Innovations in Low-Cost and Simplified Pathogen Sequencing Workflows

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. Please note that all applicants will be expected to comply with the Gates Foundation's global access requirements. We encourage projects and/or consortia applications led by applicants from LMICs. Individuals and organizations classified as individuals for U.S. tax purposes are not eligible to receive an award under this RFP.

Eligible entities must not be subject to United Nations sanctions or have committed serious violations of United States or UN sanctions. Eligible entities must not have derived revenue from the production of controversial weapons (such as antipersonnel landmines, cluster bombs, or nuclear bombs) or the production or manufacture of tobacco.

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.

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's indirect cost policy guidelines can be found here: Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy. 

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?
To accommodate different stages of innovation maturity, this RFP supports a tiered award structure, with funding levels and expectations aligned to the readiness and scope of the proposed work. Indicative award categories are:

Tier 1: Early-stage feasibility awards: up to US$300,000 (grant term up to 24months). For technically ambitious or higher-risk, earlier-stage concepts focused on feasibility testing, assay or workflow prototyping, and initial cost-reduction validation. Intended for approaches that require focused development to demonstrate viability.

Tier 2: Mid-stage development awards: up to US$600,000 (grant term up to 24months). For concepts with preliminary feasibility evidence that are ready to advance from prototype toward an integrated workflow—optimizing performance, broadening assay or pathogen coverage, and generating more robust cost-reduction and performance data.

Tier 3: Advanced development and validation awards: up to US$800,000 (grant term up to 36 months). For more mature concepts aimed at workflow refinement, performance optimization, and generation of proof-of-concept and validation data in relevant public-health use cases in LMICs.

We anticipate making approximately 15 awards across the three tiers. The final award amounts, number of awards, and funding mix will depend on proposal quality, technical maturity, funding availability, and strategic fit. Applicants should request funding commensurate with the scope and readiness of their proposed work and include a clear, milestone-based plan appropriate to the requested budget.

Indirect costs are allowable and should be included within the total requested funding (subject to the Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy).

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]