Apply Now for the 2025 Falcon Awards by GLIDE: Advancing Integrated Strategies for Disease Elimination: (Deadline 7 May 2025)

The Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination, an initiative by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), is proud to announce its 2025 call for concept proposals. Building on the success of previous editions, the 2025 Falcon Awards—The Integration Edit—aim to catalyze innovative approaches that foster collaboration across diseases, sectors, and borders to advance the elimination of infectious diseases.

Since their inception, the Falcon Awards have evolved into a leading platform for promoting innovation, research, and advocacy in disease elimination. Earlier editions supported transformative projects addressing malaria, polio, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and the intersection of climate change and infectious diseases, contributing valuable evidence to the global health community.

This year, the Falcon Awards take a bold new step by focusing on integrated approaches, recognizing that tackling diseases in silos often leads to inefficiencies and missed opportunities, particularly in regions where multiple diseases coexist, and health systems face significant strain.

About the 2025 Falcon Awards – The Integration Edit

While progress continues in eliminating preventable infectious diseases, the dominant vertical, disease-specific models often prevent synergies that could accelerate results. The Integration Edit seeks to generate research and advocacy that demonstrate the value of integrated strategies, strengthen health systems, and advance collaborative efforts toward disease elimination.

Through this edition, GLIDE is looking to support projects that:

• Generate evidence by testing new models of integrated disease elimination.

• Catalyze action through targeted advocacy for integrated approaches.

• Enhance collaboration across sectors and borders.

• Raise awareness of integrated strategies and sustainable health outcomes.

Aim of the 2025 Awards

The goal of the 2025 Falcon Awards is to expand the body of evidence and practical knowledge around integrated approaches for the elimination of infectious diseases. Selected applicants will co-create full project plans alongside the GLIDE team after initial concept selection.

Projects should aim to meet one or more of the following objectives:

• Advance integrated strategies through pilot projects, mainstreaming efforts, or innovative interventions.

• Strengthen advocacy for integrated disease elimination at local, regional, or global levels.

• Support community-centered, One Health, or cross-disease/cross-sector approaches.

• Build partnerships and investment cases to sustain elimination efforts.

Awards Structure

The Falcon Awards offer a total funding envelope of up to US$2.4 million, distributed across two categories:

• Research Projects

• Advocacy Initiatives

Awards will be allocated based on project scale and duration, with longer projects eligible for higher grant amounts. Final award amounts will be determined collaboratively with GLIDE following project co-creation.

Eligibility

Applications are open to organizations with proven experience in disease elimination, including:

• National or regional academic and research institutions

• Government entities

• Public, private, or non-governmental sector institutions

• Consortia, coalitions, or networks (must meaningfully involve an academic institution, Civil Society Organization (CSO), or Non-Governmental Organization (NGO))

• Early career researchers

All applicants must demonstrate a commitment to advancing innovative, evidence-based solutions for disease elimination.

Thematic Scope

The 2025 Falcon Awards welcome concepts focusing on integrated strategies that are cross-border, cross-sector, or cross-disease. Proposed projects may fall under, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Pilot projects integrating interventions for multiple eliminable diseases

• Mainstreaming disease elimination activities into national health systems

• Post-validation surveillance and strategies to prevent disease reintroduction

• Community-centered approaches enhancing local ownership of disease elimination

• One Health strategies connecting human, animal, and environmental health

• Innovative approaches leveraging technology, data, and new models

• Investment case development to sustain elimination efforts

Why Integrated Approaches Matter

Fragmented approaches in disease elimination have historically led to duplicated efforts, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities for collaboration. Integrated strategies offer a way to:

• Strengthen health systems holistically

• Achieve greater sustainability of outcomes

• Maximize resource utilization

• Enhance community engagement and resilience

• Accelerate progress toward the elimination and eradication of infectious diseases

By focusing on integration, the Falcon Awards seek to spark transformative change, building a future where the elimination of preventable diseases is achieved through innovative, cross-cutting collaboration.

Timeline for the 2025 Falcon Awards

The Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination follow this schedule:

• 7 April 2025: Open for submissions

• 7 May 2025: Close for submissions

• Summer 2025: Co-development and finalization of project design

• September 2025: Winners announced

How to Apply

Organizations interested in applying should prepare a concise concept note addressing how their project aligns with the objectives of the 2025 Falcon Awards and the thematic focus areas.

For full details and application instructions, visit the GLIDE Falcon Awards page