ZeroVector® Durable Lining - DART Partnership

The DART partnership is a unique public-private collaboration that aims to combine the unique skills of the partners to accelerate adoption of ZeroVector® Durable Lining as a replacement for indoor residual spraying (IRS).

The partners include: Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture fund that has experience in technology transfer using innovative investment solutions; Richard Allan, who has expertise in evaluating new malaria tools and providing technical guidance to a wide range of government and non-government (NGO) agencies; and Vestergaard Frandsen, a private company that specialises in developing and manufacturing practical control tools, marketing, and sales to malaria control organisations.

Brief background of DART partners:

Acumen Fund

Acumen Fund invests in market-oriented approaches to deliver critical, affordable goods and services to the world's poor. Acumen Fund focuses on the convergence of philanthropic capital and business expertise to produce sustainable, scalable enterprises that reach underserved markets and increase access to the opportunities of the global economy. For more information on Acumen Fund, visit www.acumenfund.org.

Richard Allan

Richard Allan has worked in malaria research and control for over 20 years. He began his career in medical aid in 1985 in Congo before moving to Oxford University, where he was involved for several years in novel research on malaria immunology and the development of new therapies. In 1994, he started working with non-governmental agencies involved in emergency, humanitarian medical aid across Africa and Asia. Richard became the Complex Emergencies focal person for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), leading technical support for NGOs and championing the development of malaria prevention tools for emergency settings. He is now the director of The Mentor Initiative, an NGO devoted to reducing death and suffering from malaria in emergency settings.

Vestergaard Frandsen

Vestergaard Frandsen is a European company specialising in complex emergency response and disease control products. The company operates under a unique Humanitarian Entrepreneurship business model. This “profit for a purpose” approach has turned humanitarian responsibility into its core business. Vestergaard Frandsen was founded in 1957 and has since evolved into a multinational leader focused on helping to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The partners come from diverse backgrounds but together they believe that they will have more impact as a team than as individuals.