Global Nexa Initiative Launches to Support Climate and Health Innovations
LONDON, June 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At London Local weather Motion Week, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) and the Science for Africa Basis (SFA Basis) at present introduced the launch of Nexa, a worldwide initiative to help domestically led improvements that handle the rising well being impacts of local weather change. Nexa is led by GCC (in partnership with the Authorities of Canada) and SFA Basis, along with a worldwide community of collaborators that features Novo Nordisk Basis, Sanofi Basis, Fund for Innovation in Improvement, and members of the International Grand Challenges Community in Botswana, Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. Nexa goals to mobilize upwards of US$50 million in associate funding to increase the impression of urgently wanted climate-health improvements in low-and middle-income international locations. The primary Nexa funding name opens June 22 for improvements in Africa and the Americas.
The local weather disaster has been described in The Lancet as the best world well being menace of the 21st century. An estimated 3.6 billion individuals worldwide dwell in climate-vulnerable areas. Nexa responds to the challenges communities throughout low- and middle-income international locations face as intensifying local weather pressures drive new and worsening well being dangers and place extra pressure on already overburdened well being techniques.
“Communities world wide are going through quickly rising threats to their well being and livelihoods whereas world local weather commitments are weakening,” mentioned Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada. “Nexa is about supporting daring, domestically led innovation to rework how individuals keep wholesome in the face of local weather change.”
Nexa is knowledgeable by findings from the biggest local weather and well being survey thus far, which engaged 6,400 respondents throughout 107 low- and middle-income international locations. In 2025, Grand Challenges Canada, the Science for Africa Basis and the International Grand Challenges Community partnered with The Geneva Studying Basis to collect insights from well being employees, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and humanitarian employees affected by climate-related well being threats. Findings are being ready for publication in a tutorial journal.
“Local weather and well being is likely one of the defining challenges of our time and it’ll require new fashions of partnership and funding,” mentioned Dr. Tom Kariuki, CEO of the Science for Africa Basis. “These closest to those challenges are sometimes closest to the options. Nexa demonstrates what is feasible when African priorities, native innovation, and world collaboration come collectively round a shared objective.”
Rising temperatures, altering illness patterns and extreme climate occasions disproportionately have an effect on weak populations, together with pregnant girls, individuals with persistent sicknesses, kids, and underserved communities with restricted entry to healthcare. Nexa will help daring improvements that focus on three key climate-related drivers of well being dangers to weak communities: altering vector patterns (inflicting malaria and dengue), excessive warmth, and poor air high quality.
“The Authorities of Canada is proud to help Nexa. Investments in domestically led local weather and well being improvements can create new pathways for weak communities to beat the well being impacts of local weather change and safeguard world well being,” mentioned the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Canada’s Secretary of State for Worldwide Improvement.
Nexa will present catalytic funding for each early-stage and growth-stage local weather and well being improvements that strengthen well being techniques adaptation and resilience and have a sturdy potential for impression and scale. Proof of Idea improvements will obtain as much as US$200,000 over 18-24 months to help early-stage concepts. Confirmed options will obtain roughly US$250,000 – $2,000,000 of Transition to Scale funding every, relying on the maturity of the innovation.
Improvements might take the type of a product, course of, service, or supply mannequin that may ship higher outcomes than present approaches and result in transformational impression. Functions for improvements in Africa and the Americas might be accepted from June 22 – July 22, 2026. Future funding calls will handle local weather and well being innovation in Asia. Preliminary investments to help early- and growth-stage local weather and well being innovators will start in early 2027.
Philanthropic, public-sector, and personal sector companions all in favour of becoming a member of Nexa and potential candidates can go to http://www.nexaclimate.org to study extra. Funding alternatives will open June 22, 2026, at http://www.grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding/.
About Nexa: Nexa is a worldwide local weather and well being initiative co-led by Grand Challenges Canada and the Science for Africa Basis, along with a worldwide community of companions. Nexa helps domestically led improvements that assist communities anticipate, adapt, and reply to climate-related well being threats, with an preliminary deal with excessive warmth, mosquito-borne infections, and poor air high quality. Knowledgeable by insights from previous funding calls and the largest-ever world survey of well being employees on local weather and well being, Nexa invests in options that strengthen well timed well being motion the place it’s wanted most.
Nexa companions embrace Grand Challenges Canada, the Science for Africa Basis, Novo Nordisk Basis, Sanofi Basis, Fund for Innovation in Improvement, and Grand Challenges members in Botswana (Botswana Innovation Fund), Brazil, Malawi (NSCT Malawi), Rwanda, Senegal (Institut Pasteur Dakar), and South Africa (South African Medical Analysis Council).
About Grand Challenges Canada: Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) backs Daring Concepts with Massive Affect®. With anchor funding from the Authorities of Canada, GCC invests in daring, domestically led improvements fixing crucial well being and growth challenges, and helps probably the most promising options attain thousands and thousands of individuals world wide. GCC has supported greater than 1,600 improvements in 110 international locations and goals to succeed in 700 million individuals by 2035. Study extra at http://www.grandchallenges.ca.
About Science for Africa Basis: The Science for Africa Basis (SFA Basis) is a pan-African, non-profit, and public charity organisation that helps, strengthens, and promotes science and innovation in Africa. SFA Basis serves the African analysis ecosystem by investing in transformative analysis and innovation, enabling interdisciplinary collaborations, and constructing and reinforcing environments which might be conducive for scientists to thrive and produce high quality analysis that generates new, domestically related information. Study extra at http://www.scienceforafrica.foundation.
Contact: Gillian Mathurin, +1-647-406-5731
media@grandchallenges.ca
