Issued on: 25 April 2024
Deadline: 17 June 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Technical Advisory Group for Building an Innovation Ecosystem for Public Health (TAG- BIEFPH). This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
Background
The WHO European Region faces a myriad of complex health challenges, ranging from the profound impact of climate change to the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Despite these challenges, the Region is endowed with significant innovation capacities that encompass scientific breakthroughs, technological advancements, and innovative healthcare models. However, the full potential of these innovations is yet to be tapped to benefit public health.
In light of these circumstances, there is a critical need to reimagine how innovation can be strategically positioned to serve public health effectively. The Technical Advisory Group for Building an Innovation Ecosystem for Public Health (TAG- BIEFPH) is envisaged to play a pivotal role by providing expert guidance and recommendations to navigate the complexities of fostering innovation within the public health sector. The TAG's expertise will be instrumental in addressing the European Region's pressing health challenges, seizing opportunities for innovation to enhance service delivery, drive policy development, and bolster overall public health impact. By leveraging the diverse landscape of public health innovation, encompassing social, scientific and technological advancements, and policy reforms, the TAG will work towards shaping a comprehensive and sustainable innovation ecosystem that aligns with the evolving public health needs of populations across the WHO European Region.
Functions of the TAG- BIEFPH
- Policy Analysis for Innovation
Conduct comprehensive policy analysis to assess the coherence of existing policies related to innovation in public health.
Identify areas for policy improvement and recommend adjustments to enhance the innovation ecosystem.
Review regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms, and collaboration structures to create an enabling environment for innovation.
- Identifying Innovation for scale-up
Map public health innovations with potential for significant impact on health outcomes.
Develop a strategy for scaling up selected innovations, considering feasibility, sustainability, and scalability across diverse settings.
Assess resource availability, stakeholder engagement, and adaptability to different contexts for successful scaling.
- Country capacity needs for innovation
Enhance problem identification by collaborating between innovation hubs and public health authorities to define specific public health issues.
Evaluate countries' innovation capacity to determine strengths, weaknesses, and readiness for innovation.
Develop tailored capacity building needs, including curriculum, training materials, and tools for problem statement generation.
- Establishing governance mechanisms for innovation
Define a governance framework to organize national innovation efforts effectively.
Clarify roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms among stakeholders involved in scaling up innovations.
Ensure transparency, accountability, and effective communication channels within the governance structure.
- Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms
Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the progress of innovation scale-up.
Develop indicators to measure the impact of innovations on health outcomes.
Develop data-driven models to optimize implementation, make informed decisions, and address challenges during the scale-up process.
- Strategic recommendations
Develop recommendations that support the development of a Strategy for harnessing health innovation in WHO European Region
Operations of the TAG- BIEFPH
The TAG- BIEFPH will normally meet once each year. However, the WHO/Europe is likely to convene additional meetings as and when needed, particularly during the first years of the TAG's existence. Meetings may be held in person (at the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen or another location, as determined by WHO) or virtually using online meeting options. In addition, the advice and feedback of the TAG- BIEFPH members may be sought over email.
Members will be appointed to service for a period of 2 years and shall be eligible for reappointment.
TAG- BIEFPH members are expected to attend meetings. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, WHO/Europe may end his/her appointment as a member of the TAG- BIEFPH.
Active participation is expected from all TAG- BIEFPH members, including in online meetings and interaction over email. Members may be required to review strategic documents and meeting documentation in advance of meetings to provide their views for consideration by the TAG- BIEFPH.
WHO/Europe shall determine the modes of communication of the TAG- BIEFPH.
The working language of the TAG will be English.
Who can express interest?
The TAG- BIEFPH will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the areas mentioned below. Approximately 15 may be selected.
WHO/Europe welcomes expressions of interest from researchers, impact investors, health care professionals, innovators, innovation policy experts, public health strategists, behavioural scientists, policymakers, youth advocates and representatives, patient advocacy groups, community health workers, health technology assessors, health equity advocates, health communication experts, health economics and financing specialists, quality improvement professionals, health entrepreneurs, innovation hub managers and regulatory experts.
Experience and expertise in the following areas are particularly desirable:
Expertise in innovation in health, experience in implementing and scaling health innovations and skills in assessing the impact of innovations on health outcomes.
