NCD Lab: Supporting grassroots innovation to tackle noncommunicable diseases

Great ideas start with a spark– and grow from the ground up

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and heart disease are the world’s biggest causes of death and disability. Their causes are multifaceted and complex, spanning from social, economic, and cultural factors to behavior patterns and health literacy.

Bottom-up, grassroots health initiatives that mobilize community knowledge and account for local contexts often prove more effective, equitable and sustainable in addressing NCDs than externally managed, ‘top-down’ interventions. If locally sourced innovations can be corroborated by evidence and scaled in different settings, they could have major national or even global impact.

Read the eligibility criteria