DFID Research: 53 finalists named for innovative solutions to infant and maternal mortality
Voting is currently open for the Saving Lives at Birth People’s Choice Award
Picture: Pippa Ranger/Department for International Development
In early July the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partners announced the 53 finalists in its third global call for innovative ideas to save the lives of mothers and newborns in developing countries.
The Saving Lives at Birth partnership, launched in 2011, includes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the Government of Canada), and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The grand challenge is a global call for groundbreaking, scalable solutions to infant and maternal mortality around the time of birth. Saving Lives at Birth is currently in its third award round and has funded 39 innovations to date, helping to address the 150,000 maternal deaths, 1.6 million neo-natal deaths, and 1.2 million stillbirths that occur each year.
From 29th to 31st July, 53 finalists will compete in the final stage of the competition, in Washington D.C., where innovators will display their ideas in an open, dynamic marketplace and development experts, fellow innovators and potential funders will meet and exchange ideas. Round 3 finalists, as well as grantees from rounds 1 and 2, will participate in discussions focused on meeting the needs and realities of women and children in low-resource settings as well as workshops such as business planning, market research, measurement, and monitoring and evaluation. The award nominees with the most promising innovations will be announced at a high-level forum on the last day of the DevelopmentXChange on July 31st.
Profiles of the 53 finalists’ ideas are available here, where members of the public can vote for their favorite innovation. The finalist with the most votes will receive the honorary “People’s Choice Award.” Voting is currently open and will close on July 31st at 11:00 am.
Saving Lives at Birth round 3 finalists were selected from more than 400 submissions. More than a third of applications came from outside the US, and a quarter of applications came from low and middle income countries.
To learn more about the finalists’ innovations and to participate in voting for the People’s Choice Award, go to the Saving Lives at Birth website.
For additional information, contact:
USAID Press Office: USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov
Government of Norway: Haitham El-noush, Haitham.El-noush@norad.no
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: media@gatesfoundation.org
Grand Challenges Canada: Terry Collins, tc@tca.tc
DFID: Olivia Campbell, o-campbell@dfid.gov.uk