Nominations Open: Africa Young Innovators for Health Award

Deadline: 31-Jul-23

International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has launched the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award.

The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award is the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and Speak Up Africa‘s flagship program focused on supporting young health entrepreneurs across Africa with the tools they need to advance promising healthcare solutions for the betterment of their communities.

In the second edition of the Award, they seek to find and nurture health innovations that will help them get closer to the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UHC means everyone has access to the healthcare services that they need, of good quality and without the risk of financial hardship (WHO 2007).

Whilst many African countries have shown their commitment to achieving UHC by 2030, progress towards attaining this goal has stalled in the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating already strained health systems.

In a bid to accelerate efforts to reach global goals dedicated to providing healthcare to anyone who needs it, the 2nd edition of the award program is searching for innovations that can help:

Extend population coverage (who receives services, linked to equity and non-discrimination)
Extend service coverage (what health services are available)
Ensure financial protection (ensuring health services do not lead to poverty).

Prize

In support of gender equality they are ensuring that both genders will benefit equally from the Award program, this means two men and two women will be selected for the first and second prize:
- $90 000
  - Funding totaling $90,000.
  - 2 X First prizes of $30,000 and 2 X Second prizes of $15,000
- Mentorship
  - A three-month business mentorship program from prominent business leaders
- IP rights
  - Expert advice on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and any legal aspects by Adams & Adams
- Media exposure
  - Media training, increased PR and press opportunities to present your innovation to global audience
- Global network
  - Access to a network of supporters and partners working across healthcare, technology, and media

Eligibility Criteria

They call on applications from young African innovators (aged 21 to 35) who have already developed a minimum viable healthcare product/service (or are in the process of developing such a product or service) that contributes to achieve UHC by:
- Increasing the population coverage (how many people and/or who receive services or products (for example, youth, women, children, rural communities…), and/or
- Increasing the service coverage (i.e what health services are available), and/or
- Improving the cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery, and/or
- In any other way, helps achieve Universal Healthcare Coverage.
If you’re innovating for better health outcomes and fit those criteria, apply now. It’s a game-changing opportunity!

For More information, visit IFPMA.