Unitaid Puts $30M Behind Cervical Cancer Elimination in Low-Income Nations
March 3, 2026 · 2 min read
Claire Cummings
Cervical cancer killed over 350,000 women in 2024 — the vast majority in countries where screening coverage remains far below what elimination targets require. Unitaid is now committing approximately $30 million to close that gap.
The global health agency launched a call for proposals titled "Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination through Secondary Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," with full proposals due April 9, 2026.
What Unitaid Wants to Fund
The call targets the secondary prevention pipeline: screening, diagnosis, and treatment — not vaccines. Unitaid seeks implementation consortia that can introduce and scale innovative tools including next-generation HPV diagnostics, digital health solutions for care navigation, and cost-optimized delivery models that work within existing national health systems.
Proposals must demonstrate how they will strengthen supply chains, promote sustainable service delivery, and improve equity in coverage. The emphasis is on market-shaping expertise — organizations that can prove a product or approach works and then drive adoption at national scale.
This call builds on Unitaid's broader $50 million commitment over two years to cervical cancer elimination, announced previously as part of the agency's push toward the WHO's 2030 elimination targets.
Who Should Apply
Unitaid is looking for implementation consortia — multi-partner teams with experience in health product introduction, supply chain optimization, or digital health deployment in low- and middle-income settings. Single-organization proposals are unlikely to be competitive.
Organizations working in global health diagnostics, reproductive health, or health systems strengthening in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, or other high-burden regions are the primary audience. The call is open internationally.
Unitaid hosted an informational webinar on February 12, 2026, to present the scope and answer process-related questions. Recordings may still be available through the Unitaid calls for proposals page.
The Deadline Is April 9
Full proposals must be submitted by April 9, 2026. Funding of approximately $30 million will be distributed across selected projects, with final amounts depending on the quality and scope of proposals received.
For organizations tracking global health funding opportunities, grantedai.com offers analysis of grant trends across international agencies and foundations.