Leading scientists kick off research that could transform health in the poorest countries.

Very little medical research is devoted to the health problems that disproportionately affect people in developing countries. To help encourage the best scientists in the world to tackle these problems, we have established the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, a partnership that includes the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The initiative's goal is to help create "deliverable technologies"—health tools that are not only effective, but also inexpensive to produce, easy to distribute, and simple to use in developing countries. In 2005, the Grand Challenges initiative made its first round of grants.

Launched in 2003, the initiative unfolded in two stages. First, an international scientific board issued a call for ideas: What scientific and technological innovations, it asked, could have the greatest impact on health in the developing world? After reviewing more than 1,000 ideas, the board identified 14 Grand Challenges that, if solved, could save millions of lives in developing countries. These challenges include, for example, vaccines that don't require refrigeration, vitamin-fortified staple foods, and more effective and easy-to-use diagnostic tools. In the second stage, the board issued a call for research proposals based on the 14 Grand Challenges, and scientists from 75 countries submitted more than 1,500 funding requests.

In June, the Grand Challenges initiative announced grants totaling $436.6 million to support 43 projects. One would develop a chemical to prevent mosquitoes from smelling humans, which could stop them from being able to transmit disease. Another would design a hand-held diagnostic device that could be used in developing countries to test a drop of blood for a battery of diseases. Four others would develop new varieties of cassava, rice, sorghum, and bananas fortified with high levels of essential nutrients. These staple foods dominate diets in many developing countries but lack key vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

The Grand Challenges initiative highlights the incredible potential for science and technology to solve some of the most difficult global health challenges. While the projects announced in 2005 are an important step forward, much more needs to be done to engage the world's best scientific minds in highly innovative global health research. We hope this initiative will encourage both public and private funders to increase their support for research on diseases of the developing world.