DREAMS Partners Announce $85 Million Innovation Challenge Focused on Solutions for Adolescent
Girls and Young Women
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson
& Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today issued a call for innovative ideas as part of the DREAMS Innovation Challenge, which is supported by the U.S.
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Janssen Pharmaceutica, NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of
Johnson & Johnson, and ViiV Healthcare. Proposals are currently being accepted for breakthrough innovations to reduce HIV
infections in adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries. The submission deadline to be considered for
an award is March 28, 2016.
A total of $85 million will be awarded for innovative, sustainable solutions to six Challenge Focus Areas that will give
young women the opportunity to live the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored,
and Safe lives they deserve. Winning solutions must demonstrate readiness for rapid implementation in one or more of the
10 DREAMS countries and ability to show impact within two years with potential for long-lasting change.
"We believe that breakthrough innovations needed to reduce the HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women can come
from anywhere in the world," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide
Chairman, Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson. "Our hope in supporting the DREAMS Innovation Challenge is to unleash new
ideas to help us achieve by the end of 2017, 40 percent reduction in HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women living
in 10 sub-Saharan countries."
AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescent girls and
young women account for 380,000 new infections a year or more than 7,000 new infections a week globally.
"While we have made considerable progress in the global response to HIV/AIDS, adolescent girls and young women have been
largely left behind," said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and U.S.
Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. "With girls and young women accounting for 71 percent of all new HIV
infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, we urgently need innovative solutions that empower them to protect their
health and pursue their dreams."
"New thinking and high-impact approaches are needed to address the many complexities that drive this urgent health crisis,"
said Jaak Peeters, head of Johnson & Johnson's Global Public Health organization. "By
addressing the factors and complexities that impact these young women at a fundamental level, we hope to measurably improve
health outcomes and create enduring change. These are important components of Johnson & Johnson's approach to improving
global public
health."
Johnson & Johnson, through its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, joined the DREAMS Partnership as an anchor partner last
December. The ambitious $385 million partnership delivers a Core Package of evidence-informed
approaches that go beyond the health sector, addressing the structural drivers that directly or indirectly increase girls' HIV
risk, including poverty, gender inequality, sexual violence, and lack of education. The DREAMS Partnership also includes PEPFAR,
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Girl Effect, Gilead Sciences, and ViiV Healthcare.
Delivering Sustainable Impact in Global Public Health
Combatting HIV is an important component of Johnson & Johnson's long-standing legacy of commitment and partnership to
improve global public health for individuals, families and communities worldwide. Through its global public health organization,
the company aims to deliver integrated evidence-based solutions to address comprehensive health needs and deliver meaningful and
enduring impact in three core focus areas: HIV, maternal and child health, and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)- and
Multidrug-resistant (MDR)- tuberculosis (TB).
DREAMS Innovation Challenge Application Information
The DREAMS Partnership expects to announce the winners in mid-July followed by implementation in early fall 2016. Challenge
awards will range from $100,000 to $40 million. Solutions are sought for implementation in
Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) on the Challenge website: www.dreamschallenge.org by March 28, 2016 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Submissions will be reviewed, and finalists will be invited to submit an
Application.
For more information about the Challenge or to apply, visit the DREAMS Innovation Challenge website, www.dreamschallenge.org. Interested applicants may download
the Challenge Opportunity Announcement for full details about application requirements and terms and
conditions.
About Johnson & Johnson
Caring for the world one person at a time inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and
science - bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Our approximately
128,000 employees at more than 265 Johnson & Johnson operating companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives
of over a billion people every day, throughout the world.
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