Malaria Quest, a search for innovations to eliminate malaria in India

Tata Trusts’ India Health Fund (IHF) today announced its Malaria Quest - a nationwide search for innovations towards eliminating Malaria in India. This is being partnered by Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance Secretariat (APLMA), The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria , Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance India of the ICMR and Social Alpha.

The Malaria Quest is aligned with IHF’s vision to foster innovations and support innovative products and processes through comprehensive support to innovators including funding, technical mentorship, handholding for their lab to last mile journey, connecting resources for better adoption, and ensuring sustainability of these efforts.

India has set a target of eliminating Malaria by 2030. Aligned with the national goals, India Health Fund (IHF) aims to promote innovations that supplement human efforts to facilitate greater access, better quality of care and equity and bring together resources to engender transformative change that will effectively address the complex challenges posed by malaria. The Malaria Quest is seeking for innovation on the four problem areas listed below:

Innovative technologies to strengthen surveillance to provide accurate estimates of disease burden and data-based-decision making and risk-prediction

Developing innovative methods of vector control and personal protection for enhancing or complementing current strategies

Improving logistical modalities and quality assurance of malaria consumables

Consistently detecting and diagnosing cases of malaria, both in high and low endemic regions

Selected applications stand to receive wide support, including milestone-based funding support for validation, beta prototyping, feasibility studies and pilot introduction, as applicable. The awardees will benefit from collective engagement with national and global stakeholders and access to the global ecosystem working towards Malaria elimination. Hands-on mentoring by a committee of experts for guidance on policy and programme, deployment design, and methodology, navigating regulatory landscape and understanding market dynamics.

Applications will be accepted until September 02, 2019. Further details about the Malaria Quest and the application process are available at www.indiahealthfund.org.