יוזמת Nexa הגלובלית הושקה לתמיכה בחדשנות
בתחום האקלים והבריאות
קונסורציום עולמי מחפש פתרונות נועזים וניתנים
להרחבה אשר יפחיתו את הנזקים הבריאותיים המונעים על ידי אקלים בקהילות פגיעות.
לונדון, 21 ביוני 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
–
בשבוע הפעולה
האקלימית בלונדון, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) וקרן
המדע לאפריקה (SFA Foundation) הכריזו היום על השקת Nexa,
יוזמה עולמית לתמיכה בחדשנות מקומית המטפלת בהשפעות הבריאותיות הגוברות של שינויי
האקלים. Nexa מובלת על ידי GCC (בשיתוף
פעולה עם ממשלת קנדה) וקרן SFA, יחד עם רשת עולמית של משתפי
פעולה הכוללת את קרן נובו נורדיסק, קרן סנופי וקרן לחדשנות.
Global Nexa Initiative Launches to Support Climate and Health
Innovations
Global consortium seeks bold,
scalable solutions that reduce climate-driven health harms on
vulnerable communities
LONDON, June
21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) –
At London Climate Action Week, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC)
and the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) today
announced the launch of Nexa, a global
initiative to support locally led innovations that
address the growing health impacts of climate change. Nexa is
led by GCC (in partnership with the Government of Canada) and
SFA Foundation, together with a global network of collaborators that
includes Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi Foundation, Fund
for Innovation
in Development, and members of the Global Grand
Challenges Network in Botswana, Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal and South
Africa. Nexa aims to mobilize upwards of US$50 million in partner
investment to expand the impact of urgently
needed climate-health innovations in low-and middle-income
countries. The first Nexa funding call opens June 22 for innovations in
Africa and the Americas.
The climate crisis has been described in The Lancet as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century.
An estimated 3.6 billion people worldwide live in climate-vulnerable
regions. Nexa responds to the challenges communities across
low- and middle-income countries face as intensifying climate
pressures drive new and worsening health risks and
place additional strain on already overburdened health
systems.
“Communities around the world are facing rapidly growing threats to
their health and livelihoods while global climate commitments are weakening,”
said Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada. “Nexa is
about supporting bold, locally led innovation to
transform how people stay healthy in the face of climate
change.”
Nexa is informed by findings from the largest climate and
health survey to date, which engaged 6,400
respondents across 107 low- and
middle-income countries. In 2025, Grand Challenges Canada, the
Science for Africa Foundation and the Global Grand Challenges Network partnered
with The Geneva Learning Foundation to gather insights from health
workers, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and humanitarian workers
affected by climate-related health threats. Findings are being prepared
for publication in an academic journal.
“Climate and health is one of the defining challenges of our time and it
will require new models of partnership and investment,” said Dr. Tom Kariuki,
CEO of the Science for Africa Foundation. “Those closest to these challenges
are often closest to the solutions. Nexa demonstrates what is possible when
African priorities, local innovation, and global collaboration come together
around a shared goal.”
Rising temperatures, changing disease patterns and severe weather
events disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including pregnant
women, people with chronic illnesses, children, and underserved
communities with limited access to healthcare. Nexa will
support bold innovations that focus on three
key climate-related drivers of health
risks to vulnerable communities: changing vector
patterns (causing malaria and dengue), extreme
heat, and poor air quality.
“The Government of Canada is proud to support Nexa. Investments in
locally led climate and health innovations can create new pathways for
vulnerable communities to overcome the health impacts of climate change and
safeguard global health,” said the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Canada’s Secretary
of State for International Development.
Nexa will provide catalytic funding for both early-stage and growth-stage
climate and health innovations that strengthen health systems adaptation
and resilience and have a strong potential for impact and scale. Proof of
Concept innovations will receive up to US$200,000 over 18-24
months to support early-stage ideas. Proven solutions will receive
approximately US$250,000 - $2,000,000 of Transition to Scale funding each,
depending on the maturity of the innovation.
Innovations may take the form of a product,
process, service, or delivery model that can deliver better outcomes
than existing approaches and lead to transformational impact. Applications
for innovations in Africa and the Americas will be accepted from June 22
– July 22, 2026. Future funding calls will address climate and health
innovation in Asia. Initial investments to support early- and growth-stage
climate and health innovators will begin in early 2027.
Philanthropic, public-sector, and private sector
partners interested in
joining Nexa and potential applicants can visit www.nexaclimate.org to learn more. Funding
opportunities will open June 22, 2026, at www.grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding/.
About Nexa: Nexa is a global climate and health
initiative co-led by Grand Challenges Canada and the Science for Africa
Foundation, together with a global network of partners. Nexa supports locally
led innovations that help communities anticipate, adapt, and respond to
climate-related health threats, with an initial focus on extreme heat,
mosquito-borne infections, and poor air quality. Informed by insights from past
funding calls and the largest-ever global survey of health workers on climate
and health, Nexa invests in solutions that strengthen timely health action
where it’s needed most.
Nexa partners include Grand Challenges Canada, the Science for Africa
Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi Foundation, Fund for Innovation in
Development, and Grand Challenges members in Botswana (Botswana
Innovation Fund), Brazil, Malawi (NSCT Malawi), Rwanda, Senegal (Institut
Pasteur Dakar), and South Africa (South African Medical Research Council).
About Grand Challenges Canada: Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) backs Bold Ideas with Big
Impact®. With anchor funding from the Government of Canada, GCC invests in
bold, locally led innovations solving critical health and development
challenges, and helps the most promising solutions reach millions of people
around the world. GCC has supported more than 1,600 innovations in 110
countries and aims to reach 700 million people by 2035. Learn more at www.grandchallenges.ca.
About Science for Africa Foundation: The Science for Africa
Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a pan-African, non-profit, and public charity
organisation that supports, strengthens, and promotes science and innovation in
Africa. SFA Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by investing in
transformative research and innovation, enabling interdisciplinary
collaborations, and building and reinforcing environments that are conducive
for scientists to thrive and produce quality research that generates new,
locally relevant knowledge. Learn more at www.scienceforafrica.foundation.
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