We live in an era of fast-moving, interconnected crises — from antimicrobial resistance and climate-related health threats to pandemics. Yet, many health systems remain ill-equipped to respond, while also struggling with aging populations, workforce constraints, and the growing pressure to adapt to increasingly complex and rapidly changing conditions.
To address systemic flaws, as well as current and future challenges, more agile and resilient health systems are required — and innovation is vital. Investing in innovation throughout the value chain strengthens not only health outcomes, but also wider resilience and broader economic stability, national security, and sustainable growth. This is because innovation provides tools — clinical, digital, and organizational — that enable rapid adaptation and a proactive, preventative approach to health challenges.
With the growing use of data and frontier technologies, digital tools are rapidly becoming central to modern healthcare. One such tool is the newly launched Women’s Health Innovation Radar — developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Kearney Health Institute, the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap — which maps where scientific evidence and investment are concentrated, where structural gaps persist and how these limitations impede equitable innovation in women’s health.
