The 2016 Target Challenge grant opportunity is an open call for device solutions that have the potential to impact the field of pediatric medicine.

New England Pediatric Device Consortium (NEPDC) and the Center for Translation of Rehabilitation Engineering Advances and Technology (TREAT) announce the 2016 Target Challenge to address an underserved topic in pediatric medicine that has a high need for innovation and device improvement, according to a media release from NEPDC.

The third annual Target Challenge was created in partnership with the Foundation for Physical Therapy and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) to foster development and accelerate commercialization of technologies for pediatric rehabilitation, per the release.

It is being funded as part of the FDA Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program.

“There have been great advances in medicine to keep kids alive, but the appropriate rehabilitation technology available to them, from infancy through adolescence, has not kept up at the same pace. Pediatric rehabilitation services and medical devices must also be developed and evolved to meet the diverse needs and emerging health challenges,” says Rick Greenwald, PhD, NEPDC Co-Director., in the release.

Those interested in submitting their proposals have until July 8, 2016 to register and submit their abstracts. Full applications are due by July 22, 2016.

A panel of clinicians, entrepreneurs, and technologists from the Target Challenge partnering organizations will then assess the device solutions based on their likelihood to positively impact pediatric rehabilitation, technical feasibility, market and business potential, and efficacy.

Finalists will be invited to present their proposals to the review panel in August 2016.

Following the assessment, applicants chosen to receive awards will receive up to 200 hours of in-kind service and up to $150,000 in seed funding to accelerate the commercialization of the winning devices.

Awardees will also have access to NEPDC and TREAT networks, which include links to industry, academic, and the greater clinical community, to help overcome the challenges surrounding the development and translation of pediatric rehabilitation products for clinical and consumer use, the release continues.

[Source(s): New England Pediatric Device Consortium, PR Newswire]