Purpose
The Catalyst Awards—part of the broader Healthy Longevity Global Competition—reward bold, new, potentially transformative ideas to improve the physical, mental, or social well-being and health of people as they age, in a measurable and equitable way.
The National Academy of Medicine (“NAM”), with support from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Bia-Echo Foundation, and the Yun Family Foundation, will issue up to 25 Catalyst Awards per year in 2020-2022 to US-based innovators. Each Catalyst Award includes a $50,000 cash prize as well as travel costs to attend an annual Global Innovator Summit.
Background
The NAM is currently seeking bold, new, and innovative ideas that aim to extend the human healthspan (i.e., the number of years lived in good health), especially approaches that challenge existing paradigms or propose new methodologies or concepts. High-risk ideas that could potentially yield high rewards and, in turn, dramatically change the field of healthy longevity are encouraged.
Ideas may focus on any stage of life, as long as they ultimately promote health as people age.
Applications may also originate from any field or combination of fields (e.g., biology, chemistry, medicine, engineering, behavioral and social sciences, technology, data science, and policy). Examples of topic areas include but are not limited to:
- Behavioral health (e.g., social connectedness, engagement, and well-being)
- Biology of aging and molecular pathways
- Built environment and urban planning
- Disease prevention, including biomarkers and indicators of disease
- Health care delivery (e.g., technologies simplifying access to care, elder care services)
- Housing (e.g., smart-enabled homes, intergenerational housing models)
- Physical health (e.g., mobility and functionality)
- Policy (e.g., economic, health, and science)
- Reproductive longevity and equality
- Technology (e.g., artificial intelligence; robotics; medical, assistive, and information technology)
The NAM does not seek to fund existing programs (or slight variations thereof), approaches that are primarily public awareness, educational, or advocacy campaigns, nor products that are already commercially available.
URLs for more information:
Filed Under: Funding Opportunities