AUTHOR=El Akoum Maha , El Achi Mahmoud 

TITLE=Reimagining Innovation Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights From the WISH Innovation Programme

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.678768

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.678768

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) hosts two innovation competitions as part of its biennial healthcare conference. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WISH received over 350 applications for both competitions, out of which 31 were shortlisted to showcase at the WISH 2020 virtual summit. Of the 31 showcasing innovations, 29% had suggested an alternative use to their innovation as a contribution to the global fight against COVID-19. As such, this article explores the apparent and urgent need for the repurposing of healthcare innovations as a way to reduce the costs and time associated with the conventional approach, in order to best respond to the demands of the global pandemic.