WASHINGTON – Today, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partners launched their fifth call for groundbreaking, sustainable innovations to save the lives of mothers and newborns in the hardest to reach corners of the world. The latest round is part of a $50 million program expansion to build upon and accelerate Saving Lives at Birth’s investment in innovative prevention and treatment ideas and approaches that aim to reduce infant and maternal mortality and prevent stillbirth around the time of birth. 

 

Saving Lives at Birth has mobilized the world’s brightest thinkers to address the critical issue of maternal and newborn health.  To date, the Grand Challenge for Development has funded 81 innovations over the course of four award rounds.  Round 5 will place an increased focus on advancing the most successful and transformational innovations as they transition to scale.

 

The program – which is a critical part of the global effort to bring an end to the 289,000 maternal deaths, 2.8 million newborn deaths, and 2.6 million stillbirths that occur each year – will begin taking applications on February 16, with submissions due by March 27. Award nominees will be announced later in 2015.  

 

Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partnership, launched in 2011, includes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the Government of Canada), and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

 

To learn more about Saving Lives at Birth Round 5, go to: www.savinglivesatbirth.net.

 

For additional information, contact:

USAID Press Office: USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov

Grand Challenges Canada: Lode Roels, lode.roels@grandchallenges.ca

Government of Norway: Haitham.el-noush@norad.no

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: media@gatesfoundation.org

DFID: pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk