Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize

The Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize is a £6.25 million global challenge prize funded by Wellcome and delivered by Challenge Works. It aims to develop practical innovations that improve outcomes for people affected by snakebite in high-burden regions, including South Asia and India.

What the grant is trying to achieve

The prize is seeking innovations that can address one or more of these major problems:

• Strengthen community response to snakebite, including awareness, prevention, appropriate first aid and community trust.
• Accelerate access to appropriate medical care, particularly for rural and remote communities.
• Improve delivery of snakebite treatment, including referral systems, logistics, diagnostics, treatment pathways and health-system readiness.

Importantly, Wellcome is not looking only for medical products or sophisticated technology. Solutions can be technological, social, logistical or health-system based. Innovations around community mobilisation, referral mechanisms, transportation, first aid, health-worker capacity and treatment access are also relevant.

Two funding tracks

Launch Track is intended for relatively early-stage concepts that need support to become viable solutions.

Growth Track is intended for solutions that have already been tested to some extent and now need further validation, implementation, improvement or expansion

Who can apply?

This opportunity is quite broad. Eligible applicants can include legally incorporated:

• NGOs / non-profits
• Charities
• Companies/social enterprises
• Universities
• Research organisations
• Civil-society organisations
• Other legally incorporated organisations

Individuals cannot apply alone. The proposal must come from a multidisciplinary team through a legally incorporated lead organisation. Consortium applications are permitted, with one organisation designated as the lead applicant and funding recipient.

What can the grant money be used for?

Prize funding can support activities directly connected to improving snakebite patient outcomes, including:

• Research and data generation/analysis
• Technology or product development
• Pilot studies
• Clinical evaluations
• Implementation and scale-up
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Networking and knowledge sharing
• Technology transfer
• Relevant administrative support

For more information click on the link below