2024 BWF Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative is sponsored by Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative - Burroughs Wellcome Fund Share this Grant Apply Now BWF’s Preterm Birth initiative was the Fund’s first funding mechanism in reproductive sciences. This award mechanism ran alternating years from 2009 to 2019, initially stemming from consortium meetings that brought together research leaders in this space.

In 2019, building upon the original goals of the BWF Preterm Birth Initiative, BWF convened a Pregnancy Think Tank to guide the next phase of this award mechanism.

With growing evidence suggesting the interrelatedness of the duration of pregnancy, fetal growth, and adverse pregnancy outcomes of preterm birth, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and maternal medical complications, including maternal mortality, the decision was made to broaden the scope of the initiative. Reflecting this expanded focus, the program was renamed the Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative.

Along with a broader scope, the award also moved to an annual cycle to address the limited funding mechanisms in this scientific area. After five years of conducting the program with the broadened scope, BWF paused the mechanism to reassess our investments, the state of the field, researchers’ priorities, and the funders' landscape.

BWF initiated a strategic reassessment of the program, in partnership with Health Resources in Action (HRiA), to revisit the field's current needs and priorities. The new directives for those outcomes will be rolled out in a stepwise fashion. This 2025-2026 cycle is the first step in a full program revamp that will prioritize refining the scope of research areas eligible for the award.

The updated priority areas BWF aims to support include underlying mechanisms of normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and late term pregnancy loss (projects focused on miscarriage at 10 weeks or less and infertility-related loss are beyond the scope of this mechanism). These conditions remain both pervasive challenges in reproductive medicine and persistently underexplored in reproductive biology.

We especially welcome applications focused on subtyping adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigating maternal–fetal interactions, and integrating animal models with clinical outcomes. For more information about the NGP award , please view this recording of an informational session about the 2025-2026 NGP application cycle and updated RFP.

In this webinar, Program Officer Dr. Paige Cooper Byas provides an overview of the application process, eligibility, and award components. For a full explanation of the eligibility requirements, view the Request for Proposals . Progress and financial reports are required of all BWF grants and are due on the date specified in ProposalCentral.

Advisory Committee and staff depend heavily upon progress and financial reports to evaluate progress. Late reports inconvenience advisory committee reviewers and impede BWF's evaluation of its programs. Failure to submit progress or financial reports on time will result in payments being withheld.

If submissions are missed repeatedly, it will result in termination of the award. BWF provides the following progress report guidelines below to assist in the preparation and submission of Progress Reports in an acceptable manner. The progress report and financial updates are to be submitted through Proposal Central.

You can find required deliverables listed on the home page after logging in to Proposal Central. Failure to submit any portion of the report by the due date will result in an interruption or cancellation of your funds.

Progress Reporting for Awardees The progress report requires the awardee to submit a written report on the progress of the original or approved update to research project aims, an updated biographical sketch, a letter of support, and any recent publications. Details regarding each section are in Proposal Central. The progress report must be submitted annually on June 1st.

Awardees are required to update award spending in the Proposal Central budget summary. Awardees should update their financial report twice a year and provide up-to-date spending information for the previous six months. Details regarding financial reporting are in Proposal Central.

Financial reports are due biannually on March 1st and September 1st. All progress and financial reporting materials should be submitted through Proposal Central. If you have questions, please contact Lama Haidar ( lhaidar@bwfund.

org ). What are the updated priority areas for the 2025-2026 application cycle? The updated priority areas BWF aims to support include underlying mechanisms of normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and late term pregnancy loss (projects focused on miscarriage at 10 weeks or less and infertility related loss are beyond the scope of this mechanism).

These conditions remain both pervasive challenges in reproductive medicine and persistently underexplored in reproductive biology. We especially welcome applications focused on subtyping adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigating maternal–fetal interactions, and integrating animal models with clinical outcomes. Can I contact BWF to determine my eligibility?

It is the responsibility of applicants to read the published guidelines and FAQs to determine eligibility before contacting BWF staff. If you have questions, a unique training path, or experiences that are not fully addressed, you may contact the NGP team ( ngp@bwfund. org ) for guidance.

The FAQs are updated regularly in response to questions received. BWF staff will do their best to respond to every inquiry but will prioritize questions not already clearly addressed in the published guidelines. Please do not contact BWF to request an exception to clearly stated guidelines.

