Do you
have the next breakthrough in eye health innovation?
29 May
2013
Seeing is Believing is providing US$3mn fund to support
innovation in eye health.
In 1999, VISION2020, the global campaign to eliminate avoidable
blindness, was launched, and since then there has been significant progress in
the field of eye care. Innovation has been central to this.
For example, the prospect for delivering cataract operations
cost-effectively in low and middle income countries was transformed by the
combination of two innovations: the pioneering work of individuals such as Fred
Hollows and institutions such as Aravind Eye Care System to radically reduce
the cost of intra-ocular lenses; and the development of the small incision
cataract surgery technique.
We cannot afford to stop the search for great new ideas
Yet if the goals of VISION2020 are going to be met, we cannot
stop searching for the next generation of innovators.
There are still an estimated 39 million people around the world
who are blind. A further 246 million people are visually impaired, with 90% of
all avoidable blindness occurring in the developing world.
To eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment we need
to:
- Find
more cost-effective and sustainable approaches to treating eye conditions
- Train up
the necessary human resources within health systems
- Ensure
that people have the right equipment and infrastructure to do their jobs
effectively.
Innovators – we need you!
We believe the solutions are out there. That’s why we’re
providing US$ 3mn of funding over the next three years to support innovation in
eye health.
How the fund will work
The first tranche of US$ 1mn will be allocated this year.
We’ll be providing grants of between USD 10k to USD 200k to support the
development and scale up of new technology or operating/delivery/business
models with the potential for major impact on the global campaign to eliminate
avoidable blindness.
Do you have the solution?
If you are an organisation or individual with a great idea or
new approach to promoting eye health, or enabling blind and visually impaired
people to become more independent, we want to hear from you.
There are no restrictions on the country origin of an applicant but
you should demonstrate how your innovation will impact areas of high need
across the globe.
Download the four documents of the application pack
using the links below for full details and send in your proposal by 12.00
GMT, 22 July 2013.
For more information please visit: http://seeingisbelieving.org/InnovationFund
