MIT Solve: The Trinity Challenge

COVID-19 forced humanity to confront the devastating costs that health emergencies inflict on the world. Despite warnings from scientists, our global community was not prepared for the health, economic, and social consequences of this latest public health crisis. The world’s varied reaction further exposed the dangers of siloed management and incomplete information. 

While exceptional efforts to develop vaccines and treatments offer hope for ending the current pandemic, there remains immense potential to learn from our mistakes and better prepare for future health emergencies. Powerful new developments in data, advanced analytics, and digital tools offer the opportunity to take decisive action against health threats at lower cost and with greater efficiency. The scaled use of such digital tools – in a transparent, interoperable, and secure manner – are solutions to properly identify, respond to, and recover from health emergencies. 

We need bold thinking, meaningful collaboration, and committed action to better prepare for the next global health emergency. The Trinity Challenge seeks solutions that use data and analytics to better:

Identify: determine and limit diseases and the risks they pose to communities

Respond: decrease transmission and spread by identifying measures that are effective, equitable, and affordable 

Recover: improve the resilience of health and economic systems, and address the disproportionate impacts of outbreaks and pandemics, particularly on vulnerable groups

Solutions might respond to the Challenge by:

Enabling public health professionals to predict outbreaks through early warning systems 

Supporting governments and multilateral organizations to coordinate evidence-based rapid response plans to the health, social, and economic impacts of health emergencies

Empowering individuals to avoid exposure and lessen transmission 

Countering misinformation and convey accurate and trusted messages to the public

Building supply chain visibility and streamline flows of medical products, especially to disconnected communities

Facilitating multidisciplinary coordination among practitioners and academics working on the economic, behavioral, and emotional implications of global health emergencies

Prizes

The Challenge’s inaugural round will comprise a total Prize Fund of up to £10M. Across the Challenge Areas (Identify, Respond, Recover), The Trinity Challenge seeks to identify a transformative solution to win a grand prize award of up to £2M. The remaining funds will be allocated to further winning submissions, for up to £1M per solution. At least one award per Challenge Area is expected.

Solutions can focus on COVID-19 but should also be applicable for future health emergencies. Solutions should encourage collaboration of individuals, organizations, institutions, and/or governments. Successful solutions should also demonstrate reasonable potential to achieve measurable impact within the next three years and provide a public good that is globally accessible under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Eligibility

The Trinity Challenge welcomes submissions from anyone, anywhere in the world. In addition to offering prize funding, The Trinity Challenge will aim to support winning solutions by enabling collaborations with its Members.

While submissions are welcome from anyone, the following eligibility criteria must be met in order to receive prize funding.

Prize funding is available to any of the following entities:

Individuals or groups of individuals, provided that they will create or appoint a legally registered organisation in its home jurisdiction with a bank account to receive prize funding. No funds will be paid directly to individuals.

Organisations, in any form, that are legally registered in their home jurisdiction with a bank account registered to that organisation. 

A consortium of the above, provided that a lead organisation or individual is identified.

The Trinity Challenge may require that a solution appoints a fiscal sponsor to receive and administer any award funds on their behalf.

Within their submission, applicants must outline how their solution provides a public benefit that would be globally accessible under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Prize funding will not be awarded to any of the following:

Corporate Founding Members or Members of The Trinity Challenge that have made a contribution into the prize fund

Any applicant that fails The Trinity Challenge Due Diligence checks 

Any applicant that does not agree to The Trinity Challenge Award Agreement

For-profit companies that fulfil (or are controlled by a for-profit group that fulfils) any two of the following conditions:

Annual revenue/turnover in excess of £50M per year

Balance sheet net assets in excess of £20M

Average monthly FTE employees in excess of 250

Deadline to Submit a Solution: 12 Noon Eastern Time

April 15, 2021