Epidemiological Models: Data Challenge for #COVIDaction
DFID’s Frontier Technology Hub is working with a range of partners to identify, highlight and adapt epidemiological models that can be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic with an aim to support low and middle income countries (LMICs) in their responses.
Many publicly available epidemiological models that can be applied to COVID-19 fail to address the specific needs of LMICs, such as:
- Limited healthcare capacity,
- High levels of co-morbidities (such as poor nutrition, TB, and HIV),
- Differing population demographics,
- High levels of informal employment,
- Concerns around food insecurity, etc.
Additional model parameters (e.g. medical capacity, etc.) are needed to serve the needs of ministries of health and other actors responding to the crisis, to provide a framework for balanced decisions around the prioritisation of resources, public communication campaigns, and impositions of travel restrictions.
The Frontier Tech Hub is looking for COVID-19 specific models, or those that may be quickly adapted to country contexts, to support response and policy making. These can come from anywhere, both developed and LMIC countries.
This DFID challenge aims to highlight research organisations and individuals active in developing public health models — and position the Frontier Tech Hub to curate a list of appropriate epidemiological models for LMICs. At the conclusion of the challenge, the Frontier Tech Hub will make available resources to selected applicants which may include:
- Rapid seed funding per selected applicant;
- Match-making to relevant programmes providing funding; and
- Support in raising capital (readiness, pitch, connections etc.)
The deadline for submissions is May 18th at 11:59pm BST. After submission, we will contact you for additional information and to move to the next stage. Remember, you can submit multiple submissions, especially if each submission differs in substance, application, and topics. Please enter each submission on a separate form.
WHY WE’RE DOING THIS
This is part of an initiative led by DFID’s Frontier Technologies Hub, i.e. #COVIDaction: Building a Technology and Innovation Pipeline for the COVID Pandemic. For more on the initiative, please see here.
For questions and issues, please contact the #COVIDaction Data team at: COVIDaction-data@hellobrink.co
