Final call for innovations for child and youth mental health issues

  • McGowan Government calling for final submissions for Innovation Challenge
  • Innovation Challenge to improve mental health outcomes for Western Australian children and young people
  • Up to 10 innovators to be awarded up to $50,000 with one winner to be awarded up to $1.5 million to develop and implement their mental health solution 
  • Applications for the inaugural Innovation Challenge will close on Tuesday (February 1) at 1pm – with mental health innovators encouraged to get their submissions in now.

    The inaugural Innovation Challenge calls out for Western Australian innovators to pitch ideas and compete for up to $1.5 million to develop and implement an innovative solution that addresses a significant child and mental health issue in WA.

    Launched in Mental Health Week 2021, the Innovation Challenge aligned with last year’s Mental Health Week theme – ‘Mental health starts with children’.

    The Innovation Challenge 2021: Child and Youth Mental Health, seeks to stimulate innovation, and the development and delivery of a solution to a significant, unmet need identified by an innovator in the area of child and youth (0-24 years) mental health in WA.

    Funding will be provided on a competitive basis to innovation proposals which demonstrate potential to develop and implement new processes, products or services relevant to this area. The proposed solution must result in transformative and disruptive change.

    Up to 10 applicants will be awarded up to $50,000 to undertake feasibility studies and/or build prototypes around their proposed solution to the mental health issue they have identified.

    One proposed solution will be awarded up to AUD $1.5 million to fully develop and implement the solution in Western Australia.

    The need for this initiative was identified by the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Advisory Council, which was established in 2020.

    The fund provides a secure source of funding to drive health and medical research and innovation, and improve the lives of Western Australians.

    For more information and to lodge an application for the Innovation Challenge, visit https://fhrifund.health.wa.gov.au/Funding/Current-opportunities/Innovation-Challenge-2021-Child-and-Youth-Mental-Health

    As stated by Medical Research and Innovation and ICT Minister Stephen Dawson:

    “The McGowan Labor Government is launching a final call-out for ideas to compete for up to $1.5 million to develop and implement an innovative solution to address a significant child and mental health issue in Western Australia.

    “I am excited to see what innovative solutions WA’s best and brightest may come up with.

    “The Innovation Challenge will be vital in improving health promotion and treatment for younger Western Australians.

    “The Future Health Research and Innovation Fund delivers upon the McGowan Government’s election commitment to grow local jobs, attract more research projects and retain WA’s brightest health and medical researchers and innovators.

    “I encourage all mental health innovators to submit their innovation ideas before 1pm, Tuesday, February 1, 2022.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.