Wireless Innovation Project

VODAFONE AMERICAS FOUNDATION WIRELESS INNOVATION PROJECT AND
mHEALTH ALLIANCE ANNOUNCE LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES

December 15th Deadline Fast Approaching to Apply for Up to $650,000 in Cash and Prizes for Wireless Projects Demonstrating Promise Of Solving Critical Global Issues and mHealth

Walnut Creek, CA (November 17, 2010)—The Vodafone Americas Foundation and mHealth Alliance announced the last call for entries for the annual competition to identify and support promising wireless-related technologies to address critical social issues around the globe. Applications for the 2010 Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project™ and mHealth Alliance Award will be accepted through December 15, 2010, with the winners announced at the annual Global Philanthropy Forum in Redwood City, CA in April 2011.

“Previous winners have produced extraordinary innovations that utilized the vast potential of mobile technology to help solve problems and enhance people’s lives,” said June Sugiyama, Director of Vodafone Americas Foundation, “We look forward to this year’s applicants and their ground-breaking projects.”

The Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project™ will award $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000, to the first, second and third-place winners, respectively. The mHealth Alliance Award will be granted to an innovative wireless technology with the most potential to address critical health challenges, especially in developing regions of the world. The mHealth Alliance Award winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000, as well as strategic and networking assistance from the mHealth Alliance. The Alliance was launched by the Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation to support cross-sector collaboration in delivering health care and services at the furthest reaches of wireless networks and devices. The GSM Association, HP and the U.S.President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPAR) are also Founding Partners.

Applicants for the Wireless Innovation Project™ must be nonprofits, educational institutions or social entrepreneurs with a nonprofit partner, based in the United States. Awards will be given to the wireless projects demonstrating exceptional promise to solve a critical global issue in the following fields: education; health; access to communication; the environment; or economic development. Moreover, the innovation may also represent a significant advancement in wireless related technology to help solve issues such as connectivity, language barriers and energy use. Projects must be at a stage of development where an advanced prototype or field test can occur during the award period.

Through its foundations, Vodafone has long recognized that wireless technology has the potential to make the significant impacts in the world – particularly in developing countries. Vodafone Americas Foundation™ launched the Wireless Innovation Project™ in 2008 to foster creativity and fund the most promising innovations with the potential to solve pressing issues around the globe. In addition to the Wireless Innovation Project™, Vodafone and its global network of 27 foundations are helping hundreds of thousands of people around the world lead better, fuller lives through more than $60,000,000 in grants and contributions.

Complete detailed information about eligibility and an application can be found at http://www.project.vodafone-us.com/. More information about the mHealth Alliance and its programs can be found at www.mhealthalliance.org, and www.HealthUnBound.org.

The 2010 winners included:

First Place - 100 Million Stoves
With the potential to improve health, air quality, reduce greenhouse gases and save lives, 100 Million Stoves is a simple wireless stove use monitoring system (SUMS) that can be attached to the millions of new low-emission stoves being used in developing regions. Beingdeveloped at the University of California at Berkeley for initial application in India, this groundbreaking wireless technology will help assess the impact of household energy programs, enable feedback from users, and provide transparent verification of carbon credits.

Second Place - FrontlineSMS: Credit

An open source software, FrontlineSMS:Credit has the potential to open up financial services and micro-financing to millions of people in the developing world. The application leverages mobile payment systems and core banking software to bring financial services – such as savings, credit, insurance and payroll – to the entrepreneurial poor,eliminating geographic and time barriers and turning mobile payment systems into platforms for mobile banking.

Third Place & mHealth Alliance Award - Sana

Sana is a multidisciplinary group based out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a mission to revolutionize healthcare delivery in rural and underserved areas. Sana has developed an innovative open source platform that allows mobile phones to capture and send data for an electronic medical record and links community health workers with physicians for real-time decision support.

About the Vodafone Americas Foundation™

Vodafone Americas Foundation™ is part of Vodafone’s global network of foundations. We are affiliated with Vodafone Group Plc, the world's leading mobile telecommunications company, with ownership interests in 31 countries and Partner Markets in more than 40 countries. As of June 30, 2009, Vodafone had approximately 315 million proportionate customers worldwide. In the U.S., our foundation directs its philanthropic activities towards the San Francisco Bay and the Metro Denver Areas where most of our employees live and work, and where we strive to make a positive and enduring impact on our communities. The Foundation is driven by a passion for the world around us. We make grants that help people in our communities and around the world lead fuller lives.

About the mHealth Alliance

The mHealth Alliance (mHA) mobilizes innovation to deliver quality health at the furthest reaches of wireless networks and mobile devices. Working with diverse partners, the mHA advances mHealth through research, advocacy, and support for the development of interoperable solutions and sustainable deployment models. The mHA sponsors innovation challenges and conferences, leads cross-sector mHealth initiatives, and hosts HUB (www.HealthUnBound.org), a global online community for resource sharing and collaborative solution generation. Founding Partners include the Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation, PEPFAR, the GSM Association and HP. More information is available at www.mHealthAlliance.org.