I do not have a tenure-track position. Am I eligible for this award? Possibly.

If you hold a faculty appointment, or adjunct faculty appointment, at a public or private non-profit research institution in the U.S. or Canada , you may be eligible. Please contact the NGP team ( ngp@bwfund. org ) for guidance.

I’m currently a postdoc. Am I eligible for this award? Possibly.

Postdoctoral fellows nearing transition to independent investigator status are welcome to contact program staff directly at ngp@bwfund. org about their planned proposal, competitiveness for the award, transfer to a new institution, and other questions that may arise. I am a temporary resident of the United States.

Am I eligible for this award? Possibly. Temporary residents of the U.S. who are legally qualified to work in the U.S. are eligible.

Candidates who are temporary U.S. residents must hold a valid U.S. visa (J-1, H1B, F-1 or O-1 visas). If a grant is awarded and your visa does not allow for such a stay, BWF may terminate the grant. BWF will not intercede on behalf of non-citizens whose stay in the U.S. may be limited by their visa status.

I am a temporary resident of Canada. Am I eligible for this award? Possibly.

Temporary residents of Canada who are legally qualified to work in Canada are eligible. Temporary Canadian residents must hold a valid Canadian visa (Study Permit, C-43, C44, C-10, or C-20 work permits/visas). If a grant is awarded and your visa does not allow for such a stay, BWF may terminate the grant.

BWF will not intercede on behalf of non-citizens whose stay in the U.S. may be limited by their visa status. The eligibility requirements mention that the primary investigator must be based at a public or private non-profit institution in the U.S. or Canada, and the application requires an IRS Determination Letter indicating the institution is recognized as a 501(c)(3) or equivalent. What is a 501(c)(3)?

According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, a 501(c)(3) organization is an American tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. Almost all degree-granting institutions are classified as such, as are most research institutes. You will need to check with your institutional officials, typically referred to as the grants and contracts office or the sponsored programs office, to confirm your institution’s classification.

BWF cannot make this determination on your behalf. I am at an independent research institute. Am I eligible for this award?

Possibly. You must be based at a non-profit institution [501(c3) or equivalent] in the U.S. or Canada, and hold a faculty appointment or adjunct faculty appointment. If you have such an appointment and your research institute is a non-profit institution [501(c)(3) or equivalent] in the U.S. or Canada, you are eligible.

I am a past BWF grantee. Am I eligible for this award? Yes, as long as you meet all the program's eligibility requirements.

Current or active BWF Preterm Birth grant or Next Generation Pregnancy award recipients are not eligible to reapply. If you currently hold another BWF award, assuming all eligibility criteria are met, you may apply, but you will not be allowed to hold more than one BWF competitive award concurrently.

Former BWF Preterm Birth or Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative award recipients whose grant has been completed may reapply for another award provided the proposal submitted is a substantially different proposal (must not be a continuation or slight modification of previous work). The principal investigator must demonstrate successful outcomes and highlight significant achievements from the earlier award.

Can I submit more than one application? Do I need to be nominated by my institution to submit a proposal? No. You may self-nominate for the proposal.

All applications must be approved by an official responsible for sponsored programs at the institution where the work will be performed (generally from the institution’s grants and contracts office, office of research, or sponsored programs office). I am a permanent resident. What documentation is required to verify my residency status?

BWF does not require documentation of your permanent residency for the proposal. Your institution must verify your permanent residency status by certifying the eligibility of your application upon signing the proposal. Can I include cover letters or supplemental materials with my proposal?

Do not include a cover letter or supplemental materials. If extra materials are included, your proposal will be rejected out of fairness to all applicants. Can I modify my application after it has been submitted?

Changes may be made up until the deadline date. After that time, changes may not be made to the proposal. Can co-investigators be located at different institutions?

Yes. However, the primary investigator must be based at a non-profit institution [501(c3)] in the U.S. or Canada, which will be the administering institution for the award. The primary investigator must meet all eligibility requirements for the program.

Are indirect costs allowable? Indirect costs may not be charged against the awards. Institutional overhead may not be charged against BWF grants.

How much preliminary data should applicants have? Does this award require a substantial amount, similar to an R01? BWF does not have a particular threshold requirement for being competitive for this award.

