The charitable foundation started by Microsoft’s Bill Gates has announced 104 grants of $100,000 each to medical researchers to explore what it describes as ”bold and largely unproven ways to improve global health”.

The grants, announced in Bangkok, are the first stage of a $100m, five-year project the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hopes will encourage research into innovative medical solutions that currently have little chance of making progress, largely because of the way that funding is distributed.