Background

Novel and emerging transformative (disruptive) innovations are a concept which applies to innovations that make products and services more accessible and affordable, thereby making them available to a larger population. These interventions or innovations should offer more accessible, cost-effective, and efficient solutions and be preferably beyond proof of concept. Funding under this topic will be aimed at encouraging research and innovations targeting those overlooked segments in R&D and products implementation delivering more patient-centric and context-specific delivery forms, improved functionality and new products and systems at a lower price or overall value-for-money advantage when combined with existing interventions.

Expected Outcome

This topic aims at supporting activities that contribute to one or several of the expected outcomes for this call. Proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are contributing to at least one of the following expected outcomes:

• Generate beyond proof of concept data with innovative ideas or inventions that will improve the uptake, adherence or implementation of preventative/treatment/diagnostic solutions;
• Progress an innovative approach that makes products and services (more) accessible and affordable to commercially unattractive markets or serves vulnerable populations in SSA;
• Progress an innovative approach that addresses community-driven and trusted demand for new or repurposed tools, including those needed by hard-to-reach communities;
• Deliver innovative technologies which can generate accelerated cross-disease solutions, including communicable disease specific solutions;
• Repurpose or extend the use of an existing preventative/treatment/diagnostic intervention.

Scope

The objective of the topic is to progress a development which meet at least one of the below:

• Innovations in R&D or products implementation focusing on new or improvement of existing medicinal products and delivery systems of new or improved medical technologies within the health systems. This may include but not limited to use of new technologies;
• Development of a new intervention or improvements of an existing intervention for age-appropriate formulations or underserved populations. This may include but not limited to development of paediatric or geriatric formulations generating data for patients with co-morbidities;
• Development of tools to improve the affordability or accessibility of preventative/ treatment/ diagnostic solutions in SSA or specific vulnerable populations as relevant. This may include but not limited to development of thermostable or humid resistant formulations, lower cost of goods, dose sparing approaches;
• Accelerate the development of delivery systems which will improve the efficacy or uptake of the preventative/treatment/diagnostic solutions in SSA. This may include but not limited to assessing different route of administration ensuring easier access, new or improved devices or equipment ensuring higher efficacy or uptake, etc;
• Leverage existing data to repurpose and expand the use of the preventative/ treatment/ diagnostic intervention. This may include but not limited to using well-established safety and pharmacological data from its use in one disease area into the infectious disease field in the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3.