Deadline: Thursday, 29 January 2026 at 12:00 CET (Extended)
Call Status: Open
Unitaid has officially launched a Call for Proposals to improve access to diagnostics through integrated tools and delivery approaches. This funding opportunity aims to transform people-centered care by accelerating the adoption of integrated, multi-disease diagnostic solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With global diagnostic access still alarmingly low, this call comes at a critical moment. Through catalytic funding and country-led implementation, Unitaid seeks to close diagnostic gaps, strengthen health systems, and improve health outcomes across multiple diseases.
Why Integrated Diagnostics Matter
Access to diagnostics remains one of the biggest bottlenecks in global health. Currently, less than half of the world’s population has adequate access to diagnostic services. As a result, many people experience delayed diagnoses, inappropriate treatment, or preventable deaths from both infectious and non-communicable diseases.
At the same time, health systems in LMICs face increasing pressure due to vertical funding models, limited resources, and fragmented service delivery. Therefore, integrated diagnostics offer a powerful solution.
By sharing tools, platforms, and services across disease programs, integrated diagnostics can:
- Expand access to testing
- Improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness
- Strengthen links to care
- Reduce duplication across health programs
In short, integration breaks down long-standing silos and aligns diagnostic services with real patient journeys.
What Are Integrated Diagnostic Approaches?
Unitaid defines integrated diagnostics across three complementary dimensions:
1. Integrated Products
These tools detect multiple diseases or conditions using a single platform. Examples include:
- Multiplex tests that identify several pathogens from one sample
- Multi-disease molecular platforms
- Near point-of-care diagnostics that expand beyond TB to other conditions
- Portable biochemistry analyzers and self-testing approaches
Since COVID-19, innovation in this space has accelerated, making high-quality and affordable solutions more accessible to LMICs.
2. Integrated Service Delivery
This approach utilizes a single clinical interaction to address multiple health needs. For example:
- Screening for malaria during child health visits
- Testing for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis during antenatal care
By integrating services, health systems increase uptake while reducing patient burden and programmatic inefficiencies.
3. Integrated Systems
Strong integration also requires shared systems and infrastructure, including:
- Supply chain and sample transport
- Forecasting, procurement, and distribution
- Human resources and laboratory networks
- Interoperable data systems and connectivity with national dashboards and LIMS
Together, these systems improve resilience and strengthen preparedness for future health threats.
Funding Scope and Available Budget
Unitaid expects the total funding envelope to be approximately US$25 million, depending on the quality and scope of proposals received.
Funded projects should act as catalytic pilots that move beyond early experimentation and demonstrate clear pathways to national scale-up and regional replication.
Objectives of the Call
Through this Call for Proposals, Unitaid aims to:
- Support country-led integrated diagnostic strategies aligned with national priorities
- Accelerate deployment of molecular diagnostic tools, especially at or near the point of care
- Expand access to testing across priority programs such as HIV, TB, hepatitis, cervical cancer, STIs, women’s health, and emerging global threats
- Strengthen diagnostic systems for future pandemic preparedness and response
Ultimately, the goal is to deliver equitable, sustainable, and resilient diagnostic access.
Who Should Apply?
Unitaid encourages submissions from:
- Regional or Global South-based lead organizations
- Consortia with experience implementing multi-country health projects in LMICs
- Applicants with a strong capacity for community and civil society engagement
- Organizations can work closely with manufacturers, governments, and funders
While Global North partners may participate, Unitaid recommends allocating at least 51% of the budget to Global South partners.
Key Requirements for Proposals
Strong proposals should:
- Focus on 4–5 countries with diverse health system contexts
- Demonstrate alignment with national diagnostic strategies and Essential Diagnostic Lists (EDLs)
- Include meaningful community and civil society engagement
- Address sustainability, financing, and pathways to scale
- Show value for money, measurable impact, and system-level efficiencies
- Consider climate and environmental co-benefits
However, proposals must not focus on:
- Early-stage product development
- Proof-of-concept studies
- Single-country implementation
- Full-scale national roll-outs
Impact Unitaid Is Seeking
Through this initiative, Unitaid expects projects to:
- Generate evidence on feasibility, viability, and use cases for integrated diagnostics
- Expand testing access for priority diseases and underserved conditions
- Increase case detection and linkage to care
- Improve health system efficiency and cost-effectiveness
- Strengthen disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness
- Enable rapid deployment of future diagnostics at the primary health care level
All proposals should clearly articulate what can be achieved within the project timeframe and how outcomes will contribute to Unitaid’s Theory of Change.
Submission Email
Required Documents
A complete proposal includes:
- Project Plan
- Budget Overview
- Gantt Chart (3–5 years)
- Organizational details and CVs
- Ethics, environmental, and compliance declarations
- Audited financial statements (lead organization only)
Applicants should also review the FAQ document, financial guidelines, and Unitaid results frameworks before submission. This Call for Proposals on Integrated Diagnostics represents a significant opportunity to transform the way diagnostic services reach those who need them most. By aligning innovation, country leadership, and community engagement, Unitaid aims to accelerate progress toward universal access to diagnostics.
Organizations ready to drive system-level change and deliver measurable impact are strongly encouraged to apply before the deadline.
