2024 Innovation Policy Prize 

Applications Are Now Closed – Look out for news on the winner in December 2024

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In 2024, the Prize will focus on the nexus between climate change and health, with the question: 

How can economic policies incentivise environmentally sustainable innovation in the life sciences sector?”

Here are three questions to assist you with your submission:

  1. What (economic) incentives are currently used to incentivise innovation, and can these be modified to incentivise rapid reductions in carbon emissions? Are new policies and incentives required to ensure the rapid reduction of emissions that are required to tackle the climate crisis?
  2. To what extent would your proposal work across multiple countries with different health systems? Explain how your proposal is modifiable or scalable across multiple settings.
  3. Are there any perverse incentives or problems that could arise from your solution?

For the purpose of the Prize, we define key terms in the question as follows:

Innovation

New products, ideas or methods. Relevant examples may include pharmaceutical, medical, technological, and/or process innovation.

Economic policies

Any course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organisation that touches on economic principles or theory. Could include, for example, policy related to incentives, trade-offs, taxes and subsidies, or regulation, implemented at an organisational, regional or national level.

Global/ Generalisability

Whilst we appreciate that high income countries do need to drive the shift towards net-zero goals, we are seeking proposals that are scalable and can be applied to several contexts/ countries.

Environmentally sustainable innovation

Sustainable innovation refers to innovations that improve the environmental profile of products, process and/or infrastructure. These innovations strive to conserve natural resources and support the wellbeing of current and future generations. Sustainable innovation contributes to emission reduction.

About the Prize

We are delighted to announce the 2024 Innovation Policy Prize Fund. This biannual prize creates a new platform for original ideas to improve knowledge and understanding around innovation policy for the health and life sciences sector, and supports the next generation of health technologies.

The Judging Panel Chair in 2024 is Professor Anita Charlesworth CBE, and the OHE Prize Managers are Charlotte Ashton and Anjeli Sharma.

Our hope is that the OHE Prize not only motivates wider thinking into global solutions for the big health economic policy challenges, but also promotes the sharing of perspectives across disciplines and countries. But above all else, our main purpose is to ignite discussion.

The prize fund is open to entries from all professions and levels of expertise and is free to enter. A £40,000 award will be made to the author(s) of the winning solution, as well as an invitation to present their solution at a dedicated event on 28 January 2025.

Please direct your questions to prizefund@ohe.org.

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