Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, and Ottobock, Duderstadt, Germany, announced they will undertake a joint philanthropic effort to further development in the field of mind-controlled prosthetics. Fueled by the companies’ initial combined contribution of US $1 million, the Össur and Ottobock Research Trust Fund that has been established at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, will award international grants for scientific research and innovative projects in the field of advanced neural control of prosthetic limbs.
“Neural-controlled prosthetics is one of the greatest clinical challenges in our field, and its potential to impact lives is so significant that both companies embraced the opportunity to marshal resources and help accelerate this critical technological development,” said Thorvaldur Ingvarsson, MD, PhD, executive vice president of research and development of Össur.
“Neural-controlled prosthetics could transform the lives of thousands of people with limb loss throughout the world, and we look forward to supporting the ongoing exploration of the field through the creation of this new fund,” said Hans Dietl, Dipl.-Ing., chief technology officer of Ottobock.
The first grants will be rewarded within one year. The fund will be governed by a four-person committee, comprised of two University of Iceland representatives and one representative from each company. Details regarding the fund’s grant application process will be announced in the near future.
