Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have announced that their foundation will fund 43 health-related research projects with grants totaling $437 million.
The 43 research projects to receive the grant money address some of the greatest health challenges facing the poorer and less developed nations of the world. A total of approximately 1,500 proposals were received for the research grants from 70 countries.
Dr. Richard Klausner, the director of the Gates Foundation's global health program explained that the projects that were chosen are 'very visionary and very, very high risk.' He added, 'If any of them are successful, it will be well worth the investment.'
Some of the projects include various ways to kill or stop the spread of mosquitoes, vaccines that can be administered without needles and/or refrigeration and ways to attack diseases like tuberculosis while they are in a dormant state.
If the research is successful, the scientists can patent their discoveries but they must agree that the results be made available to poor countries at little or no cost.
Each five-year grant is worth up to $20 million for research of the project selected.
The initiative is called Grand Challenges in Global Health and offers hope to millions across the world.
In a statement, Bill Gates summarized the reason for his commitment to this type of research.
