Patents for Humanity

Patents for Humanity is an awards program run by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.^[1][2][3][4]

The Obama administration started the initiative in February 2012 to encourage new innovations to solve global development challenges.^[5]

2015 winners

Medicine

• Sanofi - for supplying anti-malarial compounds on an at-cost basis to developing countries.
• Novartis AG for innovation in treatments for drug-resistant tuberculosis, donated to the TB Alliance

Sanitation

• American Standard Brands - for SaTo, a safe toilet

Nutrition

• Golden rice - a strain of rice high in beta-carotene to reduce Vitamin A deficiency.
• Nutriset - manufacturer of Plumpy'nut, a peanut-based paste to treat malnutrition.

Energy

• SunPower Energy - rents out solar powered lamps to replace inefficient and expensive fuel burners

Living Standards

• GRIT - Global Research Innovation & Technology - for the Leveraged Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair.

2013 winners

Medicine^[6]

• Gilead Sciences for making HIV drugs available in developing countries and using generics manufacturers in Asia and Africa.
• University of California, Berkeley for developing and licensing lower-cost methods of producing anti-malarial compounds
• SIGN Fracture Care International - for distributing low-cost fracture implants
• Becton Dickinson for developing a TB diagnosis system and placing 300 machines in developing countries.

Nutrition

• DuPoint Pioneer - for improving strains of sorghum for use in sub-Saharan Africa
• Intermark Partners Strategic Management LLP - for extracting protein and vitamins from waste rice bran

Clean technology

• Procter & Gamble - for distributing water purification packets
• Nokero - for developing solar powered light bulbs and phone chargers

Information Technology

• Sproxil - for developing a system to identify counterfeit drugs with SMS
• Microsoft for providing machine learning tools to analyse heath data

Honorable Mentions

Medical

• Novartis AG for an anti-malaria drug
• Anacor Pharmmaceuticals for researching a drug to fight sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis)
• GE Healthcare
• Northwestern University

Clean technology

• Enterpriseworks - Relief International UK for creating an affordable rainwater collection and storage tank
• Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for commercializing a low-cost water treatment plant

References

External links

• USPTO official website