A multi-disciplinary platform, the AfOx-HIP will support African innovators develop new solutions to Africa’s health challenges. AfOx-HIP is open to work in any scientific discipline, including outside life sciences and engineering sciences, and any type of technology leading to the creation of solutions towards disease prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment. Examples of technologies include Therapeutics vaccine devices Digital technologies Diagnostics Applications that are open to all areas relevant to Africa’s health challenges. Solutions should demonstrate strong potential for health systems strengthening, and particularly, significant improvement in healthcare equity and access.
Requirements
AfOx-HIP is open to working with any type of technology and in any discipline, including outside life sciences and engineering sciences, to create solutions for disease prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment. This includes vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, and surgical devices.
Solutions with high-impact potential that offer opportunities for transformative health delivery in Africa will be prioritized. We especially encourage solutions aimed at:
reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases among African populations
optimizing diagnostic and prognostic tests for African contexts
novel diagnostic tools to increase resilience to endemic diseases
preventing, diagnosing, or treating zoonotic diseases
Benefits
In each cohort, up to 50 successful applicants benefit from a relevant and robust teaching course on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health for Africa. The training includes systems thinking, making financial projections, writing and delivering a pitch, and navigating intellectual property and regulatory hurdles.
The training is delivered through a series of web-based sessions over 16 weeks. The self-paced interactive programme and weekly workshops requires 8–10 hours/week in total. The program is designed for optimal accessibility and ease of use for busy innovator-entrepreneurs.
Personalized mentorship and support is provided to help fellows develop their ventures.
The program integrates the use of virtual workrooms for small group engagement and co-creation, so the whole cohort of African innovators learns together, creating an interactive network of peers.
