Deadline: 7 May 2017
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting proposals for its Grand Challenges Exploration on New Approaches for Improving Timeliness of Routine Immunizations in Low-Resource Settings.
Vaccine effectiveness depends on the timing of its administration, and it is not optimal if given early, delayed, or not as recommended. To achieve maximum protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, a child should receive all immunizations within the recommend intervals. Even if coverage improves with time, postponed vaccination adds to the pool of unprotected children in the population. This can be particularly problematic during the introduction of new vaccines. However, there are few validated, evidence-based approaches available to improve timeliness of routine immunizations.
GCE is soliciting applications proposing innovative approaches that successfully improve timeliness while reducing missed opportunities for vaccination, respect gender and equity inequalities, and target hard to reach populations, such as nomadic or remote. Successful proposals will include details on the design and pilot testing of the approach in their application. The effectiveness of the proposed approach on timeliness should be evaluated in Phase I, and a clear plan for the the impact of the approach on vaccine timeliness, completeness and coverage rates should be evaluated in Phase 2 if subsequent funding is awarded.
Grant Size
Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million.
Eligibility Criteria
GCE is open to both foreign and domestic organizations, including non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions.
Successful proposals will include:
- A clear hypothesis underlying the proposed approach to improve timeliness as well as documentation of timeliness (e.g. by a woman/child’s card, by health facility register that can track individual names of women/children vaccinated);
- Plan for evaluating the effectiveness of the approach in improving timeliness using established metrics;
- Outline of the design of the proposed approach to improve timeliness; and,
- A plan for evaluation of the impact of the approach on completeness and coverage rates, should Phase II funding be granted.
- Consideration will be given to proposals identifying and testing approaches for improving timeliness of vaccines in low and middle income countries that support:
- Mothers and families seeking to overcome barriers regarding timeliness and completeness of routine immunization;
- Innovations that involve building on, disrupting, or adapting existing systems. Successful proposals will describe how their approach would work within existing health systems or what change would need to occur within health systems for their approach to be effective; and,
- Projects which constitute transformative rather than incremental improvements to improving timeliness that would be deliverable and scaleable in low-income countries.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via given website.
For more information, please visit GCE.