The primary objectives of this initiative are to encourage innovative ideas aligned with the Opportunity Map, enhance funding for women’s health research and development, and showcase the impact of investments in this field. Women’s health R&D encompasses various themes, including cross-cutting topics like data and modelling, research design, regulatory policies, and issue-specific areas such as communicable diseases and female-specific conditions. These components aim to address unique challenges and goals within women’s health research and development.
According to the organizers of the challenge, funding for each award can reach up to USD 150,000 for projects lasting up to 2 years, contingent on project scope. The plan is to back up to three proposals within each of the eight in-scope Opportunity Areas. The proposed budget should realistically match the project’s technical requirements and deliverables within a 2-year timeframe, with room for negotiation in some cases to ensure a balanced portfolio with good geographic reach within the available budget.
Eligible participants include nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions. The initiative strongly encourages proposals led by women or originating from women-led organizations. Moreover, applications from institutions based in low- and middle-income countries are actively sought. To be considered, proposals should align with local public health systems. Collaboration among different entities is highly promoted, emphasizing a collective effort to address women’s health challenges.
In the quest to drive innovation in women’s health, the Women’s Health Innovation Opportunity has outlined specific topic areas that they are interested in exploring through proposals. These areas align with the Opportunity Map and include: Data and Modeling: Emphasizing the need for more granular data, enhancing capacity for gender-informed data collection, and addressing critical data gaps. Research Design and Methodologies: Focusing on advancing research design, methods, and analysis with a sex and gender lens. Regulatory and Science Policy: Highlighting the importance of regulatory and science policy frameworks that intentionally incorporate sex and gender to facilitate the development of health innovations for women. Introduction: Strengthening the pathways for scaling women’s health solutions within the innovation ecosystem.
Introduction: Strengthening the pathways for scaling women’s health solutions within the innovation ecosystem.Social and Structural Determinants: Incorporating social determinants of health into women’s health research agendas to promote equitable and suitable women’s health products.Training and Careers: Integrating a gender perspective into education and supporting the career progression of women, fostering a workforce capable of driving innovation in women’s health.
This area also includes the development of innovations to address infectious diseases disproportionately affecting women and pregnant women. Female-Specific Conditions: Researching the causes and progression of gynaecological, reproductive, maternal, and ife-stage conditions, while also advocating for new data collection methods and sharing practices. Innovations to prevent, diagnose, monitor, and treat female-specific conditions are also a key focus. These topic areas provide a clear roadmap for organizations and institutions interested in submitting proposals to the initiative.
Innovations to prevent, diagnose, monitor, and treat female-specific conditions are also a key focus. These topic areas provide a clear roadmap for organizations and institutions interested in submitting proposals to the initiative.