The Journey of Mental Health Data Prize Africa #DrivingInnovation

Since the launch of the Mental Health Data Prize Africa (MHDPA) in December 2023, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) has achieved great strides toward its mission of better understanding Africa's mental health challenges and developing scalable solutions. The first phase of the initiative attracted a wide range of participants, including innovators, scholars, policymakers, and people with lived experiences. Over 1,300 participants from across Africa took part in a five-month virtual capacity-building program, gaining valuable skills in areas such as data science, evidence-based policy-making, artificial intelligence (AI), and causal inference.

During this phase, participants were grouped into multidisciplinary teams to prepare applications for the £200,000 prize pool. With all applications received between July-August 2024, APHRC began its internal review process one week after the close of submission. This stage serves several key purposes:

  1. Preliminary screening: Before external reviewers are involved, an internal review helps filter out any proposals that don't meet the basic eligibility criteria or comply with submission guidelines. This saves time and effort for the external team by reducing the number of applications.
  2. Quality assurance: Internal reviews help verify that all received proposals meet the quality criteria and are in line with the prize's objectives. This approach identifies proposals that are well-thought out, innovative, and practical.
  3. Transparency and fairness: Starting with an internal review guarantees that the evaluation process is transparent and fair. It demonstrates that all contributions are carefully considered before being assessed externally.
  4. Alignment with strategic goals: An internal team is more familiar with the prize's goals and priorities. Their review ensures that selected proposals are consistent with these objectives and are likely to advance the overall goal.
  5. Identifying gaps and places for improvement: Internal assessments might reveal any shared gaps or places for improvement among proposals. This input can be shared with future candidates to help them improve the quality of their submissions in later rounds.

Following that, an external review process started, whereby independent experts evaluated the shortlisted proposals. This step provides additional benefits as follows:

  1. Expertise and specialization: External reviewers are frequently chosen for their expertise and background in specific fields such as mental health, data science, public health research, and innovation. Their specialized expertise enables them to objectively assess the technical feasibility, innovation, and potential impact of ideas, ensuring that only the most promising and high-quality concepts are selected.
  2. Objective evaluation: External reviewers offer an impartial viewpoint, making them essential for an unbiased evaluation process. Their specialized knowledge ensures that they critically assess the technical feasibility, originality, and potential impact of proposals, helping to select the most promising ideas without internal biases. This added neutrality strengthens the integrity and fairness of the review process.
  3. Credibility and transparency: Involving external experts in the assessment process increases the competition's credibility and transparency. It guarantees participants and stakeholders that the selection process is thorough and objective.
  4. Diverse perspectives: Having external reviewers allows for a variety of opinions and perspectives. This diversity can result in more thorough input that considers different points of view and experiences, assisting in the selection of the most innovative and effective solutions.
  5. Enhanced critique for applicants: External reviewers can provide constructive and thorough criticism to applicants to help them better their ideas, research, and implementation plans. This opinion is frequently more beneficial when provided by experienced professionals outside of the business.

Currently the best-performing participants are being selected who will then be invited to present their innovative solutions during oral presentations. These presentations will give them the opportunity to showcase their work to a panel of judges.

The oral presentations will be a critical element in the competition, since this is the stage where the winning teams will be determined. The judges will allow the teams to elaborate on their proposed solutions, address questions from the judges, and demonstrate the potential impact of their work on mental health in Africa. The presentations will also provide an opportunity for the teams to receive valuable feedback and insights from experts in the field.

The award ceremony will mark the final stage of the Mental Health Data Prize Africa Challenge. The team will reveal the winners and recognize them for their outstanding contributions to mental health innovation and research across Africa. The ceremony will conclude with the prizes being presented to the winning teams, empowering them to further develop and implement their solutions over a 12 months period.

The Mental Health Data Prize Africa challenge has already made a significant impact by fostering collaboration, capacity-building, and data related innovations in the field of mental health. The challenge's legacy will continue to shape the future of mental health research and practice in Africa as the winning solutions are implemented and their impact is realized and measured.