Over the past 50 years, condoms have hardly changed in structure and material. Testing the safety of condoms is just as old-fashioned, according to Richard Chartoff, a research professor at the University of Oregon.

“They fill condoms with water and look for leakage,” he says. “They also have air inflation tests. They’re really just looking for holes, not testing the strength of the condom.”

In September, Bill Gates offered 11 grants of $100,000 to inventors in an attempt to develop the “next generation “of condoms. Chartoff’s unique scientific proposal was one of the 11 recipients awarded. The Gates Foundation received a total of 812 applications for their condom challenge.

Chartoff plans to utilize his scientific knowledge of polymers to construct what he feels will be the next generation of condoms. Chartoff will create a polyurethane condom that would create a seal around the penis and would be less than half the thickness of condoms available now. It will have a stronger and more reliable construction, will be half the thickness of condoms currently on the market, will be one size fits all, and will contain drugs to combat sexually transmitted illnesses and viruses.

In the last month alone, huge progress has occurred in the overall development of an ultra-thin, skin-like condom, according to Chartoff. This new condom offers increased sexual pleasure while decreasing the spread of sexually transmitted illnesses.

The Seattle-based Gates Foundation announced it could provide additional funding of up to $1 million to further develop this new generation of condoms that would “enhance the pleasure so as to increase uptake.” Chartoff expects to get that extra funding.

Chartoff and the UO research team plans to collaborate on the project with scientists from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, which specializes in rubber. If the team is successful, they’ll have a chance at a second grant of as much as $1 million to determine how to mass-produce the item and bring it to market.

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of creating something interesting that helps people,” Chartoff said.

According to statistics of reported STD cases from Lane County Public Health, Chlamydia, Syphilis and Gonorrhea are on the rise in the county. Chlamydia continues to have the highest case counts of any reportable disease in the county. According to LCPH, in the first 10 months of 2011, they received 1,079 reports of chlamydia and cases rose 40% between 2012 and 2013.

University of Oregon sophomore Lisa Loscutoff said the development made her “hopeful for the future.”

“I definitely think this will make people more willing to use condoms and protect themselves,” she said.

The Gates Foundation is contributing to several world health efforts as they develop several new injections, contraceptives, and medications for diseases such as HIV and AIDS.