Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Victim of Naked Face-Eater Fights for Life Miami police are quiet on details in the aftermath of gruesome attack »

Gates Gambles Big on Bold Medical Probes

$10M in public-health grants eschew peer review for innovation

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 23, 2008 2:13 PM CDT

(Newser) – The Gates Foundation has awarded more than $10 million to medical researchers with quirky ideas that might not be funded otherwise, the Washington Post reports. The initiative, dubbed Grand Challenges Explorations, offered a simple 2-page application and vetting by entrepreneurs, not medical professionals. “Peer... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Star Trek-Style Needleless Injections Now a Reality

Washington Post (Source Grid »)

A list of funded projects
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

More on the "crazy" ideas funded
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Oh, and there's an anti-malaria flashlight
San Jose Mercury News

Health

Bill Gates • public health • medical research • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation • grants • peer reviews

More Newser Stories

Gates Gives $105 Mil to Track Global Public Health

UW center will eye effectiveness of giving

(NEWSER) - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given $105 million to the University of Washington to study the effectiveness of public health programs around the world. The money will be used to create a center to track such measures as child mortality, the prevalence of major diseases and the availability of medical treatment. More»

Bill Gates Even Gave Away Richest-Guy Title

'Forbes' list wouldn't be a contest if he hadn't discovered philanthropy

(NEWSER) - Forbes will unveil its 2011 billionaires list tomorrow, and Bill Gates will certainly make an appearance, reports Reuters . But it turns out the longtime richest guy in the world fell to No. 2 last year not because of Microsoft's waning fortunes, but because he literally gave away the title. "It wouldn't be a competition," says a wealth expert. "(Gates) would have a comfortable margin if he had never discovered philanthropy." More»

Billionaires' 'Giving Pledge' Not Good Enough

But here's a way to fix it

(NEWSER) - A bunch of billionaires have signed up for Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ “ Giving Pledge ,” promising to give away half or more of their money to charity. Sounds great, right? Not to Ron Rosenbaum of Slate . “I think I can speak for the rest of the world when I say: Dudes, the ‘pledge’ is nice and all, but show us the money if you want the credit,” he writes, declaring the promise a “nebulous never-never-land pledge.” More»

34 US Billionaires Pledge Half Their Money to Charity

Michael Bloomberg, Barry Diller, Larry Ellison among them

(NEWSER) - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have convinced 34 more billionaires to sign onto their “Giving Pledge” initiative , promising to give away at least half their money to charity. The list includes the likes of Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner, Barry Diller, Larry Ellison, and T. Boone Pickens, Reuters reports. “I am enthusiastically taking the Giving Pledge,” Bloomberg said in a letter. “Nearly all of my net worth will be given away in the years ahead.” More»

Paul Allen Will Give Away Billions

Microsoft co-founder commits most of his fortune to philanthropy

(NEWSER) - Looks as though Bill Gates' billionaire challenge is paying off: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has pledged to give away most of his $13 billion fortune. He made the vow public a month after Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett urged the world's richest to give away at least half of their wealth. Allen, the 37th-richest person in the world on the most recent Forbes list, hopes to "spur other people to give," a rep tells the Seattle Times . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Gates Gambles Big on Bold Medical Probes

$10M in public-health grants eschew peer review for innovation

Bill Gates • public health • medical research • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation • grants • peer reviews

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Gates Gives $105 Mil to Track Global Public Health

UW center will eye effectiveness of giving

Bill Gates Even Gave Away Richest-Guy Title

'Forbes' list wouldn't be a contest if he hadn't discovered philanthropy

Billionaires' 'Giving Pledge' Not Good Enough

But here's a way to fix it

34 US Billionaires Pledge Half Their Money to Charity

Michael Bloomberg, Barry Diller, Larry Ellison among them

Paul Allen Will Give Away Billions

Microsoft co-founder commits most of his fortune to philanthropy

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?