenges address some of the same problems, but from differing perspectives.

Sort by:
Date Awarded
Title (A-Z)
10
25
50
100

Application of Agent-Based Modeling for Policy Prioritization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kindie Tesfaye FantayeInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)El Batan Texcoco Edo de Mexico, Mexico
Grand Challenges Explorations
Agricultural Policies
1 May 2019

Kindie Tesfaye-Fantaye of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico will develop a computational model that incorporates the variable characteristics of households and farms to better predict the outcomes of agricultural interventions in Ethiopia in order to inform policy choices. Agriculture is central to the Ethiopian economy; it accounts for almost 50% of the gross domestic product and 80% of total employment, yet the industry struggles with limited infrastructure and environmental challenges. Prioritization of agricultural policies has generally relied on analysis of past observations, which are static and tend to ignore variability. They will build and validate an agent-based model that uses current data to model future outcomes, and input biophysical (e.g., soil, climate) and socioeconomic (e.g., household characteristics, land use, access to market and financing) data. They will test their model by comparing five candidate policy options under consideration by the government in terms of impact, effectiveness, efficiency, and inclusiveness. Once established, the model will be scaled up for policy intervention in other Sub-Saharan countries including Tanzania and Nigeria.

Use of Novel Oligosaccharides For Simultaneous Growth of Keystone Bacteria

David MillsUniversity of California, DavisDavis, California, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Microbial Biotherapeutics
1 May 2019

David Mills of the University of California, Davis in the U.S. will determine whether specific plant-based oligosaccharide formulations can drive mixed-culture growth of selected strains of intestinal bacteria for the low-cost and efficient production of live biotherapeutics. Microbial colonization in the human gut is important for overall health. It has been shown that oligosaccharides can provide a food niche to specifically enrich key colonizing bacteria, even in the competitive environment of the human gut. They will exploit this to grow multiple strains simultaneously in a controllable, scalable manner. They have recently developed analytical tools to characterize over 1,000 plant polysaccharides. These will be screened using bioinformatics methods and then in vitro to identify optimal oligosaccharide-therapeutic bacteria combinations that can support mixed-culture growth. They will then progress to bioreactor screening of the top candidate combinations. Once established, the live biotherapeutics will be formulated with their paired oligosaccharides for synbiotic application that may enable them to more readily colonize the human gut.

Massively Deployed GHz Ultrasonic Imagers for Pest Detection

Amit LalGeegah LlcIthaca, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Crop Disease Surveillance
1 May 2019

Amit Lal of Geegah LLC in the U.S. will develop battery-powered ultrasonic imagers to collect and wirelessly transmit high-resolution images of soil and airborne pests for the early detection of crop threats across large farming areas in rural Africa. Crop losses due to pest infestation negatively impact both food security and local economies. Damage caused by nematodes is particularly difficult to detect because the symptoms visible above ground are not unique and are often incorrectly attributed to deficiencies in soil nutrients or moisture. Currently the only way to test for nematodes is through root and soil samples taken after harvest, when it is too late to respond to an infestation. They will integrate complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS) with GHz ultrasonic imagers to detect nematodes and survey soil properties over large areas to detect infestations before crop damage occurs and transmit the data in real time. They will optimize the sensor technology in a controlled laboratory setting to maximize sensitivity and specificity and minimize power consumption and then transition to a farm setting for incorporating data transmission via the radio frequency wireless network.

Using GIS for Reducing Inequities in Immunization in Urban Settings in Nairobi and Kisumu Counties

Caroline KabariaAfrican Population and Research CenterKitsuru, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Delivery
1 May 2019

Caroline Kabaria of the African Population & Health Research Center in Kenya will use geographic information systems (GIS) to map the location of health facilities and community health volunteers in Kenya to identify particularly marginalized slum populations that need better access to health services such as vaccinations. Nairobi and Kisumu contain over 100 slums where residents live in dense and unsanitary conditions. The specific health needs of these residents are difficult to assess from national statistics that often exclude them. To address this, they will conduct an in-depth assessment to identify equity gaps specifically in childhood immunizations. Community health volunteers will be trained to use GIS mapping techniques and to register households, and the data will be integrated with the existing district health information system (DHIS 2). This will be used to produce an interactive map of the two cities that includes the spatial and social structures of informal settlements and the location of health facilities. They will also provide training and guidance to local stakeholders on how to utilize the map to improve vaccination coverage.

Empowering Girls as Lifelong Immunization Advocacy Champions

Danya ArifInteractive Research and Development Global LimitedSingapore, Singapore
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Demand
1 May 2019

Danya Arif, Subhash Chandir, and Qadeer Baig of Interactive Research and Development Global Limited in Singapore will develop and implement a school-based initiative in Pakistan to train adolescent girls to provide practical immunization information to parents and caregivers and thereby increase vaccination coverage in peri-urban areas. Poor compliance with routine immunization schedules puts children at risk of vaccine-preventable disease; some of the most vulnerable are urban-slum communities where traditional methods to increase vaccination uptake have failed. As an alternative approach, they propose to create a strong community force of adolescent girls, trained in leadership and communication skills and educated on basic immunization facts, to counsel mothers in their community on the importance of timely vaccination and provide them with practical information on clinic locations and schedules. The girls will also be equipped to identify never- and under-vaccinated children. They will pilot test their approach in ten schools in two peri-urban slums in Karachi city with 500 female students in grades eight to ten. They predict that mothers will be more likely to accept and act on information delivered by these girls as accepted members of their community, and training the girls as adolescents will have a sustainable impact: as they themselves become mothers they will be lifelong advocates for childhood immunization.

Safi Sana: Tracking Waste for Social and Economic Value

Aart Van den BeukelSafi SanaWeesp, Netherlands
Grand Challenges Explorations
Water Sanitation Hygiene
1 May 2019

Aart Van den Beukel of Safi Sana in the Netherlands will enable digital monitoring of the entire waste and sanitation supply chain to improve quality control, reduce costs, and help communities transform waste into resources such as agricultural and energy products. Poor sanitation and waste management can drive poverty and disease, but it is difficult to monitor in low-resource settings. The sanitation and waste industry can also provide unique opportunities for social and economic benefit when communities are given access and support. They will install data collection systems to monitor all elements of waste processing such as GPS data from waste truck drivers to help improve efficiency and reduce contamination and costs. These data will be provided on a tailored, computer-based platform to relevant stakeholders and local communities, along with education and awareness training to encourage new waste-converting enterprises.

Say Hello to Bablibot (Babybot): A Vaccines Chatbot

Subhash ChandirInteractive Research and Development Global LimitedSingapore, Singapore
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Demand
1 May 2019

Subhash Chandir, Danya Arif, and Ali Habib of Interactive Research and Development Global Limited in Singapore will develop a text-based immunization chatbot that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing to provide vaccine education and practical information to caregivers to improve vaccine coverage in Pakistan. Although free clinics exist, many children remain incompletely vaccinated because caregivers are unaware of the importance of immunization and uninformed about clinic locations and schedules. They will develop Bablibot – a chatbot to replicate interactive human conversations and able to understand caregiver queries and respond with automated text messages. The bot will provide information on immunization locations and schedules, address post-vaccination concerns, and prompt caregivers when vaccinations are due, easing the burden on overworked health workers. Chatbot conversations will be validated through human-in-the-loop (HITL) to enhance AI potential and, if needed, connect the caregiver with a human being. It will be widely accessible as it works via text. It will be pilot tested by integrating with the existing digital immunization registry of over one million children and recruiting 5,000 caregivers. The ability of Bablibot to provide accurate information, continuity of care, and convenient interaction with the healthcare system could increase immunization demand and coverage.

Transforming the Fecal Sludge Emptying Business

Hidenori HaradaKyoto UniversityKyoto, Japan
Grand Challenges Explorations
Water Sanitation Hygiene
1 May 2019

Hidenori Harada of Kyoto University in Japan will develop and test a largely automated system for the regular removal and safe disposal of fecal sludge from septic tanks in Asia. Billions of people rely on septic systems to collect human waste. Regular emptying and proper disposal of fecal sludge are critical to avoid potential contamination of clean water by backups, leaks and illegal dumping of waste. Hazardous sanitation problems occur when customers are unaware of the need to have their system emptied or when truck operators hired to empty sludge illegally dump the waste outside of a proper treatment site. They will institute a program by which tanks are – at no charge to the customer - equipped with tagged covers that provide access for safe emptying and enables them to be registered with a centrally-monitored system that will automatically notify customers when their tank needs to be emptied. Payment by households for emptying the tanks will be collected electronically, and the sludge will be removed and transported via trucks equipped with GPS to ensure proper disposal of the waste at a treatment center. The system will be tested in cooperation with a public emptier in Mandalay, Myanmar.

REAP: Risk-Explicit Agricultural Policy Prioritization

Christine LamannaWorld Agroforestry CentreNairobi, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
Agricultural Policies
1 May 2019

Christine Lamanna and Todd Rosenstock of the World Agroforestry Centre in Kenya will develop a strategy that combines local knowledge and a Bayesian network model to prioritize agricultural policy using Tanzania’s Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plan as a case study. Agriculture is responsible for nearly one third of Africa’s gross domestic product, yet productivity suffers from limited infrastructure and lack of access to markets and financing. Many policy options exist to stimulate agricultural transformation, however countries struggle to prioritize them and progress is limited. They will develop a Bayesian network to model the cost and risks of implementing specific agricultural policies as well as the economic, social and environmental benefits. Using the Tanzanian plan as a case study, they will develop a data-driven model for policy prioritization that incorporates risk (financial, climate, logistical, political) and reflects stakeholder perspectives to create a sense of ownership over the process. This strategy will allow for direct and transparent comparison of diverse policy options and provide decision-makers with clear prioritization information.

Mobile Technology and Boat Taxis to Enhance Vaccine Coverage

Paul NamwanjaCommunity Health Centre BusabalaKampala, Uganda
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Demand
1 May 2019

Paul Namwanja of the Community Health Centre, Busabala in Uganda will implement mobile technology for village health teams to monitor households and childhood vaccinations on remote islands in Uganda and to establish public-private partnerships with community health workers and boat owners to improve vaccine coverage. Vaccination rates on Ugandan islands are significantly lower than the national level because of unreliable transportation to access mainland healthcare centers; island residents rely on commercial fishing boats to travel and face long wait times for healthcare service. They will modify an existing mobile application for village health teams to create a registry of new and expectant mothers by recording household location and required vaccines. These data can then be shared with mainland health workers and used to facilitate access to a subsidized boat taxi service for travel to medical appointments. They will test their approach on six trial islands by providing the mobile phones and application along with training to health workers and recruiting boat drivers and evaluate its effect on vaccination coverage.

Pages

  • First page
  • Previous page
  • …
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Currently on page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • …
  • Next page
  • Last page
Sort by:
Date Awarded
Title (A-Z)
10
25
50
100

Contact us

Contact us

  • General Inquiries
  • Media Inquiries

Footer - Receive Updates

Receive updates

  • Sign up for email updates

Footer

  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
© 2003-2019. Grand Challenges. All Rights Reserved.

PLEASE REVIEW OUR UPDATED PRIVACY & COOKIES NOTICE

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to store information on your computer or device. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the placement of these cookies and similar technologies. Read our updated Privacy & Cookies Notice to learn more.