Event highlights
18 June 2024
The first Meeting of Health Innovation Institutions to Implement the Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 18 to 19 April 2024. A total of 40 experts consisting of temporary advisers and observers attended the meeting including representatives from public sector health innovation institutions focused on funding, implementing, governing, and evaluating health innovations.
The Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific, endorsed by Member States at the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in October 2023, envisions governments leveraging health innovations to address challenges and shape the future of health. The Strategy focuses on three objectives:
- setting the direction for health innovations,
- enhancing public sector capacity for health innovation, and
- fostering ecosystems for health innovation.
These objectives are underpinned by four key action areas:
- governance,
- capacity-building,
- Financing, and
- measurement.
Building capacity and collaboration
During the agenda session on Health Innovation at the Regional Committee meeting, Member States requested support in developing a culture and leadership for health innovation, strengthening local capacity to foster, implement, regulate, evaluate and scale up new solutions to address health and health system challenges, as well as knowledge sharing and collaboration across the Region.
In response, WHO in the Western Pacific is establishing a network and building capacity to assist Member States. In the Region, major economies have expertise in setting up public sector health innovation institutions and developing technological innovation ecosystems for various focus areas in health, offering valuable lessons for countries/areas with a similar interest.
The two-day meeting held in Seoul placed a strong emphasis on collaboration as the cornerstone of successful implementation of the Strategy within the Region. Experts from various public sector health innovation institutions, representing diverse specialties and national contexts, shared valuable insights and best practices across four key areas outlined in the strategy: governance, capacity-building, financing, and measurement. Discussions centered on identifying priority areas for collaboration with WHO and supporting Member States in translating the strategy from vision to reality.
One of the meeting's key takeaways was the importance of building robust capacity within the public sector to lead and manage health innovation effectively. This encompasses a range of skills and functionalities, including defining clear goals and roadmaps for innovation, securing funding throughout the innovation cycle, fostering knowledge-sharing networks among stakeholders, and aligning the values of various actors involved in the process. Notably, establishing a forward-looking, future-oriented mindset within the public sector was highlighted as crucial for anticipating and addressing emerging health challenges.
The meeting acknowledged the vital role of financing in propelling innovation forward. Sustainable funding streams are essential for translating scientific discoveries into tangible health improvements across the Region. While resource-rich settings may focus on securing internal funding or public-private partnerships, the discussion acknowledged the unique challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Global public-private partnerships offer promising opportunities for LMICs to access the resources and expertise needed to nurture homegrown innovation solutions.
Evaluating the effectiveness of health innovations is critical for ensuring the success of the strategy. The meeting delved into the potential of employing early health technology assessments (HTA) to optimize research and development efficiency. This approach allows for informed priority-setting for innovation and development of targeted product profiles. Additionally, the need for harmonizing national guidelines and methodologies for measuring the impact of health innovation across the Region was emphasized. This standardization will facilitate better comparisons of results and more informed decision-making regarding scaling up successful innovations.
Strategic focus for health innovation
Following the fruitful discussions, the meeting recommended key areas of focus for WHO in supporting the implementation of the Regional Health Innovation Strategy. These include:
- Engaging with LMICs: WHO is encouraged to actively collaborate with LMICs to identify their specific health innovation needs and build capacity to address them effectively.
- Leveraging Convening Power: WHO can use its unique convening power to facilitate dialogue and foster collaborative health innovation initiatives across the diverse countries within the Western Pacific Region.
- Standardized Impact Measurement: Developing and promoting standardized frameworks for measuring the impact of health innovation initiatives and ecosystems will be crucial.
The collaborative spirit and commitment to action displayed at the Seoul meeting have paved the way for a robust health innovation ecosystem in the Western Pacific Region. By focusing on building public sector capacity, ensuring adequate financing, and employing effective measurement tools, the Region can harness the power of innovation to deliver better health outcomes.
Event notice
The Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific endorsed at the 74th session of the Regional Committee Meeting (RC74) in October 2023, envisions governments leveraging health innovations to address challenges and shape the future of health. The Strategy focuses on three objectives: setting the direction for health innovations, enhancing public sector capacity for health innovation, and fostering ecosystems for health innovation. These objectives are underpinned by four key action areas: governance, capacity building, financing, and measurement. WHO is committed to supporting these efforts across four domains: developing norms and guidance, enhancing capacity for innovation, shaping innovation ecosystems, and facilitating innovation.
During the RC74 Health Innovation session, Member States requested assistance in cultivating a culture of health innovation, building local capacity, and promoting collaboration in the region. In particular, there is an interest in receiving support in technological innovation.
In response, WHO in the Western Pacific is establishing a network and building capacity to assist Member States. In the region, major economies have expertise in setting up public sector health innovation institutions and developing technological innovation ecosystems for various focus areas in health, offering valuable lessons for countries with a similar interest. An upcoming expert meeting will facilitate knowledge sharing among public sector health innovation institutions, enabling WHO to provide essential guidance and resources for the successful implementation of the Strategy.
A Meeting of Health Innovation Institutions to implement the Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific will be held from 18 to 19 April 2024 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The objectives of the meeting are:
- Establish a consensus among health innovation institutions to align their innovation efforts with the Strategy and facilitate Member States to implement the Strategy;
- Determine priority areas for collaboration between WHO and invited health innovation institutions to support Strategy implementation in Member States;
- Explore opportunities for join initiatives and partnerships to support the implementation of the Strategy in priority areas.