IDIA and WHO announce strategic cooperation to support the expansion of health innovations

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) signed a strategic cooperation agreement today to support the scaling of health innovations.

The cooperation will enable the two entities to work together to support a joint program to promote and facilitate demand, supply, assessment and increase health innovation for the benefit of low- and middle-income countries.

“This collaboration is another great example of how agencies come together in a variety of ways to link the growing supply of health innovations with the growing demand for these solutions in WHO member countries,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist.

The WHO can support Member States’ priorities by helping to link influential innovations to where they are most needed in countries. Given IDIA’s unique experience and status as a key collaborative platform for those funding innovation around the world, joining forces will accelerate and deepen our collective influence in addressing the greatest challenges in global healthcare.

“We are happy to welcome the World Health Organization as a new strategic partner for IDIA,” said Ms. Karlee Silver, IDIA founder and co-executive director of Grand Challenges Canada, “We have always believed that just as the village needs to raise a child is an ecosystem of actors to develop innovation, and IDIA members are excited to work closely with the WHO to help spread influential innovations to build a better, healthier future for people around the world. “

“This strategic collaboration benefits from the strengths and offerings that each organization brings to the table,” said Mr. Bernardo Mariano Junior, Director of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO, “such partnerships are key to linking innovation offerings, especially those that are risk-free and transition to scope, with demand from countries. “

Cooperation between IDIA and WHO members will cover the following five areas:

1. DEMAND FOR INNOVATION. Collaborate to support WHO Member States to improve the identification and articulation of the demand for innovation that meets national health needs and priorities and global goals.
2. Innovation supply. IDIA member agencies will contribute relevant innovations from their collective pipelines to meet demand and innovation in health priorities articulated by WHO member states.
3. INNOVATION ASSESSMENT. WHO and IDIA will share expertise and tools to support the effective assessment and grouping of benchmark-ready innovations that have emerged through the supply pipeline.
4. DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION. Work together to identify specific opportunities to support the expansion of demand-driven health innovation for the benefit of WHO Member States, in collaboration with non-state actors and members of the international development community, as appropriate.
5. DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION AND SCALING SKILLS. Join forces to support the continuous development of innovation and the scaling of knowledge and skills among WHO staff (headquarters, regional and local), Member States and development partners, as appropriate.

About the International Alliance for Development Innovation (IDIA)

IDIA is a unique collaboration platform that brings together more leadership from innovation teams, laboratories and departments of some of the world’s leading development agencies.

For more information visit www.idiainnovation.org

About the World Health Organization (WHO)
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The World Health Organization (WHO) provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, the WHO works with 194 member states, in six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for the period 2019-2023 is to ensure that one billion more people have universal health insurance, to protect one billion more people from emergencies and to provide further billions of people with better health and well-being

For more information visit www.who.org