Strategy for complex challenges. Systems for sustainable impact.

Fostering innovation in public health

Addressing emerging public health challenges requires more than conventional approaches. It calls for new ideas, cross-sector collaboration, and solutions that can move from concept to implementation. The launch of the Public Health Innovation Challenge (Edition 1: FY 2026) marks an important step towards building a national platform for public health innovation.

The initiative is jointly organised by the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG) through its NIDHI Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Strategic Global Health Initiatives (SGHI), with support from the National Society for Public Health Innovation (NSPHI). The collaboration brings together academic, institutional, and strategic expertise to create a platform where innovative ideas can be nurtured, evaluated, and supported. The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening public health innovation ecosystems.

A platform for emerging innovators

Designed as a Shark Tank-style national pitch competition, the Challenge provides researchers, young professionals, academic institutions, and emerging entrepreneurs with an opportunity to present solutions addressing pressing public health challenges.

The inaugural edition brought together 11 teams from India and abroad. Participants presented their ideas through structured pitches, engaged with an expert jury, and received feedback from both the panel and the audience. The competition assessed innovations based on public health relevance, feasibility, scalability, and potential impact, while also encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and team diversity.

Connecting ideas with opportunities

A key objective of the Challenge is to connect promising ideas with mentorship, institutional support, and pathways for further development. By bringing innovators, experts, and institutions onto a common platform, the initiative aims to help transform concepts into practical solutions that can contribute to stronger health systems and improved public health outcomes.

The Challenge also recognises that public health innovation extends beyond medical technologies and digital tools. It includes new approaches to prevention, service delivery, health systems, financing, data, environmental health, and governance.

For SGHI, this initiative represents an important milestone in its engagement with innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship. It builds upon the organisation’s broader work in strategy, policy, systems strengthening, and sustainable financing, while creating opportunities to support the next generation of public health innovators.

Looking ahead

The collaboration aspires to develop the Public Health Innovation Challenge into a sustained platform for identifying, mentoring, and supporting innovations that address national and global public health priorities. Future editions will continue to encourage collaboration between academia, innovators, institutions, and strategic partners, while expanding opportunities for mentorship, partnerships, and incubation support.

The Public Health Innovation Challenge represents a shared effort to build an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and institutional expertise come together to advance public health. Through continued collaboration, the initiative seeks to support innovations that are relevant, scalable, and capable of creating lasting impact.