Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Patents for Humanity

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Patents for Humanity is an awards program run by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Contents

The Obama administration started the initiative in February 2012 to encourage new innovations to solve global development challenges.

2015 winners

Medicine
  • Sanofi – for supplying anti-malarial compounds on an at-cost basis to developing countries.
  • Novartis AG for innovation in treatments for drug-resistant tuberculosis, donated to the TB Alliance
  • Sanitation
  • American Standard Brands – for SaTo, a safe toilet
  • Nutrition
  • Golden rice – a strain of rice high in beta-carotene to reduce Vitamin A deficiency.
  • Nutriset – manufacturer of Plumpy'nut, a peanut-based paste to treat malnutrition.
  • Energy
  • SunPower Energy – rents out solar powered lamps to replace inefficient and expensive fuel burners
  • Living Standards
  • GRIT – Global Research Innovation & Technology – for the Leveraged Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair.
  • 2013 winners

    Medicine
  • Gilead Sciences for making HIV drugs available in developing countries and using generics manufacturers in Asia and Africa.
  • University of California, Berkeley for developing and licensing lower-cost methods of producing anti-malarial compounds
  • SIGN Fracture Care International – for distributing low-cost fracture implants
  • Becton Dickinson for developing a TB diagnosis system and placing 300 machines in developing countries.
  • Nutrition
  • DuPoint Pioneer – for improving strains of sorghum for use in sub-Saharan Africa
  • Intermark Partners Strategic Management LLP – for extracting protein and vitamins from waste rice bran
  • Clean technology
  • Procter & Gamble – for distributing water purification packets
  • Nokero – for developing solar powered light bulbs and phone chargers
  • Information Technology
  • Sproxil – for developing a system to identify counterfeit drugs with SMS
  • Microsoft for providing machine learning tools to analyse heath data
  • Honorable mentions

    Medical
  • Novartis AG for an anti-malaria drug
  • Anacor Pharmmaceuticals for researching a drug to fight sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis)
  • GE Healthcare
  • Northwestern University
  • Clean technology
  • Enterpriseworks – Relief International UK for creating an affordable rainwater collection and storage tank
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for commercializing a low-cost water treatment plant
  • References

    Patents for Humanity Wikipedia