#COVIDaction: Building a Technology and Innovation Pipeline for the COVID Pandemic

What role does technology have in the way we respond to the COVID pandemic?

#COVIDaction, a partnership between DFID’s Frontier Technology Hub, Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub), UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering along with other collaborators will be working to build a technology and innovation pipeline to support action related to the COVID pandemic.

The partnership will work together to:

• SCAN for technology innovation mobilised on the ground in DFID countries and globally, which might need support or can be replicated elsewhere
• EVALUATE what we find working with sector experts to cut through the noise, make sense of ‘what’s working’ and verify approaches
• TEAM with promising innovators and support them with grant funding, expert technical assistance and matchmaking to programmes across DFID, other agency initiatives and beyond
• SHARE what we learn and uncover as a global, public good

FIVE EMERGING FOCUS AREAS

In the coming weeks we will use this process to develop a pipeline of technology applications across a range of focus areas. The five focus areas that we have received the most positive feedback on so far are:

1. Local Solutions & Local production: crowdsourcing and mapping innovative responses to dealing with demand for unavailable goods. How have pivots in local production and novel approaches met local needs? For more details and to apply, please see here.
2. Data: sources, collection tools, and analysis to inform the response. What are the best tools for using data to inform decision-making? For more details and to apply, please see here.
3. Resilient health systems: Technologies that extend the reach, coordination and/or continuity of medical support between hospitals, clinics, communities and households. How might we reduce the burden on existing health staff and infrastructure and ensure non-COVID related services remain available? Launch tbc
4. Technology-enabled distribution: novel technology approaches to maintaining the cold-chain, last mile distribution and food security and delivery. How might technology enable and support the delivery of crucial goods and supplies? Launch tbc
5. Digital financial support: considering the role of technology in providing financial safety nets and innovative disbursements of funds. How might mobile money and other technologies support people through the pandemic? Launch tbc

We only play a small part in this overall effort. For each focus area we will partner with experts and others already working in these areas to make sure we’re building on the evidence and feeding pipeline into existing workflows.

INVITATION TO SHAPE THIS WORK

We would like to invite you to shape this work and tell us where you believe we could best focus our efforts and who else we should be working with. By completing this short survey, you’ll be acting as our critical friend on our current thinking and bringing your own wisdom into our processes. The Hub and its partners thank you for your time in advance.