The estimated 80 grant recipients can apply for a follow-up grant worth up to $1 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
On the foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health page, the prompt says, "We are looking for a Next Generation Condom that significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use."
The foundation noted that condoms have been in use for about 400 years, but they've had very little improvement in the past 50 years, and people don't want to use them.
According to the foundation's blog, researchers at the University of Washington are already working on a better condom using a fabric with tiny fibers that can physically block sperm and then dissolve within a few minutes or a few days.
Proposals must be submitted by May 7. Winners will be notified in November. For more information, visit the website for Grand Challenges in Global Health.
