Postive Action Challenges

Positive Action Challenges (PAC) is a ViiV Healthcare funded programme encouraging new approaches to solve specific but common problems in HIV that limit health, opportunity and rights.

We run challenge prizes connecting experts in HIV and international development communities with solvers and innovators from other fields. Our challenges aim to identify innovative solutions that can overcome the common bottlenecks faced in tackling HIV.

Whether you are a healthcare development expert or an innovator inspired to apply your skills and ideas, you can play a valuable part in solving the enduring problems in HIV.
Our challenges connect experts in HIV and international development with problem solvers and innovators from technology, academia, business and beyond. We aim to identify innovative solutions that can overcome the common bottlenecks faced by communities and health systems in tackling HIV.

1. Introduction: These rules apply to all Postive Action Challenges (“Challenges”) as posted on the Positive Action Challenges website https://positiveactionchallenges.com (the “PAC Website”). Additional Challenge rules or criteria may also be posted on the PAC Website. All Challenges are sponsored, promoted and run by ViiV Healthcare Ltd (“ViiV Healthcare”).
2. Challenge Phases: There are three phases to all Challenges: Concept, Development and Judging.

a. Concept Phase: Applicants will submit a concept note, providing a summary of their innovation, addressing the specific criteria described in the individual Challenge. Applicants may submit their concept directly or request input from the PAC Community to refine the concept prior to submission. All Challenge concepts submitted by the Challenge deadline will first be assessed by the Positive Action Challenges (PAC) team. The PAC team consists of three to five employees of ViiV Healthcare. Challenge concepts that, in the PAC team’s sole discretion, best meet the applicable Challenge criteria will be choosen to progress to the “Development Phase”.

b. Development Phase: Those concepts that have been chosen to progress to the “Development” phase, will be invited to submit a Full Application, providing more detail about the proposed innovation. The Full Application will seek more specific details about how the proposed innovation meets the criteria of the applicable Challenge. All applicants must meet the Eligibilty requirements set forth in Section 3 below. Full Applications will be assessed for eligibility by the PAC team before being progressed to the “Judging Phase”. Applicants that do not meet the eligibility requirements in Section 3 below will not be progressed to the Judging Phase.

c. Judging Phase: Eligible Full Applications will be reviewed and judged by an independent panel of judges, listed on the applicable Challenge section of the PAC Website. Judges have final discretion on the allocation of funding for prize awards. The PAC team reserves the right to withhold or withdraw prize funding in the event that winners do not meet the below eligibility criteria.

3. Eligibility and Restrictions: Positive Action Challenges are open to any applicant (“Applicant”) who is (a) an individual, age 18 years or older; or (b) a group of individuals in which at least one individual is 18 years or older (individuals under 18 are eligible to participate in any Challenge unless prohibited by applicable law); or (c) one or more public or private entities, including, without limitation, universities, academic institutions, not-for-profit entities and private sector organisations. Unless otherwise restricted by the Challenge, the Applicant may be from any geographic area. The Applicant must comply with these Challenge Rules and all funding rules associated with any Challenge prizes. The Applicant may not be a healthcare provider who is qualified to prescribe medicinal products or directly or indirectly influence the use of such products. In the event the Applicant is a governmental entity or a governmental employee, ViiV Healthcare reserves the right to conduct an evaluation to ensure Applicant’s eligibility with these Challenge Rules and any applicable Challenge criteria. In addition, ViiV Healthcare reserves the right to evaluate the eligibility of any government official or the eligibility of Applicants that reside in a jurisdiction that restricts or prohibits contests. The Applicant, including each individual member of an Applicant group, may not be an employee of ViiV Healthcare or any of its affiliates, a judge of the Challenge in question, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution or distribution of the Challenge or a member of the household of such an individual. The Applicant must not be or have a member who is currently on the Excluded Parties List maintained by the United States government. There is no maximum team size. Each Applicant must assign at least one named team leader. If Applicant teams include members under 18 years of age, those members are required to submit a Parent Consent Form signed by a parent or legal guardian.
4. How to Enter: All Challenge Entries must be submitted through the link on the PAC Website https://positiveactionchallenges.com/. For purposes of these Challenge Rules, an “Entry / ies” includes the application form (Concept Note and/or Full Application where applicable) and all materials submitted in connection with the applicable Challenge. All Entries must be submitted in the manner and format specified on the Challenge application form. All Entries must be received by the stated deadline listed on the PAC Website and community portal for each applicable Challenge. No entry fee, purchase or payment of any kind is required to enter. Challenge Entries will not be returned to Applicants.
5. Entry Requirements: Entries must not infringe any copyright or other intellectual property rights of any third party or misappropriate any trade secrets of any third party. Entries may be new ideas or existing early stage prototypes that are ready for further development. Each Entry will include the title of the Entry project; the name of the Applicant; the names, field of expertise; information about how the Applicant found out about the Challenge; an Executive Summary of the proposal for solving the specific Challenge described, suitable for an informed lay audience; a complete online application form and any supporting information that would be helpful in understanding Applicant’s Entry. All Entries must be written in English. Application and supporting documents should:

a. Describe the proposed tool, technology or service (the ”Innovation”);

b. Highlight how the proposed Entry would utilise existing open content and data for further collaboration / advancement / enhancement, if applicable;

c. Provide web links to any existing prototype or other online presence of the Innovation;

d. Briefly describe the targets for developing the Innovation if the Applicant is successful in the Concept phase; and provide further detail on Challenge criteria for the Development phase.

