Introduction:
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with the Grand Challenges Network, seeks innovative research proposals to address heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) in women in low-resource settings. HMB is clinically defined as excessive menstrual blood loss that negatively affects a woman's physical, emotional, and social well-being. This challenge aims to improve the understanding of underlying biological mechanisms, develop innovative diagnostics, and increase access to effective treatments.

General Description:
The call focuses on several key aspects:

• Biological Mechanisms: Advancing the understanding of the fundamental biology of HMB to identify targets for innovative diagnostics and treatments.
• Epidemiology and Impact: Assessing disease burden, patterns, and impact on gynecological health and quality of life in women in low-resource settings.
• Measurement and Standardization: Developing and validating improved methods for measuring HMB and establishing standardized research protocols.
• Innovative Diagnostics: Proposing new technologies or piloting the use of existing technologies to identify causes of HMB in low-resource settings, including the use of artificial intelligence.
• Treatment and Access: Evaluating the effectiveness, acceptability, and ways to increase access to treatments, including hormonal contraceptives, to inform patient-centered care in low-resource settings.

Awards of up to 150,000 USD for each project, with a grant term of up to 2 years.

Eligibility Criteria

This initiative is open to nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies and academic institutions. We particularly encourage applications involving projects led by women or from women-led organizations and applications from institutions based in low- and middle-income countries.

We seek proposals that:

1. Focus on original research and development.
2. Focus on the needs of women in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Pakistan. While researchers may be based globally, study populations (for original data collection) or intended beneficiaries (for new diagnostics and treatments) must be from these regions.
3. Address one or more of the outlined objectives within a single proposal.

We will not fund proposals that:

1. Do not focus on HMB - Even if related to gynecological conditions that are associated with HMB, such as infertility or pelvic pain.
2. Are not research. Proposals to fund the expansion of routine services, or train clinical service providers, for example, will not be funded.

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