Collaborative value creation

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Collaborative value creation

Introduction

Partnerships have more chance to deliver on their goals when they combine what each partner does best. By actively pooling skills, networks, and resources, collaborators can generate benefits that none could achieve alone. For the partnership to thrive over the long haul, it’s crucial that value, both financial and non-financial, is clear, fairly shared, and built into the plan for sustainability.

What does it mean?

In transformative partnerships, value creation and sustainability go hand in hand. Partners co-develop benefits like improved health outcomes or cost efficiencies. When partners play to their strengths, they generate meaningful value. A business model is needed that helps turning that value into lasting, scalable impact.

Why does it matter?

Without a clear approach to creating and sharing value, partnerships risk misaligned incentives, unequal benefits, and initiatives that fizzle once initial funding ends. Explicitly defining value and tracking its creation builds trust, ensures fairness, and motivates partners to stay invested in the long-term mission.

Ingredients for collaborative value creation

1

Co-create a shared value proposition

Start by jointly defining the partnership’s unique combined benefits, e.g. clinical impact, cost savings, user engagement, or capacity building. Make sure everyone understands, aligns with, and commits to these goals.

2

Leverage complementary assets and capabilities

Map what each partner brings to the table (e.g. technology, data, networks, local knowledge) and combine them strategically. Optimizing these contributions multiplies impact and strengthens collaboration.

Develop integrated financial and impact models

3

Blend long-term financial sustainability with measurable social and health outcomes. These models guide investment decisions, demonstrate value to stakeholders, and help partners see the bigger picture.

Plan for adaptive, long-term sustainability

4

It is advised to design governance, operational models, and funding strategies that can change as policies, technology, or market conditions change. Continuous alignment ensures shared ownership and keeps the partnership thriving well beyond initial pilots

Illustration

Example of collaborative value creation

CARDIO4Cities, a multistakeholder initiative pioneered by the Novartis Foundation, aims to reduce the hypertension burden and improve cardiovascular population health in low- and middle-income countries by offering a comprehensive portfolio of health intervention options tailored to local circumstances.

The approach was successfully piloted in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Dakar (Senegal) and São Paulo (Brazil) and the CARDIO4Cities toolkit offers insights, strategies and best practices and allows for scaling to other cities.

Image: Beneficência Portuguesa

Want to know more?

DCCC network

  • The DCCC working group on Impact Investment can support in mobilizing resources for projects and co-developing sustainable funding models for viable digital health projects.

Tools

  • This Canvas was developed for Public-Private Partnerships by the PPPLab. The user guide will help you in applying the canvas for your PPP: PPPCanvas-User-Guide
  • The Partnering Initiative developed a Value Assessment Tool to systematically assess what value is / might be created through a partnership approach, at what cost. Value-assessment-framework.pdf
  • The scaling toolkit for (digital) innovations in international cooperation developed by GIZ provides an comprehensive step-wise approach for scaling: GIZ-Toolkit-for-Scaling-Digital-Innovation

Readings

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