PEPFAR on Wednesday "announced awards for a new initiative totaling $45 million over four years to examine the effectiveness of combination approaches to HIV prevention. These evaluations of combination prevention will be the largest and most robust to date. Data gathered will help partner countries to strengthen their efforts to prevent new infections and save lives," according to a State Department press release. The research will take place in Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. The studies, which will begin in 2011 and 2012, "will be critical to U.S. efforts to maximize the impact and efficiency of investments in order to save as many lives as possible," according to the release (9/14).