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Dear Colleagues,?

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My name is Jo?o Costa and I am co-leading partnerships around the Global Development Conference, the annual event of the (GDN). I am writing to you as I am seeking not only partners but also individuals interested in the upcoming edition of the , which will focus on Inclusive Digital Transformation & to share the 2025 edition of the with the topic Digital Transformation for Universal Health Coverage?(more details below).

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The GDC 2025 will be held in Clermont-Ferrand, France, from October 28 to 30, 2025, co-hosted by the Fondation pour les ?tudes et Recherches sur le Développement International (FERDI) and the Centre d'?tudes et de Recherches sur le Développement International (CERDI). This flagship event brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society representatives, particularly from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to address critical development challenges.?

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We are honored to welcome Nandan Nilekani as a keynote speaker. His insights on the complexities of designing and deploying large-scale digital systems, particularly in a developing country context, will be invaluable to the conference discussions.

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I have attached two documents for your consideration:

• : This document provides a comprehensive overview of the conference theme, objectives and format
• : This document includes a brief note and the partnership/collaboration modalities set though we are open to discuss alternative arrangements.

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As of now, we have a for researchers in LMICs to be engaged and also a so that we can consider the input from the community at large on the shaping of the Programme.?

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Furthermore, as mentioned above, I also believe that the current could be of interest to you and your community since the topic is ”?with?awards in 2 categories that independently target researchers (ORD category) and NGO/CSO (MIDP category).

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About the theme

Digital health is a cultural transformation of traditional healthcare. Digital technologies offer powerful tools to improve access, affordability, and quality of health services. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often at the forefront of innovation in this space, offering valuable lessons to the global public health community on how to do more with less, impacting health outcomes, behaviour and knowledge among the most marginalised communities. The right combination of research and research-led implementation can help scale innovations to benefit larger groups, or it can enable impactful innovations to travel and be adapted across different health systems.?

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This year, the??invites social science researchers based in LMICs to put forward proposals that focus on building the empirical evidence and the actionable knowledge capable of transforming the pursuit of universal health coverage through digital solutions. Research should illuminate how digital solutions impact the pursuit of universal health access across LMICs.?

This award program identifies and funds outstanding research proposals with high potential for excellence in research and clear policy implications for addressing development issues.? The first prize winner will receive a grant of US$ 30,000. The second prize and third prize winners will receive a grant of US$ 20,000 and US$ 10,000 respectively. The funds will be used to support the research work proposed by the winners towards the completion of their research. Additionally, awardees will be paired with world-class academic in their area of work who will play the role of a Scientific and Technical Advisor.?

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In parallel, the?)?will support existing (i.e. ongoing) NGO-led projects engaged in the development, implementation or evaluation of digital solutions in support of universal healthcare delivery in underserved areas.?

The Award targets projects currently at the stage of implementation, and which have a high potential for impact targeting exceptionally marginalized and disadvantaged groups. The winning projects will receive grants worth US$ 120,000 in total. The two first prize winners will receive a grant of US$ 50,000 each. The second prize will be a grant of US$ 25,000. Additionally, awardees will be paired with a Technical Advisor throughout the entire implementation of the grant.

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS – 18 June 2025

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Similarly to previous years, in order to assist prospective applicants, a?set of Q&A sessions?are scheduled and the registration to those is free and done at?.

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It might be interesting for you to know as well that we are?recruiting consultants to act as Reviewers?for both categories with details available at?. As usual, you can find all the details about?GDAC?at?

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Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and we would appreciate it if you could share this among your network of contacts if you consider it relevant.?

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I would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this further with you at your convenience.

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Thank you for your time and consideration.

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Sincerely,

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Jo?o Costa

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Jo?o Costa

Senior Program Manager

Lead (Programme and Partnerships), Global Development Conference 2025

Global Development Network (GDN)

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** Work-life balance is vital. I might be working odd hours based on my current location, do not feel obliged to answer when you receive an email out of?your?working hours. Work to live, do not live to work **

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