REDLANDS, Calif., Oct. 10, 2024 -- ICCBBA is proud to announce the recipients of its 2024 Enterprise Grant Awards, recognizing three outstanding organizations that are advancing patient safety, blood accessibility, and quality systems through innovative projects in Africa. These grants are awarded to support initiatives that enhance the safety and efficiency of transfusion and transplantation systems for Medical Products of Human Origin (MPHO), particularly in resource-constrained settings.

Grant Recipients:

1. The Safe Blood for Africa Foundation

Awardee: Prof. Claude Tayou Tagny, Country Project Coordinator

Grant Amount: $20,000

Prof. Claude Tayou Tagny and the Safe Blood for Africa Foundation (SBFA) have been at the forefront of strengthening blood transfusion systems in over 20 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. With this grant, SBFA will further develop the blood service at the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH) in Cameroon by implementing a blood safety informatics system and enhancing its quality management framework. This initiative aims to prepare the YUTH center for AfSBT accreditation and establish it as a local reference for training and mentorship.

"The ICCBBA grant was provided to the SBFA to install a blood safety informatics system and to start the implementation of a quality management system. It is with enthusiasm and pride that we have observed improvements in the organization of the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH) and the interest shown by the public authorities in it. The new Enterprise Grant will also prepare the capacity-built blood service for the AfSBT accreditation and future high-impact training and quality control programs for other blood services...Thank you ICCBBA for having lasting impact on blood transfusion safety indicators in Africa. " – Prof. Claude Tayou Tagny

2. Ethiopian Blood and Tissue Bank Service

Awardee: Dr. Asheanfi Tazebew Amare, Director General

Grant Amount: $38,683.04

The Ethiopian Blood and Tissue Bank Service, the primary institution responsible for blood collection, testing, and distribution across Ethiopia, is working to expand the Blood Safety Information System (BSIS) to regional centers. This grant will allow for the training of users and full traceability of all blood collections and transfusions, enhancing patient safety nationwide.

" The ICCBBA Enterprise Grant is an international support to blood safety with concrete effect on the existing system. Through this Grant, the Ethiopian Blood and Tissue Bank Service expand its Blood Safety Information System to the regional blood banks providing full traceability of all blood collections and transfusions to enhance patient safety." – Dr. Asheanfi Tazebew Amare

3. Uganda UK Health Alliance

Awardee: Dr. Philip Lugoloobi, Health Innovation Fellow, Africa Oxford Initiative

Grant Amount: $20,000

The Uganda UK Health Alliance (UUKHA) aims to revolutionize blood transfusion services in Uganda through the development of a digital Blood Alarm System. This tool will enhance accountability, traceability, and timely use of blood products, ensuring patient safety and reducing delays in life-saving transfusions.

" We are honored to be among the recipients of the 2024 ICCBBA Enterprise Grant Award, which will enable us to advance our efforts to positively impact Uganda's healthcare landscape. Our digital tool, the Blood Alarm System, is designed to enhance the appropriate use, accountability, and traceability of blood products, thereby improving their safety. It's to also address avoidable delays in blood transfusions, ensuring timely transfusions for patients." – Dr. Philip Lugoloobi

About the ICCBBA Enterprise Grant

ICCBBA is an international non-profit organization that develops, manages, and licenses ISBT 128, the global information standard for the terminology, coding, and labeling of Medical Products of Human Origin (MPHO). Through the Enterprise Grant, ICCBBA supports initiatives aimed at building organizational capacity and improving electronic information management and traceability systems, particularly in resource-constrained settings, to enhance patient safety worldwide.

Grant Objectives:

• Build technical capacity in transfusion/transplantation systems.
• Achieve reliable traceability of MPHO.
• Advance organizational infrastructure for better safety and efficiency.

"Due to the success of our initiatives and responsible management team, ICCBBA has doubled the funds available for the 2024 grants. This increase reflects our continued commitment to enhancing patient safety, allowing us to expand the reach and impact of this year's grant program," noted Eoin McGrath, ICCBBA's Executive Director.

Exciting News for 2025!

The ICCBBA Enterprise Grant will return in Q1 of 2025, offering more organizations the chance to make an impact in the field of transfusion and transplantation safety. If you're working on innovative solutions that enhance patient safety, improve traceability, or advance quality systems, we encourage you to apply. Don't miss out on the opportunity to drive change in healthcare systems—applications will open early next year!

About ICCBBA

ICCBBA is the international standards organization responsible for the management and development of the ISBT 128 Standard.

The acronym ISBT was originally derived from the important role played by the International Society of Blood Transfusion in the development of the Standard. Today it expands as Information Standard for Blood and Transplantation. The number 128 reflects the 128 characters of the ISO/IEC 646 7-bit character set.

The acronym ICCBBA is derived from the International Council for Commonality in Blood Banking Automation. ISBT 128 | ICCBBA

For the latest updates on the ICCBBA Enterprise Grant

ICCBBA Newsletter: https://www.isbt128.org/newsletter  

Enterprise Grant Homepage: ISBT 128 | ICCBBA | Grants and Awards

Press Contact and other inquires:

Christina Salinas, Global Development Manager

globaldevelopment@iccbba.org

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