e. If Challenge allows, submit updates of Phase concepts with data / evidence.

f. Outline if, how and under what license/arrangement the outputs (including any computer code) would be made available to the wider public.

6. Judging Criteria: In evaluating Entries and determining winners of the challenge prizes, the Judges will apply the following core criteria. Additional criteria may be applied on a Challenge-by-Challenge basis and will be defined as such in the ‘Challenge Details’ section of the website. Winners will be deterimed by the date indicated in the applicable Challenge, or if not indicated, no more than six months from the Development Phase deadline.

People Centred – Winning Entries may focus on a process, technology or other system, but the ultimate benefit must be measurable in terms of impact on people’s lives. Must ensure privacy, demonstrate an ability to not perpetuate stigma associated with HIV and enhance active community participation in solution development, where possible.

Replicable – Entries can be replicated and adapted by others at low cost to ensure broader implementation and uptake as quickly as possible in similar settings.

Scalable – Entries must demonstrate how they can be scaled beyond pilot programmes to large-scale responses that can be implemented at greater/national scale.

Sustainable – Entries must demonstrate how they are implementable in the longer term (beyond the lifecycle of any prize funding awarded) using the resources that already exist or which can be incremental to existing service delivery at low cost.

Affordable – Entries must demonstrate affordability (low-cost or no-cost to the end users) within rescourse limited settings or other similar settings as detailed in the individual Challenges.

Achieving substantive change – Successful Entries are expected to change the thoughts, processes and other barriers that prevent people living in resource limited settings from receiving the best care possible within the resources (financial and other) available, demonstrating a clear benefit to the people and systems targeted.

Judges will rate how well each Entry meets each of the criteria above, plus any specific criteria related to each Challenge posted on the PAC Website, on a 5 point scale, with 5 being the highest. The Entries with the highest total scores may be eligible for prizes. The number of potential prizes available for each Challenge will be posted on the PAC Website. Judges may decide, at their sole discretion, not to award any prizes if no Entries are deemed worthy when applying the Judging Criteria described above. All decisions of the Judges are final and binding. Winners will be notified by email.
7. Judges: The Judges for each Challenge are listed on the PAC Website (www.positiveactionchallenges.com) in the description of the Challenge in question.
8. Prizes: Prize award amounts will vary on a Challenge-by-Challenge basis. A ‘Grand Prize’ may be awarded to any Applciant(s) that successfully meets all of the stated Challenge criteria and objecitves. The Grand Prize amount will be stated within the individual Challenge prize pages listed on the PAC Website (www.positiveactionchallenges.com) along with any other prize awards that may be offered in association with a Challenge.
All Challenge prizes are not required to be awarded. The Judges shall have the right to determine, at their sole discretion, how many prizes to award, based on the Judging Criteria and any additional applicable Challenge criteria. All prize award amounts must be used for further development of the winning Entry. Applicants chosen by the Judges for prize awards are required to sign a Prize Award Agreement in order to receive prizes. If the Prize Award Agreement is not signed and returned within 30 days the winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be chosen based on the Judging Criteria above. The Prize Award Agreement will require the winner to use the Prize award to further develop the winning Entry and the prize Award Agreement will allow ViiV Healthcare Ltd to audit the winner’s use of the Prize award to verify compliance with the Prize Award Agreement. Any and all taxes on prize awards are the winners’ responsibility. Prizes are non-transferable. Winners of challenge prizes will be annouced on the PAC website (www.positiveactionchallenges.com) 3 – 12 months from Development deadline date for the applicable Challenge.

9. Other Requirements: Each Applicant shall follow applicable local, state and federal laws, regulations and policies in connection with participating in applicable Challenges. Participation in Challenges constitutes each Applicant’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these Challenge Rules. Any Applicant that does not comply with these Challenge Rules or applicable law may be disqualified. ViiV Healthcare reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, suspend or modify all Challenges. ViiV Healthcare is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, illegible or damaged Entries. By participating, each Applicant and each individual member of an Applicant team agrees that ViiV Healthcare and its agencies may use Applicants’ names, addresses (city and state only), and biographical information for advertising and promotional purposes in any media now existing or hereinafter devised, without additional compensation, notice, review, or approval, unless prohibited by law.

Moreinfo: https://www.positiveactionchallenges.com/challenge-rules.html