CovidX: a new look and a new way forward

CovidX has always recognized the need to simultaneously address our current crisis while working to shape our post-pandemic future. This week — as always — that means fighting multiple injustices at once. “Social determinants of health” is a popular phrase; if you want to understand what it truly means, look no further than this month’s converging crises. Health disparity and police brutality are two stems sprouting from the same seed of inequality; systemic racism is as much of a public health emergency as COVID-19.

When we launched CovidX in late March, we sent a daily email to a small group of government and private sector leaders. What emerged was an environmental analysis conducted in public, and we quickly realized that to accelerate meaningful innovation, we must first start by defining the problems to be solved. 

This week, CovidX launched a new website, where this work will continue. We have selected four areas of opportunity to build a better future. We’re starting with health and supply chains — two topics we’ve covered extensively — and moving forward, we’ll focus on education and the future of work as well. We look forward to working with partners to define problems in service of specific communities. 

To accelerate meaningful innovation, we aren’t only articulating problems — we are also identifying new ways to solve them. Our open innovation index now includes hundreds of initiatives to address the coronavirus pandemic, with more added each week. Even better, this growing list is now presented in an interactive table format: Filter and sort by category and focus area, or download the spreadsheet for your own use.

The new website also introduces some of our partners and funders. Meet the frontline medical professionals who have joined our Health Advisory Committee, and learn more about Schmidt Futures, whose funding has helped make CovidX possible. 

Moving forward, the CovidX Digest will continue to deliver essential reading to people building a more resilient future, spotlighting the most pressing problems and opportunities to solve them. We are opening our mailing list to a broader audience; we hope you’ll share with your colleagues and invite them to subscribe. 

This article first appeared in The Lab Report.