Accelerating impact of innovations for health

The objective of the WHO Compendium is to compile and showcase emerging innovative health technologies for low-resource settings. WHO performs evidence-based assessments focused on the life cycle of health technology innovations for low-resource settings. The evaluation includes:

• General technology details
• WHO specification comparison
• Regulatory assessment
• Technology evidence assessment
• Health technology and engineering management assessment
• Intellectual property and local production assessment

The WHO Compendium presents manufacturer-reported information and WHO assessment results. It focuses on health technologies which have the potential to improve health outcomes and quality of life, or to offer a solution to an unmet medical/health technology need.  The WHO compendium sheds light on advantages and challenges associated with implementing health technologies in low-resource settings and can be used by NGOs, governments, and other stakeholders to support procurement decisions.

The WHO Compendium acknowledges success stories and raises awareness of the pressing need for appropriate and affordable design solutions. It also promotes innovation in the field. This effort aims to promote interaction among ministries of health, procurement officers, donors, technology developers, manufacturers, clinicians, academics and the general public. Ultimately, it ensure greater investment in health technology towards universal access to essential health technologies.

2023 Call for innovative health technologies for low-resource settings.

The 2023 Call was closed on October 31, 2023, and it focused on technologies to address noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally. Each year, 17 million people die from a NCD before age 70; 86% of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

The 2023 Call received submissions for commercially available technologies and prototypes. In addition, WHO received updates for technologies previously featured in the Compendium. Despite the focus on NCDs, the call considered submissions of technologies related to other diseases and health conditions.

Thank you for all your submissions!

If you are planning to submit your innovation to future calls, please consider that the assessment is extensive. WHO requires innovators to complete a questionnaire and provide all available evidence and relevant documentation to all claims sustained in the questionnaire. The WHO assessment includes the following sections: General technology details, WHO technical specification comparison, Regulatory assessment, Health technology evidence assessment, Health technology management assessment, and Local production and intellectual property assessment.

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