The Gates Foundation is part of the Grand Challenges partnership network. Visit <a href="https://www.grandchallenges.org" target="_blank">www.grandchallenges.org</a> to view the map of awarded grants across this network and grant opportunities from partners.

Grand Challenges supports exceptional scientists with the expertise to do breakthrough R&amp;D as well as the experience, networks, and skills to excel as scientific leaders. These champions co-create projects with global partners, mobilize key institutions in their countries, and improve public health in their communities and around the world.

Grand Challenges funds innovations to tackle the biggest problems in global health and development. Since 2004, through the Grand Challenges program, we have supported more than 2500 innovation projects in more than 90 countries.

For more than 20 years, Grand Challenges has built trusted relationships with global health funders and researchers. We tap into this powerful network to create unique scientific collaborations with a transformative impact on people's lives.

Innovation happens all along the journey from idea, to experiment, to product or policy, and finally to delivery at scale in communities. We fund innovation projects while supporting an environment of champions, systems, and partnerships to maximize the impact these projects make in people's lives.

The 4 Pillars of the Grand Challenges Ecosystem

Doing groundbreaking science requires the right mix of institutions, policies, and tools. Grand Challenges works with partners in low- and middle-income countries to build or strengthen the capacities they need to succeed in R&amp;D.

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Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé Named to UN Secretary General's Scientific Advisory Board

<a href="https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/champion/abdoulaye-djimde" target="_blank">Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé</a> has been appointed to the <a href="https://www.un.org/scientific-advisory-board/en/board-members" target="_blank">United Nations Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board</a>, marking an important step in elevating African leaders' voices in global research and science policy conversations.A leading expert in malaria genomics and drug resistance, Prof. Djimdé is focused on building research capacity and scientific collaboration across the continent. He embodies the <a href="https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/champions" target="_blank">Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship's</a> vision to cultivate scientists who not only drive innovation but also guide decision-making and international cooperation.At a time when the world faces increasingly complex health and development challenges, Prof. Djimdé will bring an important and unique perspective to the board's work on science, technology, and innovation for sustainable development. "Scientific knowledge is strongest when it reflects diverse perspectives," Prof. Djimdé said in response to the appointment, "and I look forward to contributing African experience and expertise to conversations shaping the future of global health and development."

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Grand Challenges Spotlight Talk: Collen Masimirembwa - Grand Challenges Annual Meeting 2026

Grand Challenges Spotlight Talk: Collen Masimirembwa

Grand Challenges Spotlight Talk: Collen Masimirembwa (President &amp; CEO, African Institute of Biomedical Science &amp; Technology; Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellow, Zimbabwe).
Collen Masimirembwa, explores how leveraging African genetic diversity, combined with stronger local research infrastructure, could reshape drug discovery and accelerate biomedical innovation in Africa.

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