Aidspan has released a new report on "Key Strengths of Round 8 Proposals to the Global Fund." The purpose of the report is to inform Global Fund Round 9 applicants about what were the key attributes of strong Round 8 proposals. The report is based on an analysis of the strengths of all approved Round 8 proposals, as identified by the Technical Review Panel (TRP) when it reviewed the proposals. Aidspan developed a list of the 12 most important strengths that characterise a successful proposal. These key strengths are as follows: KEY STRENGTH 1 - Implementation Strategy. The proposal presents a strong and coherent implementation strategy that flows throughout the proposal - including on the proposal form, in the Performance Framework, in the workplan and in the budget - and that includes timing and sequencing of activities, identification of who is responsible for implementing individual activities, and clear statements of planned outcomes. KEY STRENGTH 2 - Epidemiology. The proposal contains a solid description of the current epidemiological situation. KEY STRENGTH 3 - Situational Analysis. The proposal contains a solid analysis of the current response to the disease and the gaps in that response. KEY STRENGTH 4 - Capacity Building. The proposal identifies capacity constraints among implementing agencies and contains solid strategies to address them. KEY STRENGTH 5 - Drivers of the Epidemic. The proposal includes clear strategies to address the more challenging drivers of the epidemic in ways that will have a meaningful impact on preventing further infections. KEY STRENGTH 6 - Multiple Sectors in Service Delivery. The proposal includes the use of multiple sectors and partners to deliver services, so as to scale up more quickly towards universal access. KEY STRENGTH 7 - Monitoring and Evaluation. The proposal has a clear plan for monitoring activities and evaluating the impact of interventions. KEY STRENGTH 8 - Detailed Budget. The proposal includes a budget with sufficient detail and assumptions to allow for the costs of activities to be fully assessed. KEY STRENGTH 9 - Coordination and Management. The proposal features a strong coordination and management plan. KEY STRENGTH 10 - Complementarity and Additionality. The proposal complements and adds to other initiatives, including previous Global Fund grants, programmes funded by other donors, and government initiatives. KEY STRENGTH 11 - Alignment. The proposal is clearly aligned with national development strategies, and national policies and plans for the disease. KEY STRENGTH 12 - Absorptive Capacity. The proposal includes a clear and realistic analysis of implementation and absorptive capacity constraints. For each strength, Aidspan identified a few Round 8 proposals that exemplify the strength in question. There is a separate section of the report on each of the 12 strengths. Within each section, for each proposal mentioned, the report cites the comments made by the TRP, identifies the specific parts of the proposal relevant to the strength in question, and provides links to those parts of the proposal (as well as to the entire completed proposal form.) In all, 35 proposals are cited in the report. While most of the proposals mentioned are disease-specific, some Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) components are also included. The report is available in English at www.aidspan.org/aidspanpublications. French, Spanish and Russian versions of the report will be available soon. Three excerpts from the report are provided in article 7, below.