(Poster courtesy of Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) - Philippines)
MANILA – Filipino innovators may get up to PHP300,000 cash prize and a research development grant via the Gelia Castillo Award for Research on Social Innovations in Health (GCARSIH).
Named after National Scientist Dr. Gelia Castillo, this award seeks to recognize the outstanding social innovations that address persistent, societal and health systems challenges, and support these innovations for further development.
GCARSIH is presented by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) - Philippines, and the Foundation for the Advancement of Clinical Epidemiology, Inc.
According to SIHI, interested parties may submit entries until June 17, 2022. Entries should be innovations developed by Filipinos for the countrymen; implemented in the Philippines for at least one year; and must be focused on an identified priority health need of a community or beneficiaries.
Individuals, groups and institutions, whether public or private, may send entries.
The top innovations in health will receive a cash prize, research and development grant, and a training and mentoring package with subject matter experts to enable the project to expand further.
First, second and third place winners will receive a PHP300,000, PHP200,000, and PHP100,000 cash prize, accordingly.
A training and mentoring package shall be designed to help the top innovation teams create research proposals for their grants. The research and development grant will require the organization to be accredited by the DOST. If the organization is not accredited, it could partner with an accredited institution for the research project.
Social innovation solutions are products, services, market mechanisms, or processes that address a health need more effectively than existing approaches. These new solutions should result in more effective use of available resources; and have the potential to change the health system.
Among the previous winners of GCARSIH include the Holistic Water Systems for Pumping Water Uphill, a hydraulic ram pump model that provides clean and safe water to remote upland communities. SIHI said this innovation has improved the upland villagers' health, nutrition and sanitation.
Interested parties may send their entries personally or via courier. For more details, they may visit: httpps://bit.ly/gcarsih2022. (PNA)
