Programme Thesis
This programme funds original research and development projects that address heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) in low-resource settings, focusing on biological mechanisms, epidemiology, measurement, diagnostics, and treatment access. It exists to improve understanding and management of HMB for women in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Pakistan, with a strong emphasis on affordable, scalable, and AI-driven solutions.
Selection Criteria
- Focus on original research and development.
- Study populations or intended beneficiaries must be from Sub-Saharan Africa, India, or Pakistan.
- Address one or more of the five priority areas: Biological Mechanisms, Epidemiology and Impact, Measurement and Standardization, Innovative Diagnostics, Treatment and Access.
- Proposals should be commensurate with scope, with budgets up to $150,000 USD and a grant term up to 2 years.
- Indirect costs capped at 15% of total award.
- Open to nonprofit, for-profit, international organizations, government agencies, academic institutions.
- Encourages projects led by women or women-led organizations, and applications from LMIC institutions.
- Technology should be easy to use and affordable.
- Proposals must align with the clinical definition of HMB (excessive menstrual blood loss affecting well-being).
Past Winners / Cohort Profiles
The page does not list past winners, but typical Grand Challenges cohorts include multidisciplinary teams from academic institutions, NGOs, and social enterprises. Winner archetypes often include innovative diagnostic tools, mobile health interventions, and community-based treatment access models, with a strong emphasis on local context and scalability.
Ideal Candidate Fingerprint
The ideal applicant is a researcher or organization with deep expertise in women's health, particularly HMB, and a proven track record of developing and validating affordable, scalable diagnostics or treatments for low-resource settings. They should have strong partnerships in target regions, a clear understanding of local healthcare challenges, and a proposal that directly addresses one of the five priority areas with measurable impact.
Recommended Framing
For Eniola, the strongest angle is to leverage his digital health and AI infrastructure expertise to propose an AI-driven diagnostic or decision-support tool for HMB in Nigeria, aligning with the 'Innovative Diagnostics' priority. Specifically, his TOPOLOGIX work demonstrates his ability to build predictive models from sequence data, but for this programme, he should pivot to his e-pharmacy/telepharmacy platform experience and propose a low-cost, pharmacist-led HMB screening and referral pathway using a mobile app or AI-based symptom checker, addressing both diagnosis and treatment access. This directly matches the programme's focus on affordable, scalable diagnostics and treatment access in low-resource settings, and his Nigerian background strengthens the local relevance.
Watch Out
The applicant is an independent researcher, not affiliated with an institution, which may be a disadvantage as the programme typically funds organizations. Additionally, his current research lines (CCT, TOPOLOGIX, etc.) are not directly focused on HMB or women's health, so he would need to pivot significantly. The programme requires original data collection or intended beneficiaries in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, or Pakistan, which he can meet, but he must demonstrate a clear plan and partnerships for implementation. Also, the deadline has passed (June 2025), so he would need to wait for future rounds.
Research History
2026-08-04 20:15 · medium confidence
2026-08-01 05:23 · medium confidence