Innovations in Low-cost and Simplified Pathogen Sequencing Workflows – Grand Challenges Request for Proposals

Reimagining pathogen sequencing for greater affordability, simplicity and access

Applications close 29 September 2026, 11.30am PDT. An applicant webinar will be held on 1 September 2026; registration details and the recording of the webinar are available on the Grand Challenge page.

Pathogen genomic sequencing is critical to modern public health, from detecting outbreaks and emerging variants to monitoring drug resistance and informing public health decisions.

Yet sequencing remains costly and complex, limiting its routine use in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

This Grand Challenge seeks bold, innovative approaches to make pathogen sequencing more affordable, streamlined and suitable for routine public health use in LMICs.

The call is open to research institutes, non-profit organisations, companies, government agencies, international organisations and academic institutions, with applications from LMIC-led teams encouraged.

Find out more on the Grand Challenge and application process here.

As part of boosting pandemic preparedness, Temasek Foundation seeks to strengthen surveillance and response systems, regional partnerships, and platforms for sharing data and materials across Asia and beyond. Affordable, simplified sequencing would shift genomics from an emergency-response capability to a routine public health tool. Efforts like the Grand Challenge can enable earlier detection of outbreaks and faster, better-informed responses, and at the same time deepen collaboration between Asia and Africa on genomic surveillance.

This Grand Challenge is co-funded by the Gates Foundation and Temasek Foundation, and managed by the UN Foundation. It is implemented in collaboration with World Health Organization, the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, Africa Centres for Disease Control, and the Africa and Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiatives.