Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched Phase 1 of Mission Daybreak, a $20 million grand challenge to reduce Veteran suicides. VA calls on innovators to develop suicide prevention solutions that meet the diverse needs of Veterans.
To be effective, prevention solutions must meet individuals where they are, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. As Veterans reflect the diversity of the U.S. population, new solutions and interventions that offer healing and recovery to Veterans will also support suicide prevention efforts for all communities.
A diversity of solutions will only be possible if a diversity of solvers — including Veterans, researchers, technologists, advocates, clinicians, and health innovators — answer the call to collaborate and share their expertise.
Mission Daybreak is part of VA’s 10-year strategy to prevent Veteran suicide through a comprehensive, public health approach. As the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, VA is leveraging expertise from private-sector, nonprofit, and government collaborators to support this ambitious mission.
Bringing novel ideas to suicide prevention
Solvers should submit detailed concept papers to Phase 1 by 4:59 p.m. EDT on July 8, 2022. Some finalists will have market-ready solutions, while others will have early concepts — in Phase 1 of Mission Daybreak, the quality of the idea and potential for viability is more critical than present-day maturity.
30 finalists will be selected to participate in a virtual accelerator, which will provide resources — from exclusive data sets to networking and mentorship — to help solvers prepare their final submissions. In November 2022, finalists will present their solutions to key stakeholders, investors, and partners at Demo Day, a live pitch event. A Phase 2 submission should include an ambitious but achievable roadmap for bringing the concept to life through prototyping, iteration, testing/validation, and evaluation.
Take the next steps on your Phase 1 submission
- Review the challenge details: Learn about the timeline, prize pool, and evaluation process and criteria.
- Attend the info session: Register for the June 7 virtual information session to hear from the Mission Daybreak team and ask questions.
- Browse resources: Review a collection of open data, surveys, and reports on Veteran welfare and suicide prevention in the challenge resources.
- Consider collaboration: Join the Mission Daybreak solver community to identify opportunities to collaborate with others or add members to your team.
- Register your team: Set up an account so you can submit as soon as your concept paper is ready.
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