Innovation Center

The Akron Children’s Hospital Innovation Center is your connection point to access the insights and creativity of our diverse and experienced workforce. We accelerate the development of successful products and services in the healthcare sector that benefit children and families.

We offer customized partnerships to support and collaborate with you at any stage of development, from early discovery and ideation through to piloting and market launch. Our Innovation Center team, with its broad range of clinical, operational, and business backgrounds, will help you network deeply into every part of the organization that may offer value to your endeavor.

Working closely with our research institute, the Innovation Center is also responsible for propelling ideas and discoveries from across our organization towards positive impact on the health of and delivery of care to children, creating a steady pipeline of opportunities for industry partners and investors. Our portfolio spans the domains of surgical instruments, medical devices, software tools, mobile apps, and aids for quality and process improvement.

Innovation Accelerator Program

The Akron Children’s Hospital Innovation Accelerator Program is an opportunity-generation platform intended to assist your company in developing and sustaining a rich collaboration with a leading pediatric healthcare system, to support your internal R&D/innovation process, and accelerate your company’s ability to introduce successful products and services that will improve the lives of children and families. This program is highlighted by proactive strategic coordination, internal awareness generation, annual company meeting, quarterly update calls, and a designated program coordinator.

Once membership in our program is complete, your organization will also have seamless and prioritized access to the following offerings: additional meetings, focus groups, think tanks, shadowing/observation, hospital 101 course, custom education, pilots/beta-testing, simulation center access, co-development opportunities and other custom project collaborations.

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Donating to our Innovation Fund supports the earliest stages of the innovation journey.

The activities supported with your donation include the formation of think tanks and other vehicles for generating ideas, and early prototyping and validation work to further define, develop, and de-risk these ideas. This leads to a steadier flow of more promising opportunities to have a game-changing positive impact in the lives of children and families. Donors receive invitations to special donor-only events to connect more richly with our innovation ecosystem.