October 7, 2014

New Phase of Cooperation Between NIH and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

I am delighted to announce today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have entered into a new phase of cooperation to develop interventions to reduce major global health burdens. The two organizations will launch milestone-driven projects on an agreed set of priorities, to include:

  • vaccines to prevent HIV, respiratory syncytial virus, visceral leishmaniasis, and dengue
  • experimental models to accelerate TB drug discovery
  • maternal and infant nutrition
  • reduction of premature births
  • healthy cognitive development in children
  • affordable point-of-care diagnostic technologies

With the launch of these projects, NIH and BMGF have concluded an agreement to govern confidential disclosures and facilitate the sharing of data and expertise. The joint projects are the outcome of a planning workshop convened by the two organizations last July.

This is indeed a timely development, given recent advances in basic research that have opened new windows of opportunity. We are taking our partnership to a new level, and will build on our cooperation and progress made to date toward reducing global disparities in health, and improving life expectancy and quality of life for the billions who desperately need it.

The NIH and BMGF have enjoyed a working partnership since the creation of Grand Challenges in Global Health, now celebrating its tenth year. The two organizations together represent 54% of global research and development expenditure on diseases that disproportionately affect populations in low- and middle-income countries1.

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health

 

12012 Global Funding of Innovations for Neglected Diseases Report, compiled by Policy Cures with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.