The SFDP Health Innovation Challenge supports early-stage, community-level public health ideas developed by students and young professionals. It is a small-scale implementation challenge focused on action, learning, and community engagement around real public health problems in Nigeria.
About the Challenge
The SFDP Health Innovation Challenge is designed to support students and young professionals in developing innovative solutions for global health challenges. Selected teams will receive seed funding and support to implement their ideas within a short timeframe and demonstrate measurable impact.
This challenge focuses on early-stage, community-level public health ideas that are practical, feasible, and can be implemented at a small scale. The goal is to move from ideas to implementation - turning your vision into action.
Challenge Tracks
Teams may submit proposals in one or more of the following focus areas:
- Infectious Disease Prevention: Low-cost, community-based interventions addressing diseases such as malaria, Lassa fever, TB, and hepatitis. This includes community prevention models, early detection or referral, awareness and behaviour change, and environmental risk reduction.
- Health Education & Digital Health: Simple digital or offline tools that improve health education, screening, referral, or monitoring. Examples include health education platforms, screening or referral tools, digital follow-up systems, and community information campaigns.
- Equity-Focused Public Health Interventions: Projects addressing populations disproportionately affected by health inequities. These may include vaccine uptake initiatives, WASH interventions, maternal and newborn health programs, mental health peer-support models, antimicrobial resistance awareness, and community surveillance support.
Proposals outside these areas may be considered if clearly feasible and impactful.
Who Can Participate
The Innovation Challenge is open to:
- Students: Undergraduate or graduate students in any field of study
- Young Professionals: Ages 18-28 working in healthcare, tech, or related fields
- Teams composition: Teams of up to 3-5 members with diverse backgrounds. At least one team member must have a health-related background or work experience.
- Location: Open to individuals based in the 36 states and the FCT of Nigeria
Project Requirements:
- Ethical and non-commercial
- Low-cost and feasible within 2 months
- Suitable for small-scale implementation
Prizes and Opportunities
3 winning teams receive funding, mentorship, and support to turn their ideas into reality.
- 1st – 3rd Place: $300 per team as an implementation grant
- All winning teams: SFDP recognition & visibility, project documentation & reporting support
All shortlisted teams gain experience, exposure, and the opportunity to remain engaged with SFDP beyond the competition.
Important Dates & Timeline
- December 28, 2025: Call for One-Page Proposals Opens – Submissions open for teams to send in a one-page project proposal, CVs, and short team profiles.
- January 18, 2026 (23:59 GMT+1): Proposal Submission Deadline – All proposals must be submitted before the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.
- January 19 – 25, 2026: Screening & Shortlisting of Top 10 Teams – Proposals are reviewed based on relevance, feasibility, innovation, and team capacity.
- January 26 – February 08, 2026: Video Pitch Submission (30–60 seconds) – Shortlisted teams submit a brief video pitch introducing their idea and intended impact.
- February 09 – 15, 2026: Public Voting Period – Video pitches are published across SFDP platforms and open to public engagement and voting.
- February 16, 2026: Announcement of Top 3 Winning Teams – Final results are announced following verification of public engagement metrics.
- February 17 – 22, 2026: Prize Disbursement & Project Launch – Winning teams receive funding and begin implementation of their approved project ideas.
How to Apply
Ready to make a difference? Applying is straightforward:
- Visit our Innovation Challenge page
- Submit a one-page proposal, CVs, and short bios for each team member using the provided template
- If shortlisted, prepare a 30–60 second video pitch of your idea
Proposals are screened based on relevance, feasibility, innovation, impact, and team capacity. There is no application fee - the challenge is completely free to enter.
"Innovation doesn't always require expensive resources or advanced degrees. The most impactful solutions often come from those closest to the problems they're solving. We're excited to see what young minds will bring to this challenge."
- Dr. Kennedy Alajemba, SFDP Founder
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need a prototype? No. Only a clear, feasible idea suitable for small-scale implementation.
Is there an application fee? No. The challenge is completely free to enter.
What happens after winning? Winning teams receive structured mentorship and funding to implement their project within two months. This is followed by submission of a short final report with photos and/or videos.
Applications are now open. Don't miss this opportunity to make a real impact on global health.