The Cleveland Clinic Healthcare Innovations Alliance — a network of healthcare organizations, corporations and universities focused on healthcare innovation — and Digital manufacturing company Protolabs are joining forces to create a new awards program they hope will stimulate and move healthcare ideas forward.
The new program is an offshoot of Protolabs’ Cool Idea Award program, established in 2011, which the company says has funded over $1 million in manufacturing services to innovators with promising new product ideas. The trend will continue as the new initiative is used to help Healthcare Innovations Alliance members transform their own best ideas into marketable products and devices.
“The medical industry makes up one of Protolabs’ largest segments of customers so we are well-versed in the intricacies of bringing medical products to market,” said Vicki Holt, president-CEO, Protolabs, in a press statement.
Cleveland Clinic and other alliance members are encouraged to submit ideas to the Cool Idea Award: Healthcare Grant. Selected winners will be awarded in-kind manufacturing services from Protolabs to support development, such as building prototypes or supporting initial production runs, and eventual commercialization of products.
“Healthcare is changing rapidly, and we must innovate at a similar pace to improve outcomes for patients everywhere,” added Pete O’Neill, Executive Director at Cleveland Clinic Innovations. “This relationship with Protolabs will help the inventor communities across our Alliance program more rapidly develop and test their solutions, and ultimately improve patient care.”
Recipients will be chosen twice a year with judges made up of both Cleveland Clinic Innovations and Protolabs representatives. Individuals or companies not affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic Healthcare Innovations Alliance are welcome to apply for the Cool Idea Award’s flagship program, which accepts applications four times throughout the year.