BWF is very flexible and specifically aim to take on less developed and/or riskier projects than would be competitive for an R01. This award targets projects that have a solid basis for expanded study and could leverage NGPI award funds to build a stronger foundation of evidence, making them more competitive for an R01 or other larger grant mechanism. I have multiple collaborators as part of my proposal.

If we are invited to the interview stage of the application process, do I need to have those collaborators available during the interview or only me as the primary PI? No, only one person per team is allowed to interview, and it should be the primary PI. I would like to include support for a collaboration(s) with an investigator or data collection outside the US or Canada in my proposal.

Is this allowed? Possibly. If the primary PI is based at and applying through their home institution, which is a public or private non-profit institution in the U.S. or Canada recognized as a 501(c)(3) or equivalent, support for an international collaboration and/or data collection can be considered.

Updated: 30 September 2025 The role of CovR in Group B Streptococcus perinatal infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes Alison Gernard, PhD, MPH, RD Pennsylvania State University AI-driven placental imaging tool to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes through prediction of neonatal sepsis Washington University in Saint Louis Deciphering Immune Cell Phenotypes in Chronic Chorioamnionitis to Develop Biomarkers for Preterm Birth University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Promoting resilience against the effects of maternal inflammation on developmental programming of microglia in the offspring Pregnancy-associated biological aging and postpartum recovery: associations with maternal cardiovascular health in an evidence-based intervention Identifying the molecular regulation of syncytiotrophoblast programmed necrosis Innovative techniques to understand maternal-fetal synchrony as a way to predict adverse fetal outcomes in a hypertensive environment University of California, Davis Epigenetic mechanisms underlying adverse outcomes associated with maternal infection .

Elizabeth Crouch, MD, PhD University of California, San Francisco A vascular strategy to ameliorate germinal matrix hemorrhage in preterm infants University of California, San Francisco Extrathymic Aire-Expressing Cells are Novel Mediators of Fetal-Maternal Tolerance that Prevent Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Fetal Loss Prenatal programming of cerebrovascular health by preeclampsia exposure Maternal microbial metabolites in the intergenerational transmission of metabolic disease risk University of Pennsylvania Genetic Protection Against Intrauterine Growth Restriction Gabrielle Rizzuto, MD, PhD Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Glycan-dependent mechanisms of fetomaternal tolerance University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnostics for Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders Defining the Drivers of Poor Pregnancy Outcomes in Sickle Cell Disease Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Prenatal programming of long-term kidney health by in utero exposure to maternal diabetes Uteroplacental Insufficiency Disrupts Placental-Fetal Lipid Regulation and Dynamics University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Immunological functions of fetal red blood cells during pregnancy State University of New York-Buffalo Evolution of human specific pregnancy traits Monica Ailawadi Mainigi, MD University of Pennsylvania The Role of Estrogen Metabolites in Abnormal Placentation Disorders University of California-San Francisco Antibody Surveillance of Human Development for Preterm Birth Diagnostics and Prevention Disorders Massachusetts General Hospital Prediction of Preterm Birth through Single-Cell Genomics and Machine Learning Chandrasekhar Yallampalli, DVM PhD Baylor College of Medicine Transcriptome and proteome profiling to evaluate role of placenta specific complement activation in preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction Mechanisms and prevention of preterm birth in pregnant individuals exposed to opioids during pregnancy University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas A Multi-Omics Approach to Understanding Human Placenta Gene Expression Baylor College of Medicine Endometrial signaling pathways during peri-implementation as determinants of pregnancy success Baylor College of Medicine Characterizing the role of the vaginal microbiota in group B Streptococcus colonization and dissemination University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Periconception evaluation of the vaginal microbiome and immune response to predict adverse birth outcomes in women with and without HIV Dissecting the signaling and biomechanics of embryo implantation and failure using quantitative organoids of early human embryogenesis The role of HLA-G+/C+ extra villous trophoblasts in placental inflammation Noninvasive imaging of human myometrial microstructures and electrical contraction patterns during pregnancy Multiomics Modeling of the Immunological Clock of Pregnancy Adrian Erlebacher, MD, PhD University of California-San Francisco Epigenetic regulation of labor onset University of California-San Francisco Harnessing immune regulatory mechanisms to target the fetal inflammatory response in preterm birth University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas Defining the Spatio-Temporal Drivers of Cervical Remodeling in Pregnancy and Parturition University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas Fetal-Maternal Signaling in the Initiation of Labor Aleksandar Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Novel Innate Lymphoid Cells in Preterm Birth Integrating 'omics and electronic health records to elucidate the genetic architecture of preterm birth University of Texas-Austin Identifying genetic factors controlling normal and abnormal placental development University of California-San Francisco A precision medicine approach to detect dysbiosis and immune activation in preterm birth Kimani C.

