FIND is an independent non-profit organization devoted to developing and implementing affordable, easy to use and cutting-edge diagnostic technologies for diseases of poverty. They build and sustain effective partnerships with all those involved in diagnostics in both the public and private sectors. These partnerships, together with a quality-assured project management framework, enable them to accelerate products through a well-defined value chain - from discovery and proof of principle, to development, evaluation, WHO endorsement and implementation of new technologies.

The scope of their activities is rapidly expanding: their disease programmes now include tuberculosis (TB), malaria and acute febrily syndrome, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and other neglected diseases. FIND also undertakes laboratory strengthening and scale up projects to facilitate the rapid uptake of new tools in disease endemic countries.

Activities

• Disease expert: understanding patients’ current diagnostic options and needs in endemic countries, as well as the potential market for new products
• Innovator: identifying and encouraging potential diagnostic breakthroughs that could have applications in the developing world
• Catalyst: building and sustaining effective partnerships with key stakeholders – donors, industry, national governments, health agencies, academic centres and civil society
• Technology incubator: pulling in the best ideas to build diagnostic technology platforms that can be applied across a range of disease.
• Product development strategist: developing the product concept based on patient needs, recruiting the essential partners and applying the right business model and approaches – including on intellectual property issues – to ensure successful market delivery at the lowest possible price
• Evaluator: assessing the performance through field trials and other performance measurements, presenting results to the WHO for policy evaluation and collaborating with public health authorities to demonstrate the feasibility and impact on patients and disease control programmes