HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 14 March 2025 - Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc, announces the return of the SAFE STEPS Disaster Tech (D-Tech) Awards for its fourth edition in 2025. The awards bring together innovators from around the globe to showcase their technology solutions and innovations that enhance disaster resilience.

This initiative aligns with Prudence Foundation's focus area to build community resilience against disasters exacerbated by climate change and its impacts on health. The finals will take place on 11 June, 2025, featuring two solution tracks: "Climate & Health" and "Smart Resilience". The competition offers over US$150,000 in cash prizes and in-kind contributions from strategic partners, live pitch opportunities at Echelon Singapore 2025, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud technology support. The 2025 D-Tech Awards are supported by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Amazon Web Services, E27, and AVPN.

Applications are now OPEN for entries until 21 March, 2025. Details of the application criteria, timeline and other relevant information can be found here.

Mobilising Adaptation Investments Project

In the COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health^[1] published by the World Health Organization (WHO), Climate Change is the biggest threat to human health. UNEP's Adaptation Gap Report 2023^[2] states that current flow of climate adaptation finance to developing countries falls short by 10-18 times, and calls for scaled up funding for climate and health solutions. To address funding gaps in global climate technology, Prudence Foundation is partnering with AVPN to unlock financing support for market-ready solutions that are prepared to scale. This 18-month project includes developing a knowledge product to guide investors, providing capacity-building support to innovators, and fostering investment flow into climate and health adaptation solutions.

Nicole Ngeow, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation, said, "At Prudence Foundation, we believe technological innovation has a significant role to play in improving disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience. With climate change resulting in more frequent and intense disasters across the world, the need to build resilience and support solutions that mitigate or respond to disasters has never been greater. Through the D-Tech Awards and in partnership with AVPN, we aim to create a supportive ecosystem to help innovative solutions to scale and enhance community resilience in the face of increasing risks exacerbated by climate change".

"The intersection of climate change and health demands urgent, collaborative action. AVPN's partnership with Prudence Foundation, through the 2025 D-Tech Awards, is a powerful step towards building a robust ecosystem for climate and health innovation. By mobilising our network of social investors and leveraging our expertise in impact-driven capital, we will accelerate the development and scaling of solutions that protect vulnerable communities and build lasting resilience across Asia, "said Madhavika Bajoria, Executive Director, Health Impact at AVPN.