Bill Gates Offers $1 Million Funding For “Next Generation Condom”
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Billionaire Bill Gates will provide up to $1 million to anyone who can develop the “next generation condom”, said his charitable foundation this month, in the hopes of reducing unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases across the world, particularly in developing countries.
Billionaire Bill Gates will provide up to $1 million to anyone who can develop the “next generation condom”, said his charitable foundation this month, in the hopes of reducing unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases across the world, particularly in developing countries.
According to the Grand Challenges in Global Health Program’s website, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Microsoft co-founder will give prospective designers $100,000 in initial funding – rising to $1 million if his/her proposal turns viable.
Proposals can be submitted online at www.grandchallenges.org, while the most innovative entries will be determined four months after the May 7 deadline – with students, scientists, entrepreneurs all invited to participate.
[quote]”To overcome persistent health and development problems, we need new, game-changing ideas. Inspiration can come from anywhere and we are hopeful that this new round of Grand Challenges Explorations will uncover innovative approaches to improve lives around the world,” said Chris Wilson, Director of Global Health Discovery & Translational Science at the Gates Foundation.[/quote]Related: Infographic: 7 Billion People – What It Means For The World
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In its criteria for funding, the Foundation said that they were looking for “application of safe new materials that may preserve or enhance sensation, development and testing of new condom shapes/designs that may provide an improved user experience; or application of knowledge from other fields (e.g. neurobiology, vascular biology) to new strategies for improving condom desirability.”
“Condoms have been in use for about 400 years yet they have undergone very little technological improvement in the past 50 years… The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse.
[quote]“Is it possible to develop a product without this stigma, or better, one that is felt to enhance pleasure? If so, would such a product lead to substantial benefits for global health, both in terms of reducing the incidence of unplanned pregnancies and in prevention of infection with HIV or other STIs?” the Foundation wrote.[/quote]Related: Infographic: How Bill Gates Is Personally Saving The World
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All proposals must include a testable hypothesis and an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated. Data for initial tests would then determine if the proposal will be considered for Phase II funding.
The “Next Generation Condom” initiative also comes in the wake of a pledge of more than $370 million to reinvent the toilet. Since its launch in 2008, the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative has funded more than 800 grants in 52 countries. The Gates Foundation itself has handed out over $26 billion in funding for health, development and education ventures worldwide, since its inception in 1994.
