Novel Interventions Targeting Placental and Gut Inflammation to Improve Fetal Growth - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligibility

Who is eligible for grants?
This Grand Challenge is open to global applicants including non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, academic, research institutions, international organizations and consortia. Collaboration with global south institutions and local investigators is strongly encouraged to ensure relevance and respect local context. 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.

Can an organization or applicant submit more than one proposal?
Yes. Organizations may submit multiple proposals, but each must have a different PI. A PI can lead one proposal and collaborate on others.

Are Global South partners required?
Not required, but any proposed partnership should be real, equitable, and named in the application.

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.

Can Gates co-fund an existing study?
Yes, for the portion aligned with this RFP.

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.

What kinds of proposals are competitive?
Proposals with strong scientific rationale, novelty, feasible timelines, measurable milestones, and relevant multidisciplinary expertise.

Are bold, early-stage ideas welcome?
Yes, especially in Track 1. Tracks 2 and 3 generally need more preliminary support.

How many awards will be made?
Not fixed; it depends on application quality and portfolio priorities.

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? 

Budgets should be commensurate with proposed work and justified in the context of deliverables. Indirect costs should not exceed standard institutional policy thresholds (e.g., 10–15% if applicable).

What are the funding levels?
Track 1: up to $400K, 18 months
Track 2: up to $750K, 24 months
Track 3: up to $1M, 30 months

Do these totals include indirect costs?
Yes.

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.

Scope

What is this RFP looking for?
Novel interventions or mechanistic discoveries related to the gut-placenta axis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and fetal growth restriction.

Are placental-only proposals allowed?
Yes, though gut-placenta proposals are preferred.

Are model systems and discovery approaches in scope?
Yes. In vitro, organoid, mouse, computational, and multi-omic approaches are all acceptable, especially in Track 1.

Are drug discovery, biologics, antibodies, or engineered microbes in scope?
Yes, if scientifically justified and potentially relevant to low-resource settings.

What is not favored?
Interventions unlikely to be practical in low-income settings, proposals that risk antimicrobial resistance, and commercial supplements without strong mechanistic evidence.

Track-Specific Guidance

What is Track 1 for?
Discovery work: identifying mechanisms, biomarkers, or actionable targets. Preliminary data is less critical here.

What is Track 2 for?
Validation and translation of defined candidates, with supporting rationale and some preliminary basis.

What is Track 3 for?
Early human proof-of-concept studies supported by preclinical validation.

Can pilot human nutrition studies go in Track 2?
They are better suited for Track 3.

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]