Intern - Building capacity for health impact innovation in Africa

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PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing heath challenges.

PATH’s product development division brings together our expertise across vaccines, diagnostics and Medical Devices and health technologies to advance product development and delivery to communities around the world.

The African Union has advanced a range of policy initiatives to strengthen regional manufacturing and innovation capacity in the health sector. These include the establishment of Regional Capability and Capacity Networks (RCCNs) to support workforce development, skills transfer, and research and development, as well as Gavi’s Africa Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), which aims to incentivize vaccine manufacturing through targeted financial mechanisms. At the same time, shifts in the global public health financing environment have increased the urgency for African governments to articulate clear national strategies for innovation, local production, and health security. Despite broad recognition of the importance of research and development within continental and national policy frameworks, comparatively limited attention has been paid to the translation of these strategies into implementable, country-level innovation initiatives that support product development. PATH’s Product Development Division is exploring the establishment of a product development incubator that reorients traditional models by placing local innovators at the center of the innovation process. The proposed incubator would align technical assistance and catalytic funding with national and regional priorities, strengthening local capacity to advance health product development from concept to product.

This master’s project will examine regional, sub-regional, and country-level priorities for health product innovation, with a focus on a select group of countries. It will assess government ambitions, policy commitments, and enabling environments for innovation, and map national R&D ecosystems across academia and the private sector to identify structural gaps and opportunities for targeted intervention. The project will also draw on insights from PATH’s Center for Advocacy and Policy (CAP), including work on Africa’s R&D policy agenda and the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). The findings will inform the design of the incubator and support resource mobilization.

Proposed activities for the internship

• Assessing regional, sub-regional, and national policy priorities for product development innovation through desk research and targeted stakeholder interviews
• Mapping R&D capabilities in selected countries to identify systemic strengths, gaps, and policy constraints
• Evaluating PATH’s internal capabilities and their alignment with government and regional priorities
• Assessing potential funding mechanisms, including sovereign, philanthropic, and impact-oriented finance
• Evaluating governance and sustainability models for the incubator
• Producing a report with recommendations to support the establishment and operationalization of the incubator

Benefit to intern

Gain knowledge of R&D policy agenda in Africa Development of a program in innovation in Africa Building network with stakeholders

Skills and experience the intern should have

• Bachelors degree, masters student level
• Background knowledge in global public health
• Scientific understanding
• Analytical skills

Originally posted on Himalayas