Empowering students and young professionals to develop innovative solutions for global health challenges. Up to $1,000+ in prizes!
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.
Selected teams will receive seed funding and support to implement their ideas within a short timeframe and demonstrate measurable impact.
Teams may submit proposals in one or more of the following focus areas:
(Proposals outside these areas may be considered if clearly feasible and impactful.)
Low-cost, community-based interventions addressing diseases such as malaria, Lassa fever, TB, and hepatitis.
Simple digital or offline tools that improve health education, screening, referral, or monitoring.
Projects addressing populations disproportionately affected by health inequities.
3 winning teams receive funding, mentorship, and support to turn their ideas into reality.
All shortlisted teams gain experience, exposure, and the opportunity to remain engaged with SFDP beyond the competition.
Submissions open for teams to send in a one-page project proposal, CVs, and short team profiles.
All proposals must be submitted before the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.
Proposals are reviewed based on relevance, feasibility, innovation, and team capacity.
Shortlisted teams submit a brief video pitch introducing their idea and intended impact.
Video pitches are published across SFDP platforms and open to public engagement and voting.
Final results are announced following verification of public engagement metrics.
Winning teams receive funding and begin implementation of their approved project ideas.
The challenge is open to teams of students and young professionals committed to public health action.
Undergraduate or graduate students in any field of study
Ages 18-30 working in healthcare, tech, or related fields
Teams of up to 3-5 members with diverse backgrounds. At least one team member must have a health-related background or work.
Open to individuals based in the 36 states and the FCT
Teams submit a one-page proposal, CVs, and short bios for each team member using the provided template.
No. Only a clear, feasible idea suitable for small-scale implementation.
No. The challenge is completely free to enter.
Proposals are screened based on relevance, feasibility, innovation, impact, and team capacity.
Winning teams receive structured mentorship on refining ideas as required, and funding to implement their project within two months. This is followed by submission of a short final report with photos and/or videos.
This is an opportunity to move from ideas to implementation.
If you have a practical public health idea, this challenge is for you.
By applying, you agree to our terms and conditions.