CHAI Opens $700,000 Funding Opportunity for AI-Powered Cervical Cancer Screening Solutions in Africa

Cervical cancer claims the lives of nearly 350,000 women every year, with close to 90 percent of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Despite being almost entirely preventable, screening coverage across sub-Saharan Africa remains critically low at an average of just 4 percent, with most programs still relying on low-performance testing methods. Yet the World Health Organization’s target to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 calls for 70 percent of women to be screened twice in their lifetime using high-performance tests.

Currently, no country in the region is close to achieving that goal.

This challenge has created a major opportunity for digital health innovators in LMICs, following a new request for proposals aimed at accelerating access to advanced cervical cancer screening technologies.

The Opportunity

The Clinton Health Access Initiative is seeking proposals for the late-stage development, validation, regulatory approval, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization of AI-enabled Assisted Cervical Visual Triage (AI-ACVT) solutions.

The initiative aims to support the deployment of at least one quality-assured, regulator-approved, and affordable AI-ACVT tool across the African region.

These AI-powered tools operate on smartphones or tablets, allowing frontline health workers to capture cervical images during standard pelvic examinations. The AI model then delivers a positive or negative result during the same patient encounter, without requiring an internet connection.

In a recent five-country prospective study, an AI-based screening tool achieved a sensitivity rate of 60.1 percent in detecting CIN2+ lesions, significantly outperforming naked-eye visual inspection with acetic acid, which recorded 36.6 percent sensitivity.

Funding and Eligibility

Successful applicants may receive up to $700,000 in milestone-based catalytic funding. However, co-investment is strongly encouraged, as the available funding is expected to cover only part of the total development and commercialization costs.

Eligible applicants include organizations with proven expertise in AI-enabled medical device development, regulatory approval, and deployment. Partnerships and consortiums are also encouraged.

While prior LMIC experience is not mandatory, applicants must demonstrate the ability to operate effectively in such settings, either independently or through strategic partnerships.

Key Requirements

Applicants are expected to deliver:

• Offline functionality with same-encounter diagnostic results at the point of care.
• Prospective validation in real-world clinical environments, alongside external validation using independent datasets.
• A regulatory strategy aligned with IMDRF frameworks, including EU MDR/IVDR or FDA approval pathways, with a target approval timeline before the end of 2027.
• Affordable and transparent pricing models, backed by a credible plan for multi-country scale-up within 24 months of market launch.

Although Africa is the primary focus, deployments in other LMIC regions, including Southeast Asia, are also eligible if applicants can demonstrate a viable post-African expansion strategy.

Applications close on June 9, 2026.