GlaxoSmithKline and Save the Children launch award scheme

GlaxoSmithKline and Save the Children have announced the launch of a new scheme called the Healthcare Innovation Award, which will aim to encourage the development of new medical advances.

Organisations from across the developing world will be encouraged to nominate examples of innovative healthcare approaches they have discovered or implemented that have proven successful in reducing child death rates.

These developments will be evaluated by a panel of experts from the fields of public health, science and academia, who will assess their effectiveness, sustainability and prospects of being scaled up and replicated.

The winner will be presented with a funding prize of $250,000 (164,100 pounds), with runners-up sharing an additional pot of $750,000.

Sir Andrew Witty, chief executive officer of GlaxoSmithKline, said: "This award will identify the most effective ideas being put into practice in developing countries and … will enable these innovations to be scaled up to reduce childhood deaths and will inspire others in the process."

In May 2013, the company announced plans to provide funding support for the One Million Community Health Workers Campaign, an initiative aimed at expanding access to healthcare in Africa.