Overview
Four Founding
Principles
Four core principles serve as the foundation for our business model and strategy:
Open Innovation
Traditionally, drugs, vaccines and diagnostics have been developed under a single roof, but the
processes of “Open Innovation” - in which R&D takes place through collaborative projects involving
multiple organizations - is becoming increasingly common.
Because we work with a broad network of partners, GHIT is well placed to facilitate international
R&D collaboration between Japanese and non-Japanese organizations. The strengths and unique
contributions of each partner are amplified by such engagement, and global health product
development moves forward faster and more effectively as a result.
Access
Today, a billion people still live on less than $2 a day and lack access to essential healthcare
tools. An intricate web of obstacles means essential medicines are often unavailable where most
needed. Recognizing this critical challenge, GHIT developed its Access Policy (Data Access Policy and
Product Access Policy), which stipulates that the price of products for which GHIT funded
the development will be set according to the ‘No Loss, No Gain’ principle. We also solicit proposals
based on clearly defined, expert-approved target product profiles (TPPs) that align the unique needs
of end-users in the developing world with desired product attributes and performance criteria.
We work closely with international organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP)’s Access & Delivery Partnership, which helps low-and middle-income countries address
bottlenecks within their health systems so that GHIT-invested innovations can reach more people,
faster. In an effort to further strengthen the bonds between R&D, access and delivery, and health
system strengthening, GHIT continuously strives to foster its collaboration with global health
entities in Japan and overseas.
Equity
The principle of Equity (fairness) is central to GHIT’s mission to leverage R&D partnerships to reduce health disparities between the rich and the poor. Our investments are motivated by the belief that all communities and individuals deserve affordable access to high-quality drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to realize their full potential to thrive and prosper.
Transparency
Our approach to impact assessment is underpinned by the principle of Transparency. By being clear
about how we evaluate proposals and measure impact, we strengthen the credibility of our investments
and improve our ability to communicate and collaborate with product development partners.
Our proposal selection process is public, as are the assessment criteria used to analyze science,
management, and impact for global health included in the proposals we receive. Once awards have been
made, all our investments are disclosed in our Portfolio, which contains analytics and descriptions
of each project in which we decide to invest.
We require all the data and findings associated with our investments to be widely and promptly
disclosed, and our development partners use open access repositories or other alternative mechanisms
to ensure that their scientific discoveries are made available to the wider global R&D community.