Interdisciplinary collaboration, experience in fostering cooperation among diverse stakeholders and skills in integrating different perspectives to drive innovation.
Patient empowerment and engagement, expertise in empowering patients and involving them in their care and experience in integrating patient feedback into healthcare innovations.
Public Health and Primary Health Care, knowledge of public health strategies and primary health care principles, experience in preventive health services and population health management, and skills in promoting health equity and addressing social determinants of health.
Health technology assessment, expertise in evaluating the effectiveness and value of health technologies and experience in guiding decision-making processes related to technology adoption.
Ethics and Compliance, understanding of ethical considerations in health innovation, knowledge of regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements and skills in ensuring ethical practices and adherence to regulations in innovation.
Health Economics and Financing, proficiency in health economics, financing mechanisms, and resource allocation and experience in assessing the economic impact of innovations on health systems.
Quality Improvement and Service Delivery, expertise in enhancing healthcare quality and service delivery and experience in driving continuous improvement and excellence in healthcare practices.
Behavioral Science and Health Communication, understanding of human behavior in the context of public health and experience in effective health communication and community engagement.
Innovation Ecosystem development, knowledge of building and sustaining innovation ecosystems, experience in co-creating solutions with diverse stakeholders and skills in identifying needs, prioritizing innovations, and scaling solutions effectively.
Impact Investing, understanding of impact investing principles and strategies in the context of health innovation, expertise in evaluating the social and environmental impact of investments in innovation and skills in aligning financial goals with positive health outcomes and societal benefits.
Innovation Policy, knowledge of innovation policy frameworks and regulations related to innovation in health, experience in shaping policies that support and promote innovation in the public health sector, and skills in analyzing policy implications on health innovation ecosystems.
Government decision Makers, understanding of government processes, regulations, and funding mechanisms relevant to public health innovation and experience in influencing policy decisions and driving change at the governmental level.
Evaluation and Monitoring, experience in evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of health innovations, skills in developing monitoring frameworks to track progress, outcomes, and performance indicators and expertise in conducting rigorous assessments to ensure that innovations meet predefined goals and objectives.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the TAG- BIEFPH, please submit the following documents by 17 June 2024, 23:59 (CEST) to Moredreck Chibi (chibim@who.int) and Gauden Galea (galeag@who.int) to using the subject line “Expression of interest for the WHO/Europe TAG-BIEFPH”:
A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria. Please note that, if selected, membership will be in a personal capacity. Therefore, do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer);
Your curriculum vitae; and
A signed and completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form for WHO Experts, available at https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest.
After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes and conditions of appointment
Members of WHO advisory groups (AGs) must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interests for WHO Experts, and the selection as a member of a AG is, amongst other things, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any identified conflicts could be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of an applicant’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
All AG members will serve in their individual expert capacity and shall not represent any governments, any commercial industries or entities, any research, academic or civil society organizations, or any other bodies, entities, institutions or organizations. They are expected to fully comply with the Code of Conduct for WHO Experts (https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest). AG members will be expected to sign and return a completed confidentiality undertaking prior to the beginning of the first meeting.
At any point during the selection process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the WHO Secretariat to enable WHO to ask questions relating to the applicant’s experience and expertise and/or to assess whether the applicant meets the criteria for membership in the relevant AG.
The selection of members of the AGs will be made by WHO in its sole discretion, taking into account the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; communication skills; and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations. The selection of AG members will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.
If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of a AG will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.
WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any expression of interest, to annul the open call process and reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant or applicants and without any obligation to inform the affected applicant or applicants of the grounds for WHO's action. WHO may also decide, at any time, not to proceed with the establishment of the AG, disband an existing TAG or modify the work of the AG.
WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an expression of interest was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.
WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the selected individuals on the WHO internet.
AG members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the AG or otherwise. Travel and accommodation expenses of AG members to participate in AG meetings will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules and procedures.
The appointment will be limited in time as indicated in the letter of appointment.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to Moredreck Chibi (chibim@who.int) and Gauden Galea (galeag@who.int) well before the applicable deadline.
On 31 May 2024 the content of this article was updated to extend the deadline for applications until 17 June 2024.
On 14 May 2024 the content of this article was updated to extend the deadline for applications until 31 May 2024.