Millions to innovation proposals to save mothers and children at birth
Saving Lives at birth: A Grand Challenge for Development
2 AUGUST 2011 – About $ US 14 million has been awarded to innovations aimed at saving the lives of mothers and children around the world—with several PMNCH members among the finalists: Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins University, Moi University, Population Council and the World Health Organization. “Saving Lives at birth: A Grand Challenge for Development” was funded by PMNCH members Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with USAID, the World Bank, the Government of Norway and Grand Challenges Canada.
Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, was launched in March 2011 to accelerate substantial and sustainable progress toward ending maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths at the community level by harnessing the collective imagination and ingenuity of experts across a broad range of disciplines and expertise.
Seventy-seven proposals were selected in July 2011 from more than 600 applications for final stage of the Saving Lives at Birth program. Submissions came from across the globe – including from non-profits, faith based organizations, universities, and private enterprises – spanning a wide range of solutions.
The innovators traveled to Washington, D.C. at the end of July to participate in the Saving Lives at Birth DevelopmentXChange where the top 19 nominees for seed grant awards were announced for their promising solutions addressing the causes of maternal and newborn deaths in rural areas of the developing world. Nominees for transition grant awards will be announced at a later date.
The following PMNCH members were nominated for awards:
- Jhpiego Corporation from Baltimore, Maryland for its innovative development of an e-partogram;
- Johns Hopkins University from Baltimore, Maryland for their easy-to-use identification system for early and late preterm infants;
- Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya for improving community-based accountability for maternal and newborn health;
- Population Council from New York City for its mobile clinical assessment service called Baby Monitor; and
- World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland for their simple, low-cost instrument for assisted vaginal delivery.