LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - April 20, 2020 - To aid in the current COVID-19 pandemic, The West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) is announcing COVID-19 FlexGrants, a limited grant opportunity. Selected pediatric medical device innovators will be awarded grants of up to $15,000 to support activities that apply or adapt their existing medical device to help manage the health impacts of COVID-19 on children. Medical devices with adult indications that are expanding or wish to expand their clinical indication to pediatrics are welcome to apply. Although clinical manifestations of pediatric COVID-19 cases are generally less severe than those of adult patients, young children and children with special health care needs can be particularly vulnerable to infection (see references).
There are several pediatric MedTech companies within the CTIP portfolio that have devices that can play a role in diagnosis and monitoring critical results associated with this disease. Leveraging expedited FDA processes can enable these devices to be used in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of affected patients. There are also opportunities for MedTech companies in the adult space to evaluate their products for the pediatric market. CTIP Director, Juan Espinoza, MD announced the grant, stating “Innovation and speed are critical at this time; this grant is one way we can support the MedTech community as they make efforts to address this global pandemic. We appreciate that the FDA has enabled us to react quickly and creatively to help address the current crisis.”
“CTIP is committed to a needs-driven pipeline for pediatric medical devices, and there is no greater need right now. We have a national network of multi-disciplinary stakeholders that can identify and cultivate promising new technologies tailored to the needs of children. This is a unique opportunity during these challenging times to advance pediatric medical device innovation forward on the path from concept to commercialization,” said Kathryne Cooper, MBA, CTIP Co-Director.
COVID-19 grant proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
All companies must meet CTIP's minimum criteria to receive support:
CTIP is now accepting grant submissions; grants will be awarded on a rolling basis. Visit COVID-19 on www.westcoastctip.org to apply.
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