Knowledge Action Portal on NCDs

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

Responding to the global NCD epidemic calls for novel, evidence-informed and equitable interventions that combine new technologies with outside-the-box ideas, multidisciplinary thinking, and cross-sectoral action. The WHO NCD Lab supports promising grassroots innovations to achieve scale by building knowledge and forging strategic partnerships.

For its 2024 cycle, the NCD Lab called for innovative solutions that transform how NCD and mental health services are delivered by leveraging the primary health care approach.

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NCD Lab thematic areas

The NCD Lab supports innovative projects in three main thematic areas ‘Women and Girls’, ‘NCDs and the Next Generation’, and ‘Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs and Mental Health Conditions’. Each thematic area is co-chaired by a GCM/NCD Participant and supported by a Steering Group with international experts from multiple sectors.

Explore the thematic areas and discover how selected NCD Lab projects drive impact for improved prevention and control of NCDs and mental health conditions. 

NCD LAB THEMATIC AREA

Women and Girls

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NCD LAB THEMATIC AREA

Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs and Mental Health Conditions

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NCD LAB THEMATIC AREA

NCDs and the Next Generation

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NCD Lab Cycle 4: Transforming the delivery of NCD and mental health services in primary health care

Most NCDs and their risk factors can be prevented or managed at the primary care level. Primary health care (PHC) improves quality of care, access to services, user experience, and – with long-term investment – overall population health.

It is time to radically reorient NCD and mental health services towards a PHC approach. Integrated health services, empowered people and communities, and multisectoral actions hold the key to this transformation.

Explore how innovative PHC approaches can make a difference in the NCD Lab's three thematic areas.

Explore NCD Lab projects

SPOTLIGHT

NCD Lab Cycle 4: Transforming the delivery of NCD and mental health services in primary health care

For its 4th cycle, the WHO NCD Lab called for innovative solutions that strengthen noncommunicable disease (NCD) and mental health services using a primary health care approach. Five innovations were selected to be included in the NCD Lab’s growing global portfolio of leading NCD innovations. Discover how these five innovators are tackling NCDs and mental health challenges in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda with integrated, community-driven, and inclusive initiatives. 

 

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Why apply?

Grassroots innovations selected by the NCD Lab have the potential to shape global policy and practice on NCDs and mental health care. They are included in a global portfolio of leading NCD innovations and receive tailored support to enhance impact and achieve scale by the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs and its partners. NCD Lab innovators participate in high-level meetings, promote their ideas to WHO countries and strategic partners, and have access to dedicated networking events and capacity-building workshops.

NCD Lab knowledge resources

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.

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

Latest project highlights

The Next Generation

OKB Hope Foundation: Prevention and primary care at the doorstep of underserved, rural communities in Ghana

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Meaningful Engagement

MAISHA: Establishing youth-friendly mental health services in Nakuru County, Kenya

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Meaningful Engagement

Kids Haven & In2Position NPC: Empowering young people and communities to address mental health challenges in township communities in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Women & Girls

Finemind: Integrating mental health services into primary care in Uganda

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Women & Girls

Gender Mobile Initiative: Empowering communities and integrating mental health support to end Female Genital Mutilation in Ekiti State, Nigeria

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The Next Generation

HealthSetGo: Building India's largest network of health promoting schools

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The Next Generation

Juntos Santiago: Mobile technology and gamification to prevent childhood obesity in schools

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The Next Generation

¡Juntos+Saludables!: Promoting physical and mental health among children and their families in Chile

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The Next Generation

Unmasking the drivers of type 2 diabetes through poetry and multimedia: The Bigger Picture public health literacy campaign (United States of America)

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Meaningful Engagement

Tackling diabetes in children and adolescents in Indonesia: The PEDIA project

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Women & Girls

The double burden of diabetes and social discrimination: Empowering women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Women & Girls

The Healthy Woman: Equipping women in Kenya to tackle obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

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SPOTLIGHT

Join the Grassroots Innovation on NCDs Community

The Grassroots Innovations on NCDs community is a global network of innovators, researchers, funders, accelerators, policymakers and other key stakeholders committed to scaling up locally-driven solutions to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in communities and countries. The community is open to everyone interested in sourcing and scaling innovative ideas that help tackle NCDs from the bottom up. Join now by providing some more information about yourself, your work and your interests.

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Knowledge resources

NCD Lab Innovators are supported to achieve greater impact through opportunities to shape global NCD priorities, dedicated knowledge resources, communications support, and more. Explore our resources below.


Content Collection

NCD Lab Innovators: Shaping global policy and practice

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Webinar

First NCD Lab webinar

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Country Stories

NCD Lab Feature Stories

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Webinar

NCD Lab 2022 Webinar

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Share your project. Join the NCD Lab's global network.

The NCD Lab accepts submissions from individuals, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private sector entities and philanthropic foundations in accordance with the WHO Framework of engagement with non-State actors. 

Projects may not be connected to or funded by any of the following industries: tobacco, arms, pharmacological, food and beverage, sports, gaming, alcohol, gambling, or sports betting.

Read the eligibility criteria

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