WASHINGTON, D.C. - The call for innovative solutions to save the lives of mothers and newborns around the time of birth elicited more than 500 submissions from almost 60 countries. Today, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development Partners – U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) - announced that 65 finalists will advance to the final stage of competition at the Development^XChange July 12^th-14^th.  

These 65 innovators come from all around the world. Almost half are from outside the U.S. and a quarter are from low-and middle-income countries. Their innovations span science and technology, service delivery, and demand creation—addressing the critical barriers women and babies in developing countries face in accessing life-saving interventions.

Some or all of the award nominees will be announced at a high-level forum at the end of the three-day event.  Funding for the award nominees will be subject to grant negotiation with the funders following the event. The Partners will also announce the winner of a People’s Choice Award, an honorary award based on public voting that will take place on the Saving Lives at Birth website. Voting opened today and will close on July 11^th at 5pm EST.

At the Development^XChange in Seattle, WA, innovators will display their ideas in an open, dynamic marketplace amongst development experts, fellow innovators, and potential funders. Finalists will also participate in discussions focused on meeting the needs and realities of women and children in low-resource settings as well as workshops such as business planning, market research, measurement, monitoring and evaluation.

The Development^XChange is the first step in building a community of innovators to help meet the challenge of saving the lives of women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities in the developing world.  Maternal and neonatal mortality remains a significant problem globally, with the majority of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.  

This is the second call is for innovative ideas under Saving Lives at Birth. The first call resulted in the selection of the 24 most promising solutions for award.

To learn more about and vote for these finalists’ innovations, visit www.savinglivesatbirth.net. 

For additional information, contact:

Government of Norway: Lars Grønseth lagr@norad.no

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: media@gatesfoundation.org

Grand Challenges Canada: Lyn Whitham lyn.whitham@grandchallenges.ca

DFID: Rob Kelly R-Kelly@dfid.gov.uk

USAID Press Office: USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov