Gates Foundation - Global grand challenges: Low-cost maternal and child nutrient ingredients
Event details
| Date | 16.12.2025 |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Aim: This Grand Challenge focuses on accessibility to nutrients in LMICs. Indeed, high input costs, complex production processes, and limited manufacturing capacity in LMICs keep the price of essential nutrient ingredients and products prohibitively high. This call is for transformative, bold solutions that can reduce costs by at least 50% compared to current baselines, while maintaining or improving safety, efficacy, and user acceptability. In particular, successful applications will:
Focus Areas: The call is particularly focused on the nutrients calcium, choline, and omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (specifically docosahexaenoic acid – DHA). Therefore, applicants may propose projects under one of the following options.
A: Development of exceptionally low-cost nutrient ingredients (calcium, choline, DHA)
B: Development of a low-cost prenatal supplement (UNIMMAP MMS + 500 mg/day calcium)
C: Development of an advanced prenatal supplement (MMSplus: UNIMMAP MMS + 500 mg/day calcium + 100 mg/day nicotinamide + 450 mg/day choline + 200 mg/day DHA)
Funding and Duration:
A: Up to $500,000 per ingredient for up to 18 months
B: Up to $200,000 for up to 12 months
C: Up to $400,000 for up to 12 months
Eligibility: This initiative is open globally to nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions. Innovators are invited from the fields of nutrition, biotechnology, food technology, pharmaceuticals, and beyond.
How to Apply: Application instructions can be found here. Applicants should start by creating a profile on the application portal. Your submission should include a proposal and a budget table and narrative. Budgets should include 15% indirect costs. No confidential or propriety material should be included in the submission. Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization; please contact the Research Office for assistance.
Deadline: 16 December 2025 (11:30 am PT)
Further information
- Present transformative cost-reduction strategies, not incremental improvements, with a clear pathway to achieve ≥50% cost reduction.
- Provide specific steps and/or end-to-end solutions, including credible cost modeling at scale (e.g., 3 million regimens per year).
- Demonstrate technical feasibility with the ability to generate meaningful data within 12–18 months.
- Clearly outline team capabilities and expertise, with strong preference for collaborations involving LMIC partners.
- Include a justified budget, which will be reviewed for alignment with scope and deliverables.
- Consider and enable manufacturing in LMICs, ensuring cultural and dietary inclusivity (vegetarian, halal, kosher).
- Are informed by consumer research, addressing acceptability, usability, and adherence.
Focus Areas: The call is particularly focused on the nutrients calcium, choline, and omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (specifically docosahexaenoic acid – DHA). Therefore, applicants may propose projects under one of the following options.
A: Development of exceptionally low-cost nutrient ingredients (calcium, choline, DHA)
B: Development of a low-cost prenatal supplement (UNIMMAP MMS + 500 mg/day calcium)
C: Development of an advanced prenatal supplement (MMSplus: UNIMMAP MMS + 500 mg/day calcium + 100 mg/day nicotinamide + 450 mg/day choline + 200 mg/day DHA)
Funding and Duration:
A: Up to $500,000 per ingredient for up to 18 months
B: Up to $200,000 for up to 12 months
C: Up to $400,000 for up to 12 months
Eligibility: This initiative is open globally to nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions. Innovators are invited from the fields of nutrition, biotechnology, food technology, pharmaceuticals, and beyond.
How to Apply: Application instructions can be found here. Applicants should start by creating a profile on the application portal. Your submission should include a proposal and a budget table and narrative. Budgets should include 15% indirect costs. No confidential or propriety material should be included in the submission. Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization; please contact the Research Office for assistance.
Deadline: 16 December 2025 (11:30 am PT)
Further information
- More information about the program is available here
- The application portal can be found here
- For any other questions, please contact the Research Office
Practical information
- General public
- Free