HFI Proposes Devices for Development ConsortiumLearn about our Devices for Development Consortium, new collaborations, and how HFI can help you become an innovative finance expert
On March 22nd, HFI convened an expert roundtable to discuss innovative solutions to the growing diabetes burden in low- middle- income countries. This was the first in a series of events to discuss the proposed Devices for Development Consortium and featured speakers from the World Economic Forum and the International Humanitarian Financing Forum.
During the event, HFI proposed a first-of-its-kind diabetes device fund using advance market commitments and an opportunity for the diabetic device eco-system to pursue breakthrough low-cost technologies. At the roundtable, participants discussed how to lower technology prices, outlined the components of a successful financial structure, and considered the tipping point of interventions and the readiness of health systems to support leapfrogging approaches.
Overall, the roundtable was a successful first step in building a blended finance mechanism to ensure people living with diabetes are empowered and able to afford and access high-quality treatment. We want to thank all the participants and the Innovative Humanitarian Financing Forum and Life for a Child for their collaboration and support.
If you or those in your network would like to be engaged in future Devices for Development Consortium discussions, please email Debra Winberg at debra@healthfinanceinstitute.org. Keep an eye on our newsletter and social media for more information on this pioneering initiative.
Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship collaboration
HFI has begun working in collaboration with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship to explore the design of innovative financing mechanisms and their application for noncommunicable diseases in South Africa. The Bertha Centre, a specialized unit of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, invests in the next generation of social innovators through scholarships; supports practical, rigorous teaching, exposure and debate; and encourages the application of focused research to take on immediate and critical challenges to the fabric of Africa’s social and economic future. Together, HFI and the Bertha Centre hope to increase the use of innovative financing mechanisms to offer novel solutions for chronic diseases in South Africa.
Blended finance training for organizations
HFI delivered our first tailored blended finance training and workshop for the City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/CAN). This was the first of a series of three workshops focused on enabling participants with a foundational understanding of innovative finance instruments and how blended finance can raise catalytic funding for cancer prevention and treatment programs. C/CAN staff will explore blended finance solutions for their work and begin designing a blended finance vehicle in future workshops.
If you are interested in learning more about blended finance and how innovative finance techniques can help your organization reach its goals, please e-mail Yun Fu at yun@healthfinanceinstitute.comto book a Blended Finance 101 session.
HFI becomes a FORESIGHT Global Health knowledge partner
HFI has officially joined FORESIGHT Global Health as a knowledge partner. By becoming a knowledge partner, we will join a community of like-minded organizations that will work together to further the conversations around NCDs and the NCD financing gap. Together, we will highlight the growing burden of NCDs and show how innovative finance solutions and public-private partnerships are essential to addressing the NCD financing gap. We hope engaging in these conversations will increase access to high-quality NCD prevention and treatment.
Read our first piece on NCDs and blended finance with FORESIGHT Global Health here.
HFI reflects on 2020 in its Impact Report
Last week HFI published its first Impact Report. Read the report below to learn about HFI's work in 2020, including reflections from HFI's CEO, Dr. Andrea Feigl, and key accomplishments such as HFI's epidemiological-economic model, country scoping reports, and blended finance primers and checklists.
Blended Finance Digest: Reflections from the Impact Investing World Forum
This week, HFI team members attended the Impact Investing World Forum. Throughout the event, our team had the chance to learn about the latest trends in impact investing, how to measure impact, and opportunities in the impact investing space. Several HFI team members share their reflections on the week.
"At the closing session, Olga Emelianova, the Executive Director of ESG Research at MSCI, discussed how to assess company alignment with UN SDGs. Currently, all companies are self-reporting their ‘impact’ to regulatory authorities. The lack of transparency and credibility makes many impact investors increasingly concerned about ‘impact washing’ by the companies. Evidence has shown that third-party verification, if used, can highlight up to 60% of discrepancies in climate investing. The emerging consensus on the critical need for a credible impact measurement system echoes HFI’s mission of using data and evidence-based models to design innovative finance vehicles." - Yun Fu, Innovative Finance Specialist
"The Impact Investing World Forum brought together expert speakers to share opportunities and approaches in the impact investing space. COVID-19 was a clear thread throughout the Forum, but health overall was not featured as much sectors like climate and the environment. The conference helped me understand the range of ESG standard-setting organizations and exposed me to more organizations in the ecosystem, but also underscored the need for greater learning and investment in the health sector." - Erin Gregor, Chief of Staff
