Foundations Launch $2M Innovation Challenge to Harness Health Data
The Knight Foundation, a Miami, Fla.-based media corporation, is teaming up with four big-name health collaborators to launch a health innovation challenge, offering $2 million for innovative use of health data.
The Knight Foundation will be joined by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California HealthCare Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, and the Health Data Consortium. The contest, which starts on Aug.19, challenges participants to answer the question, "How might we harness data and information for the health of communities?"
“Health is an area where journalism, open data, and public information overlap, giving us a direct, tangible opportunity to help people learn more and make smart choices through the use of technology and data,” Michael Maness, vice president for journalism and media innovation at Knight Foundation, said in a statement.
The Knight Foundation said that they will be looking for ideas that, for example, make use of large public datasets, help inform healthcare consumers, leverage personal behavioral data, or inform local health policy. The challenge will begin with an opening “inspiration” phase when anyone can identify needs, share success stories, post data sets and contribute ideas. Afterwards, the challenge will be open for entries from Sept. 3-17.
Earlier this year, the Knight Foundation awarded more than $3.2 million to eight projects as part of its challenge to provide new tools and approaches to improve the way people and governments interact.
