SCI4O HEALTH INNOVATION COMPETITION

Background

The Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust Science For All (Sci40) initiative is a programme that aims at promoting careers in clinical and biomedical sciences, targeting primary, secondary and tertiary education students. In partnership with the MLW Science Translation team, we are introducing a health innovation competition for tertiary education students.  We aim to raise the level of translational science priority and belief, as well as to stimulate students’ passion for health innovation. We are seeking multidisciplinary teams to produce health innovations relevant to Malawi in the form of digital tools or physical products. Once a winning team is identified, they will work together with the MLW Science Translation team and its partners, including the host institution to further the development of the device or product. The award can include expert advice support, project funding support as well as identifying potential key partners or external funding opportunities. The competition is initially open to students from the College of Medicine (CoM), Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the Malawi Polytechnic, but will be extended to other institutions in future editions. 

Competition format

Teams will submit an application to the Sci40 Innovation Committee, who will screen the application and shortlist five top projects. Each team must be led by a lecturer/supervisor.  The team will then be invited for an interview, where one winning team will be picked. The competition will be run twice per year, with the first competition in June 2020 and the other in November 2020. 

1. Prize: Up to MK10m (1st Call); up to MK20m (2nd Call)
2. Scoring system: 

• People (multidisciplinary [10], experience [5] and leadership [10])
• Place (institutional capacity [10], institutional support [15])
• Project (feasibility [10], innovativeness [10] and timeliness [5])
• Potential for translation (impact [10], usability [5] and value for money [10]) 

Committee composition: 6 members 

1. Sci4O representative,
2. Science Translation representative
3. CoM representative,
4. MUST representative,
5. Polytechnic representative
6. Invited member

Application Process:

1. Application form will be available from the MLW website from 15th June 2020.
2. Deadline to submit applications: Monday 20th July 2020, 12 noon.
3. Interviews of shortlisted teams to be held between 17th-21st August 2020.
4. Applicants will be notified of outcome by 31st August 2020.
5. Projects will be expected to start by mid-September 2020 for a duration of 6 to 9 months.