Past funding opportunities
Grand Challenges Explorations Round 5: Now accepting Proposals
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for Round 5 of Grand Challenges Explorations, a US $100 million initiative to encourage unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply, regardless of education or experience level.
Grant proposals are being accepted online at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations until May 19, 2010, on the following topics:
- New! Create Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global Health Conditions
- NEW! Create New Technologies to Improve the Health of Mothers and Newborns
- Create New Technologies for Contraception
- Create New Ways to Protect Against Infectious Diseases
Initial grants will be $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to $1 million US Dollars. Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.
We are looking forward to receiving innovative ideas from scientists around the world and from all scientific disciplines. If you don't submit a proposal yourself, we hope you will forward this message to someone else who might be interested.
Thank you for your commitment to solving the world's greatest health challenges.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources - have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
European Funding
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
ERDF funding aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development. The East Midlands is eligible for approximately £240m (subject to exchange rate variations) between 2007 and 2013, which, when combined with the required match funding, provides a programme value of approximately £480m – a significant investment in the economic development of the region. East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is responsible for the programme management and delivery of the region’s new ERDF Competitiveness Programme. To help regional stakeholders find out more about ERDF, the region’s strategy for delivering the funds, how to apply for funding and how the Programme is managed, a bespoke website had been created.
Please visit the emda website for further details. www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk or view a short film showcasing some of the excellent projects being supported by the East Midlands 2007-13 ERDF Programme.
BIS (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), together with UK Research Councils have developed a range of programmes to encourage research collaborations with industry:
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership
- Industrial Fellowships
- Industrial CASE
There are four types of grant available each one aimed at supporting different types of research and development projects and offering different levels of assistance:
Proof of Market Projects
This assists SMEs to test the commercial potential of an idea for an innovative product or process through market assessment and research, competitor analysis, exploration of Intellectual Property protection routes and Intellectual Property protection.
Micro Projects
This provides assistance to SMEs to develop a low cost prototype.
Research Projects
This assists SMEs to examine the technical and commercial feasibility of innovative technology.
Development Projects
This assists SMEs to carry out research up to pre-production prototype stage of a new product or process which involves a significant technological advance.
Business Innovation Voucher Scheme
The Business Innovation Voucher Scheme is specifically designed to promote collaborative innovation between The University of Nottingham and UK businesses by offering vouchers of up to £5k to be used toward the costs of projects using the University’s facilities and / or its academic staff. The vouchers will be allocated to successful SME applicants who wish to engage with the University and its academics in helping to develop products or processes that will benefit the company. Successful applications are expected to mainly include consultancy and technical services, but could also include small research projects.