Launch of the Grand Challenge for sustainable laboratories

As part of its partnership with Global Affairs Canada and with the support of other institutions, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) launches a new call for projects on the sustainability of diagnostic laboratories.

Cost-effective and sustainable diagnostic laboratories are essential to global health, safety and security. In low- and middle-income countries, however, they may face serious operational and capacity constraints which increase safety and security risks while undermining their overall performance.

In an effort to find a solution to this critical problem, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and other members of the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction have been actively working on diagnostic laboratory sustainability for over a decade.

With funding from Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program and technical support from The Pirbright Institute, The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is now collaborating with Grand Challenges Canada and their implementation partners at Science for Africa to seek innovative solutions to reinvent laboratories, making them fit-for-purpose in low-resource settings.

Request for Expressions of Interest

The purpose of this Request for Expressions of Interest (or “RFEI”) is to solicit tailored ideas on how to help laboratories overcome the most pressing concerns related to sustainability.

Areas of focus include:

• end-to-end laboratory concepts including design/construction
• laboratory operations
• business models for ownership and utility of laboratory functions sustained by local leadership

Grand Challenges Canada encourages inputs from innovators belonging to local organisations based in low- and middle-income countries, those with expertise in the field, knowledge of the context and existing meaningful connections with local partners. Others are strongly encouraged to demonstrate how they plan to meaningfully engage with local stakeholders in their target implementation country.

The Grand Challenge is a flagship project for GAC and the G7 Global Partnership.

How to Apply

Applications open 23 February.

Learn more about the eligibility criteria and the funding opportunity