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Opportunity: USAID Saving Lives at Birth, A Grand Challenge for Development

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:46 am
by Admin
Over the past seven years, Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development has mobilized the world’s brightest thinkers to develop low-cost and scalable solutions to save the lives of pregnant women and newborns in the hardest to reach corners of the world.

Now in its 8th call for solutions, Saving Lives at Birth invites innovators from around the world to apply. Specifically, we are looking to find maternal and newborn health solutions that have already demonstrated proof-of-concept and are on the path to scale. Given how close you are to innovator communities in Africa and around the world, we would be grateful for your help to make sure people are aware of the challenge and can submit their applications to USAID for funding consideration by February 28.

As you likely know, Saving Lives at Birth is a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway (Norad), The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). As part of this year’s 8th call for submissions, Saving Lives at Birth is also launching its “next generation acceleration model.” Led by Duke University and VentureWell, innovators will receive short and long-term tailored support to help achieve sustainable and equitable scale.

Examples of innovations over the past seven years include:

SimPrints: A low-cost portable biometric scanner that includes software to allow mobile tools to instantly link a mother to her health records anytime, anywhere.

Uterine Tamponade Balloon: A next generation uterine balloon tamponade system to treat postpartum hemorrhage in Kenya and Sierra Leone. To date, Massachusetts General Hospitalhas introduced the device in over 550 facilities across these two countries and saved more than 400 lives.

Bempu Bracelet: A temperature-monitoring wristband enabling response to newborn hypothermia. The device has already helped an estimated 10,000 newborns and was named one of TIME's Top 25 Inventions of 2017.

BiliSpec: A low-cost, battery-powered reader designed by Rice University to diagnose jaundice by immediately quantifying serum bilirubin levels from a small drop of blood.

Please share this information about Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development within your network and encourage innovators to apply at the Saving Lives at Birth Web site by the February 28 deadline. It’s an easy step that could have a major impact.

Re: Opportunity: USAID Saving Lives at Birth, A Grand Challenge for Development

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:44 am
by Admin
USAID DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION VENTURES

"Open innovation inspires new solutions to the critical challenges affecting millions around the world. In the spirit of open innovation, DIV supports groundbreaking ideas to transform lives by providing flexible, tiered grant funding to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions.

DIV funds innovations that demonstrate the three guiding principles of: rigorous evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and a viable pathway to scale and sustainability." Find out more: https://usaidinnovation.force.com/div/s/