USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures’ (DIV) Development Innovation Fund can provide support to address critical challenges in development that will contribute towards the improvement of the lives of people in developing countries. “All projects must contribute to one or more development goals, such as improved incomes, health, education, environment, and governance for people in the developing world. There will be a special focus in the USAID initiative areas of food security, science and technology, global health, Afghanistan /Pakistan, entrepreneurship, and climate change.”
- Some examples for the innovations have been given as follows:
- New tools for more effective agriculture extension;
- New approaches to increase the fraction of HIV pregnant women who are tested for the disease and treated to prevent maternal to child transmission;
- Solutions for monitoring traffic police corruption or absenteeism among frontline health and education workers;
- An auction system to better allocate electricity during shortages; and
- A solar lighting system distributed by local entrepreneurs at a price/service point that induces wide adoption.
As part of its portfolio, DIV will seek to create not only new solutions to general development challenges but also new, more effective, financing and models for aid delivery.
