Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative

The Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative (NGPI) is BWF's flagship funding mechanism in reproductive sciences, building upon the original Preterm Birth Initiative that ran from 2009 to 2019. After convening a Pregnancy Think Tank in 2019, BWF broadened the program's scope to address the interrelatedness of pregnancy duration, fetal growth, and adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and maternal medical complications. Following a strategic reassessment, the 2025-2026 cycle focuses on refined priority areas including underlying mechanisms of normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and late term pregnancy loss (excluding projects on miscarriage at 10 weeks or less and infertility-related loss). The program especially welcomes applications focused on subtyping adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigating maternal-fetal interactions, and integrating animal models with clinical outcomes. This award targets projects that have a solid basis for expanded study and could leverage NGPI funds to build a stronger foundation of evidence, making them more competitive for larger grant mechanisms like R01. The program provides four years of funding and moved to an annual cycle to address limited funding mechanisms in reproductive sciences.