COVID-19 forced humanity to confront the devastating costs that health emergencies inflict on the world. Despite warnings from scientists, our global community was not prepared for the health, economic, and social consequences of this latest public health crisis. The world’s varied reaction further exposed the dangers of siloed management and incomplete information. 

While exceptional efforts to develop vaccines and treatments offer hope for ending the current pandemic, there remains immense potential to learn from our mistakes and better prepare for future health emergencies. Powerful new developments in data, advanced analytics, and digital tools offer the opportunity to take decisive action against health threats at lower cost and with greater efficiency. The scaled use of such digital tools – in a transparent, interoperable, and secure manner – are solutions to properly identify, respond to, and recover from health emergencies. 

We need bold thinking, meaningful collaboration, and committed action to better prepare for the next global health emergency. The Trinity Challenge seeks solutions that use data and analytics to better:

• Identify: determine and limit diseases and the risks they pose to communities

• Respond: decrease transmission and spread by identifying measures that are effective, equitable, and affordable 

• Recover: improve the resilience of health and economic systems, and address the disproportionate impacts of outbreaks and pandemics, particularly on vulnerable groups

Solutions might respond to the Challenge by:

• Enabling public health professionals to predict outbreaks through early warning systems 

• Supporting governments and multilateral organizations to coordinate evidence-based rapid response plans to the health, social, and economic impacts of health emergencies

• Empowering individuals to avoid exposure and lessen transmission 

• Countering misinformation and convey accurate and trusted messages to the public

• Building supply chain visibility and streamline flows of medical products, especially to disconnected communities

• Facilitating multidisciplinary coordination among practitioners and academics working on the economic, behavioral, and emotional implications of global health emergencies

The Challenge’s inaugural round will comprise a total Prize Fund of £6M. Across the Challenge Areas (Identify, Respond, Recover), The Trinity Challenge seeks to identify a transformative solution to win a grand prize award of up to £2M. The remaining funds will be allocated to further winning submissions, for up to £1M per solution. At least one award per Challenge Area is expected.

Solutions can focus on COVID-19 but should also be applicable for future health emergencies. Solutions should encourage collaboration of individuals, organizations, institutions, and/or governments. Successful solutions should also demonstrate reasonable potential to achieve measurable impact within the next three years and provide a public good that is globally accessible under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

For any questions about The Trinity Challenge, please email: help@solve.mit.edu.