How can we build affordable, accessible, and high-quality health systems that serve everyone, everywhere?

Challenge Overview

Half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health services such as family planning and immunizations, just one example of the unfair yet avoidable differences that exist in health systems worldwide. These persistent inequalities exist both within and between countries, contributing to underserved communities such as ethnic minorities or refugees experiencing systematically worse health outcomes. Nearly 100 million people are driven into extreme poverty each year due to health expenses. The pandemic has only further underscored and exacerbated these disparities.

Even if health services were more available and affordable, embedded bias and discrimination still prevent people from achieving the best health outcomes. Ethnic and racial minorities can face mistreatment by healthcare providers who do not reflect the communities they serve or do not confront implicit biases. Exploitation and experimentation in the name of medical advances have often targeted marginalized communities, generating well-founded mistrust that can persist for generations. 

The MIT Solve community is looking for eight technology-based solutions that help build equitable health systems for all, especially for the most underserved communities. To that end, Solve seeks solutions that:

• Prioritize a people-centered infrastructure that ensures essential health services, equipment, and medicines are more accessible and affordable for those left out of the system.

• Identify, monitor, and/or reduce bias in healthcare systems at all stages, from medical research up to the point of care.

• Actively build, or re-build, trust and engagement between historically underserved communities and their health systems.

Special Call: Black & Brown Innovators program
Historical racism, exploitation, and ongoing bias contribute to communities of color in the US having worse health outcomes, higher mortality rates, and greater mistrust in the health system. As part of Solve’s ongoing work on US racial equity, we will select 1-2 solutions from the US working to address these disparities for our Black & Brown Innovators Program.

Prizes

MIT Solve - Solver Award 

All Solver teams selected for Solve’s Global Challenges and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve.

The GSR Prize

GSR will award a prize to solutions that use innovative technology and, in particular, blockchain solutions to address pressing issues in their communities and the world. As a leading cryptocurrency trading firm, GSR seeks to advance education, promote equality of opportunity, and contribute to a sustainable world, emphasizing blockchain and innovative technology-powered solutions. Up to $200,000 will be awarded across Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The Living Proof Prize: Women's Leadership Solutions

The Living Proof Prize is open to women-led teams that are using innovative approaches to solve challenges across economic prosperity, health, learning, and sustainability. The prize is funded by Living Proof, a haircare company at the crossroads of innovation and real-world results that is committed to social impact. Up to $100,000 will be granted across up to four Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The Innovation for Women Prize

The Innovation for Women Prize is open to solutions that use innovative technology to empower and enrich the lives of women and girls. The prize will be awarded to women-led, tech-powered solutions that aim to elevate women's voices and support positive and sustainable change in communities around the world. Up to $75,000 will be awarded across up to three Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The Andan Prize

The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion is open to solutions that advance the economic, financial, and political inclusion of refugees. The prize is funded by Andan Foundation, a Swiss non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting solutions that promote refugee resilience, self-reliance and integration. Up to $100,000 will be granted across up to four Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

AI for Humanity Prize

The AI for Humanity Prize is open to solutions leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity, as well as to those planning to utilize these technologies to amplify their impact. The prize is made possible by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy committed to advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Up to $150,000 in funding will be awarded across several Solver teams from any of Solve’s 2022 Global Challenges.

Heifer International Prize for Innovation for Smallholder Agriculture

The Heifer International Prize is open to solutions that support smallholder farmers to grow and scale their businesses and protect them from the adverse effects of climate change. The prize is funded by Heifer International, an international development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities. Up to $250,000 will be granted across several Solver teams from any 2022 Global Challenge or any earlier Solve Global Challenge.

The Elevate Prize

The Elevate Prize will be awarded to one non-profit Solver team from any 2022 Global Challenge or any earlier Solve Global Challenge. This prize is supported by The Elevate Prize Foundation, which has a mission of amplifying the work of impact leaders for social good and driving change together. The Solver team that is selected will participate in both the MIT Solver program and the Elevate Prize program, receiving a minimum of $300,000 over two years and ongoing support from The Elevate Prize Foundation and MIT Solve.

The Health Access Prize

The Health Access Prize is open to entrepreneurs who are developing boundary-pushing solutions addressing health workforce and healthcare challenges in low-income and diverse communities. This prize is supported and funded by Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, a fund within the Johnson & Johnson Foundation. Up to $175,000 will be granted across up to five Solver teams from the Equitable Health Systems and Care Economy Challenges.