Receive financial support for your innovation

We are looking for handwashing product manufacturing designs

·         Design features with prototypes

·         No-touch feature

·         Simple to use and affordable for an average Ethiopian household to buy

·         Can be mass-produced in a manufacturing plant

Read more to apply

I.                   About USAID Transform WASH Activities

USAID Transform WASH is a five-year project awarded to PSI and Consortium partners SNV, IRC, and Plan International (‘the Consortium’) to test and develop market-based models that will increase demand and supply of quality, affordable WASH products, and services. Since the activity launched in January 2017, USAID Transform WASH has gained considerable experience introducing WASH products into the market and has held a design competition to spur more innovation:

II.                 Context of handwashing and handwashing products

More than 4.2 million Ethiopians living in urban areas and 38.4 million in rural areas have no access to a handwashing facility in their households.  Despite this, there are simple, locally manufactured plastic handwashing stations available in Ethiopian markets, particularly in larger towns and cities.  Recently, as part of the growing effort to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, businesses have been installing these types of stations in front of their premises for use before customers enter.

Typical designs are expensive, need some local assembly, and require users to touch and turn a faucet mechanism, which could contribute to the spread of the virus.   Some new no-touch designs have been appearing throughout the country, mostly designed by local TVET institutes. However, these products are also expensive, beyond the reach of households, and are produced in small quantities.  Innovation is needed to develop a no-touch product design that can be mass-manufactured and is affordable for more households in both rural and urban areas.  Therefore, to find the most practical, manufacturing-ready industrial designs, T/WASH is launching this rapid design competition to pull together innovative ideas and get a no-touch facility into as many households as possible to stop COVID-19.

III.           Objective:

Identify an innovative, manufacturing-ready, affordable no-touch handwashing product option for commercial distribution to Ethiopian households.

IV.            SCOPE AND TERMS OF COMPETITION

The no-touch handwashing competition is open to all technological institutes, organizations, businesses, and individuals engaged in innovation and industrial product design. Competitors are required to submit a production financial estimate and technical proposal, and short-listed applicants will be asked to develop a product prototype.

Teams of professionals from the T/WASH consortium, government, and other relevant stakeholders will take part in the process of evaluating the entries based on predefined evaluation criteria.

V.              How to submit your entry

Competitors can submit their proposals online or in hard copy.  Submission documents include product design specifications and technical and financial proposals using the standard format provided.  Evaluation criteria will include:

1)      The simplicity of the design for manufacturers to apply easily

2)      The openness of the design for further customization by developers

3)      Description of manufacturing equipment and inputs to be applied and level of availability

4)      Value and to what extent consumer needs and demand of rural and peri-urban communities are addressed.

VI.               Awards

1st ranked design and prototype gets award certificate, support for further development of product and prototype design and mass manufacturing of the product

2nd ranked design and prototype gets award certificate, support to develop product design and mass manufacture the product

3rd ranked design and prototype gets award certificate, support to develop product design and mass manufacture the product

VII.           Prospects for selected designs

After award, the next step for selected designs is to refine the prototypes and test their technical and market feasibility. For each of the three winning designs, they will receive support for further product prototype development and testing.

Note:  For regional participants who reach the final stage of evaluation, travel and accommodation cost will be covered for the presentation and travel days.