Event Title
Impact investment as a tool to create ecosystems for local production of diagnostics
Time
Fri 8 April, 3-4pm GMT (9-10am EST/4-5pm BST/5-6pm CEST)
Zoom Link
Event Description
Local production of diagnostics has emerged as a key issue through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The severe bottlenecks in supplies experienced by low and middle income countries have led to renewed attention on building local capacity for diagnostic innovation and manufacturing as an important component of efforts to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for everyone. However, building successful and sustainable manufacturing in LMICs presents a number of systems-level challenges that span across technical innovations, strengthening regulatory capacity, market access and public policy alignment, supply chain and importation challenges, access to validation and more. Addressing these challenges requires building a complex yet functioning ecosystem of many stakeholders and institutions simultaneously.
In this event, local manufacturers and impact investors will discuss their perspectives on how impact investing can be used as a tool to support innovative approaches and business models that help create these ecosystems and accelerate the impact of local manufacturing on accessibility of high quality diagnostics leading to better care and improved health for communities in LMICs.
Speakers
- Cheikh Tidiane Diagne, DiaTropix: membership models and other innovative ways to create win-win partnerships with investors
- Jenny Molloy, Beneficial Bio: social franchises as a means to create networks of companies to collaboratively support local manufacturing
- Catherine Cax, Open Society Foundations: view from an impact investor
Moderator: Sharonann Lynch, O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University
Event Convenor: Local Production & Diagnostics Working Group
Event Partners: University of Cambridge, Open Society Foundations