Global Disability Innovation Hub

New implementation models – Barriers to the assessment, delivery, servicing, training and wider support of AT are reduced through new approaches and platforms in order to strengthen systems.​

Laying the foundations for market shaping and systems-level change. This cluster, being co-led by WHO, UNICEF, and CHAI has three sub-programmes aimed at: (1) driving affordability and availability through the development of AT product specifications as well as product narratives that inform global investment and scope market-shaping opportunities (2) opening-up market access to align and consolidate global AT efforts as well as to lay the foundations for systems-level change through global benchmarks and standards for AT and the testing of national AT integrated provision models (in Tanzania and Tajikistan) (3) the development, testing and learning from the country capacity assessments alongside the investment into national action plans via the County Investment Fund to deliver foundational, strategic, agreed national AT priorities and reach disabled people directly with access to AT.

Aim: (1) Supporting new products and service delivery models to scale. (2) Delivering AT innovations in LMICs, especially East Africa through inclusive innovation ecosystems, AT accelerator, service delivery and wheelchair provision. (3) Horizon scanning to scope the disability mobile gap and programmes to address stigma. 3D printing for humanitarian response, an AT Makeathon as well as the generation of evidence of local production systems for AT in LMICs, the exploration of early child mobility in LMICs and the development of a series of virtual live labs. (4) To also create an Innovation Hub in India with the Indian Council for Medical Research through a new partnership which will have regional reach. GDI Hub at UCL will be delivering an AT Accelerator programme with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi) and an AT Academic Innovation programme that goes alongside it. It is envisaged that a significant number of innovators will be supported through this investment to develop products for both the Asian and African marketplaces. Additionally, GDI Accelerate, a powerhouse of insight, innovation and technical excellence will support the designing, testing and scaling of solutions. This has replaced the AT Impact Fund which was established to better enable frontier technology solutions to reach people with disabilities in Africa, and to test business models most likely to succeed.