Toussaint Ph. D. University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign Investigating the mechanobiology of cervical remodeling using a novel combination of optical microscopy and nanoindentation Genomic study of gestational length and preterm birth Role of type I IFNs/IFNAR axis in inflammation-induced preterm birth Laura Marie Ensign, Ph.

D.

The role of vaginal progesterone delivery in cervical remodeling and preterm birth Case Western Reserve University Determination of the Mechanisms of Preterm Premature Fetal Membrane Rupture Using a Novel in-vitro Model System Cell-free Fetal DNA - the Trigger for Spontaneous Parturition Virginia Commonwealth University Epigenetic mechanisms of preterm birth in a racially mixed sample of pregnant women University of California-San Francisco Fetal immune activation and lineage switching in preterm labor The functions of B cells in pregnancy and the pathogenesis of preterm birth Stanford University School of Medicine Myometrial smooth muscle cell TRPV channel activity modulates contractility Targeting leukocyte activation to prevent preterm labor Vincent Joseph Lynch, Ph.

D. Evolutionary forward genomic insights into the casual mechanisms of preterm birth George Scott Worthen, M. D.

University of Pennsylvania Genetics of preterm birth Francesco J. DeMayo, Ph. D.

Baylor College of Medicine Progesterone receptor regulation of gravid myometrium Mucus barrier degradation in bacterial vaginosis-associated preterm birth Host-microbe cross-talk and pregnancy outcomes Katharina Ribbeck, D. Phil. , Ph.

D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Properties and functions of cervical mucus associated with preterm birth Kjersti M. Aagaard-Tillery, M.

D. , Ph. D.

Baylor College of Medicine Contributions of maternal-fetal-mitochondrial genome and microbiome interactions to preterm birth Genomic networks that guide trophoblast invasion and disease University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas Assessment of cervical ripening by sodium magnetic resonance imaging Genomic signatures of gene expression and alternative splicing in preterm birth Occult infections in the etiology of preterm birth Kjersti M.

Aagaard-Tillery, M. D. , Ph.

D.

Baylor College of Medicine Contributions of maternal-fetal-mitochondrial genome and microbiome interactions to preterm birth The role of placental Nod-like receptors in infection-associated preterm labor Genomic networks that guide trophoblast invasion and disease Unexplained Preterm birth University of Pennsylvania Targeting novel pathways in cervical remodeling for predicting prematurity: a combined biomarker and genomics approach Michael Douglas House, M.

D. Beyond cervical length: development of a patient-specific model of cervical mechanical function in pregnancy pregnancy University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas Assessment of cervical ripening by sodium magnetic resonance imaging Genomic signatures of gene expression and alternative splicing in preterm birth Occult infections in the etiology of preterm birth Carl P. Weiner, M.

D. , M. B.

A. Initiator-effector gene sets regulating myometrial contractility during term and preterm labor Chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences University of Maryland School of Medicine Isabella Caniggia, MD, Ph. D Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology Frederick P.

Zuspan Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology Division Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine Executive Vice Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology The Ohio State University Medical Center Laura Ensign, PhD (Co-Chair) Marcella E.

Woll Professor of Ophthalmology (Nanomedicine Division) Johns Hopkins University BWF Preterm Birth Initiative – 2015 Adrian Erlebacher, MD, PhD Department of Laboratory Medicine University of California, San Francisco Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institutes of Health REI Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Amy Murtha, MD (Co-Chair) Dean, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Biomedical and Molecular Science Blum-Riese Professor and Chair Department of Human Genetics Committee on Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Human Genetics Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology McGill University Health Center Research Institute Professor and Vice Chair of Research Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Additional members may be added to the committee.