At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, Gavi introduced the Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in immunisation (INFUSE) initiative to help drive improvements in immunisation for developing countries
INFUSE is open to local and global entrepreneurs, corporations, and implementers with a proven-to-work technology or implementation innovation enhancing data availability, quality, or use, that could be adapted to the broad developing country context.
These could include solutions ranging from better tools and training resources for local health workers to track vaccinated children at the point of care, to the application of emerging “deep data” concepts to identify resource gaps and areas for improving health and immunisation systems, according to Gavi.
By connecting innovators with influential public and private sector figures, Gavi said it hopes to accelerate the use of proven-concept innovations to modernise immunisation delivery.
The INFUSE topic for 2016 is immunisation data availability, quality, and use - a fundamental step to building an efficient and sustainable immunisation systems in developing countries, according to Gavi.
Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO, highlighted the importance of harnessing new thinking, potentially from innovators outside the immunisation and global health fields, to reach more children with vaccines.
Berkley said: “I am excited that Gavi is ready to embrace new and diverse thinking to solve the challenges that are preventing us from reaching children with vaccines.
“Data is absolutely critical to health as it enables us to track both people and diseases. We are looking forward to exploring new possibilities for capturing and using data in the countries we work with.”
Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS, said: “This year, UPS looks forward to further strengthening its relationship with Gavi to find innovative solutions to ensure vaccines can reach children anywhere in the world.”
Berkley said: “This partnership demonstrates the added-value that the private sector can deliver in supplementing existing efforts, as UPS’s expertise has enhanced training facilities in East Africa. I am looking forward to deepening our relationship,” added Dr Berkley.