Tata Trusts and PATH announce India's first Impact Lab for Public Health

January 16, 2018 by PATH

Partnership will drive sustainable, high-impact solutions for low resource settings in India and beyond from ‘Lab to Market’

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Photo: PATH/Satvir Malhotra

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New Delhi, January 16, 2018—Tata Trusts and PATH today announced the establishment of the Tata Trusts-PATH Impact Lab, the first such in India, to support and bring to market innovations for affordable public health solutions to benefit vulnerable populations with limited resources. Among the priorities will be solutions in maternal and child health, nutrition, and diagnostics for chronic and infectious diseases.

The Impact Lab's aim is to create and sustain an ecosystem that fosters innovation in public health and provide comprehensive support to selected innovators through product design, clinical validation, commercialization and market development to help scale high quality and affordable public health innovation products that have gone beyond the prototype stage. This support will include, amongst others, infrastructure for product development through a high end 'tinkering shop' located at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, mentorship for market access and commercialisation, and launch and scale-up strategies.

"What makes the Tata Trusts-PATH Impact Lab unique is its focus on supporting the development of innovative and affordable solutions for India's public health challenges," said Neeraj Jain, India Country Director for PATH. "We will tap into PATH's 40 years of global expertise in ensuring lifesaving innovations reach people who need them the most. Together with Tata Trusts, we are excited to support innovators to make in India game changing health technologies for India and the world."

The Impact Lab will proactively source solutions, in chosen areas, with the potential to improve the healthcare of poor and resource challenged communities at scale.

"This partnership of Tata Trusts and PATH will allow innovators to leverage the strength of both the organisations in the area of public health through a world class incubation lab designed to orchestrate the 'Lab to Market' journey of innovations," said Manoj Kumar, Tata Trusts' Head of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Institutions. "Last year we created our Social Alpha architecture as part of our overall strategy to promote innovation and entrepreneurship for social impact."

To ensure that selected innovators are enriched by relevant experience and expertise, Tata Trusts and PATH will work to establish partnerships with academia, government, philanthropic donors, incubators, technology platforms and venture funds.

About Tata Trusts

Tata Trusts is amongst India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development. Since its inception, Tata Trusts has played a pioneering role in transforming traditional ideas of philanthropy to make impactful sustainable change in the lives of the communities served. Through direct implementation, co-partnership strategies and grant making, the Trusts support and drive innovation in the areas of education; healthcare and nutrition; rural livelihoods; natural resources management; enhancing civil society and governance and media, arts, crafts and culture. Tata Trusts continue to be guided by the principles of its Founder, Jamsetji Tata and through his vision of proactive philanthropy; the Trusts catalyse societal development while ensuring that initiatives and interventions have a contemporary relevance to the nation. For more information, please visit http://tatatrusts.org/

Social Media: Twitter: @tatatrusts | Facebook: Tata Trusts | Instagram: tata_trusts

About PATH

PATH is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Learn more at www.path.org.

Social Media: Twitter: @PATHtweets | Facebook: PATHglobalhealth | Instagram: pathglobalhealth