Gavi and Seedstars launch INFUSE 2024: a global open call for innovations to foster climate-resilient health systems

Geneva, 18 March 2024 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in partnership with Seedstars, announces INFUSE 2024: a global call for applications for innovations to bolster health systems against climate threats and to enhance immunisation delivery.

Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in Immunisation, or INFUSE, aims to scale up groundbreaking global health solutions by connecting high-impact, proven innovations where countries need them most.

This year’s INFUSE initiative underscores the urgency of addressing health challenges exacerbated by climate change, including increased vulnerability to diseases sensitive to climate conditions – such as malaria – and the likelihood of more frequent and severe disease outbreaks due to extreme weather.

The programme aims to select and scale innovations that contribute to low-carbon and sustainable, resilient health care systems; enhance frontline health workers’ capacity to manage climate-related health threats; and ensure efficient vaccine distribution under challenging climate conditions. Examples of projects supported by INFUSE in the past :

To prevent vaccine damage from excessive heat or cold, Nexleaf Analytics and Parsyl are deploying state-of-the-art sensor technology.
To help Pakistan and Mozambique reach under-immunised children, Zenysis Technologies is harnessing big data analytics to sharpen the accuracy of vaccine planning.
To ensure that every child is registered in the health system and receives critical vaccines, Simprints is pioneering biometrics in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania.

Augustin Flory, Managing Director, Innovative Partnerships & Development Finance at Gavi, said: “The climate crisis has significant implications for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation programmes. INFUSE is a great platform to mobilise the latest innovations in support of the health community to drive adaptive and mitigative actions against climate change.”

Sheilla Atieno, Seedstars Program Manager Africa, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “Our collaboration with Gavi for INFUSE 2024 is crucial in our fight against the health impacts of climate change. We are calling on innovators globally to come forward with solutions that can make a tangible difference in building climate-resilient health systems.”

The open call for INFUSE 2024 invites applications that demonstrate innovative approaches to tackle challenges faced by Gavi implementing countries and their partners, focusing on climate mitigation and resilience. The criteria for participation include scalability and potential impact in vulnerable regions; cost-effectiveness with a sustainable financial model; evidence of or potential for success; adaptability for implementation in diverse environments, especially in lower-income countries; and the strength and experience of the team behind the solution.

Innovators and startups across the globe, particularly from lower-income countries, are encouraged to apply for this opportunity. Selected innovations will be part of the INFUSE community, receiving focused support to scale their solutions globally.

Notes to editors

About Seedstars

Seedstars is a Swiss-based company with a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. Seedstars works with the private and public sectors to implement entrepreneurial capacity-building programs in order to create jobs and fuel economic growth.

The group runs Seedstars Programs that are designed to support entrepreneurs in varying stages of growth via training, education, mentoring, and access to resources. The company also partners, operates, and invests in emerging venture capital funds in emerging markets and makes direct co- and follow-on investments in their portfolio companies through Seedstars Capital. To further support the next generation of changemakers, Seedstars Academy, a talent incubator, provides digital skills and startup-based immersive education.

Through these initiatives and partnerships, Seedstars is building a world-class community and network of changemakers in over 90 emerging ecosystems. For more information, visit https://www.seedstars.com/.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 1 billion children – and prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Application

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Application deadline: 11:59 pm (23:59) on 14 April 2024 CEST (Geneva Time)

MEDIA CONTACTS

Seedstars

Sheilla Atieno
Africa Program Manager
sheilla.atieno@seedstars.com

Elizabeth Jones
Global Lead Program Operations
elizabeth@seedstars.com

Michaela Villaroman
Media Relations
michaela.villaroman@seedstars.com

Gavi

Laura Shevlin
+ 41 79 529 92 87
lshevlin@gavi.org