NEW DELHI:
The United States
has given grants to “The Grand Challenges in Tuberculosis Control.” This program supports Indian innovators to
improve TB treatment adherence through out-of-the-box innovations. It enables scientists, researchers, and
entrepreneurs to develop new solutions through seed funding and rigorous
mentoring. This is an initiative by IKP
Knowledge Park,
Hyderabad in partnership with the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. Winners of $30,000 in grants were recently announced for
their innovative ideas providing technology-driven solutions that will
substantially strengthen TB control in India.
USAID/India Mission Director John
Beed notes that “India
is a global leader in information technology and is strategically placed to
accelerate the development and widespread use of new technologies that could
transform TB control. Through this partnership, we have been able to identify
cutting edge innovative solutions to address treatment adherence. It’s clear that India’s
innovators are motivated to integrate technology and health for the good of
public health.”
The Grand Challenges in
Tuberculosis Control program aims to nurture ideas that are innovative,
sustainable, and can be scaled. The
selected teams will demonstrate a prototype that will be evaluated at the end
of six months, and four teams will receive additional funding of $100,000
each. A few will also be provided with
networks and marketing channels to commercialize their innovations. The proposed ideas range from low-end smart
phone applications to electronic pillboxes.
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