By: Jocelyn Mackie, Co-CEO, and David Brook, Chief Strategy Officer, Grand Challenges Canada. A recent New York Times article, Moderna and U.S. at Odds Over Vaccine Patent Rights, highlights an all-too-common challenge in the world of public-private partnerships for health research and innovation—who has the legal right to deploy the novel products and services that […]
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Tanzania’s Ubongo wins Grand Challenges Canada’s Rotman Innovation of the Year Award
Through science and technology, Ubongo creates multiplatform learning that benefits children across Sub-Saharan Africa Nairobi/Toronto, November 24, 2021—Ubongo, a Tanzania-based nonprofit social enterprise and Africa’s leading producer of kids’ edutainment, is this year’s winner of the prestigious Rotman Innovation of the Year Award, worth $10,000 Canadian dollars (approximately 19 million Tanzanian shillings) The accolade is […]
Harnessing the power of digital technology to address Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights challenges
By: Drew-Anne Glennie, 2021 Summer Fellow Women, girls and gender-diverse individuals have faced disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic and social stresses in conjunction with social isolation and movement restrictions have led to a surge in gender-based violence (GBV), further exacerbated by overworked health and justice systems. A UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) study predicted 15 million additional cases of GBV were expected every three months […]
Orange Shirt Day: Turning our collective grief to action
Calling on all Canadians to invest in Indigenous innovation as a way to help Canada move closer to reconciliation By: Sara Wolfe (Anishnawbe), Director of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative at Grand Challenges Canada, and Jocelyn Mackie, Co-CEO of Grand Challenges Canada. September 30th is Orange Shirt Day—a day to “commemorate the residential school experience, to […]
Prioritizing innovation for youth mental health
By: Nicole Bardikoff and Nicole Toole, members of the Grand Challenges Canada Global Mental Health team Only about 0.1% of global development assistance for health is targeted towards youth mental health. This figure illustrates the dearth of youth mental health funding, of particular importance considering that 75% of mental health challenges are established by 25, […]
Guest blog by Sanivation: Integrating innovations with government for scale and lasting impact
By Andrew Foote, CEO & Co-Founder, Sanivation One out of two people are living in communities where human waste is not safely managed, most often in low- and middle-income countries. While sanitation’s public and environmental health benefits are clear and abundant, access has not kept up with population growth. A key barrier to scaling sanitation is relative cost and available funding: traditional sanitation […]
Reflections from Grand Challenges Canada’s 2021 Summer Fellows
Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) has seen yet another summer come and go. Despite our work-from-home context, summer fellows went above and beyond with new perspectives, inventive solutions, and passionate attention to issues that mattered most to them. The fellows never cease to amaze GCC with their dedication and hard work! This year, operating within an […]
Global Mental Health announces first cohort of youth mental health seed funding projects
On the occasion of the United Nations’ International Youth Day, Grand Challenge Canada’s Global Mental Health Program, in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research and Global Affairs Canada, is announcing its first cohort of youth mental health seed projects. The 18 innovations all address mental health literacy and/or provide youth-friendly services for young people aged 10 to 24 in low- and middle-income countries. Young people, who are themselves closest to the challenges, were critical in shaping this call […]
UK and Canada team up to support youth mental health projects worldwide
International partnership seeks to foster better post-COVID-19 world for youth by investing $4.4M CAD in 18 mental health innovations in low-and middle-income countries London/Ottawa/Toronto, August 13, 2021—The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges worldwide, yet only about 0.1% of global development assistance for health goes towards youth mental […]
Canadian-led project saves lives in Somalia through innovative solar-powered oxygen system
U of A researchers team with Grand Challenges Canada and World Health Organization to bring a life-saving project to a Somalian conflict zone. (Edmonton, AB) On Feb. 5, minutes after she gave birth to her eighth child at the Hanaano General Hospital in Dusamareb, Somalia, 37-year-old Zahra’s* heart sank. Her doctor explained her baby had […]