Gates doubles funding for health initiative
C|Net | at | by Mike
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will increase its contribution to a global health initiative by $250 million, the Microsoft chairman said Monday.
The change means the foundation will more than double the size of its contribution to Grand Challenges in Global Health, bringing its total commitment to $450 million.
The initiative, which was founded in 2003 with a Gates Foundation grant, is jointly administered by the Gates organization and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The Grand Challenges initiative focuses on 14 major scientific challenges, such as "Prepare vaccines that do not require refrigeration" and "Create a full range of optimal, bioavailable nutrients in a single staple plant species."