UNYQ, San Francisco, is one of four winners of the 2016 Target Challenge grant competition held by the New England Pediatric Device Consortium (NEPDC), the Center for Translation of Rehabilitation Engineering Advances and Technology (TREAT), the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), and the Foundation for Physical Therapy. The purpose of the 2016 award was to provide commercial translation of medical devices that enable and/or improve outcomes of pediatric rehabilitation. All applications were reviewed through a multistage process by a panel of business, clinical, and technology development experts, and selected finalists were invited to pitch their strategy for developing and bringing their device to market.
The four winners were awarded $150,000 in grant funding and over 400 hours of in-kind service to the commercialization of their medical devices. UNYQ was chosen for its scoliosis brace. Each device awarded in the 2016 Target Challenge is expected to be on the market within 18 months or near market with additional financial investments and development.
NEPDC was formed three years ago as a multidisciplinary consortium with a goal to help inventors accelerate the commercialization of pediatric medical devices through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric Device Consortia program. The next abstract deadline for grant funding is October 3, with applications due on October 24. For more information, visit www.nepdc.org or e-mail info@nepdc.org.
