UCLA Health launches healthcare innovation challenge

A Los Angeles-based health system is looking for new and creative ways to leverage technology for the advancement of patient care.


A Los Angeles-based health system is looking for new and creative ways to leverage technology for the advancement of patient care.

UCLA Health has created the UCLA Health Innovation Challenge, which is accepting submissions through May 1, with the aim of providing funding and resources for selected proposals designed to transform healthcare.

“We’re launching the UCLA Health Innovation Challenge to reward and scale the innovative efforts of our faculty, staff and scholars, and also those ideas that come from patients and caregivers, who are at the heart of our mission,” says Desert Horse-Grant, senior director for research and innovation at UCLA Health. “Biomedical and clinical innovation starts at the ground level. Advancements at UCLA affect care all around the world.”

Also See: Cedars-Sinai graduates 8 startups from its Accelerator program

UCLA Health is accepting submissions in five categories:
  • Medical technology and digital health
  • IT support for care efficiency
  • Patient experience
  • Performance improvement
  • Greatest idea

In the area of medical technology and digital health solutions, UCLA will award small seed funding (as much as $100,000) for early stage ideas to help with proof-of-concept projects solving a care need.

“Funds may be used as a precursor to the UCLA Innovation Fund, which supports projects with a patentable innovation,” states the announcement. “Funds may be used as a precursor to patent, copyright or licensing of a technology.”

Regarding IT support for care efficiency, UCLA is interested in creating a new workflow or patient care optimization to a clinical or operational application used at the academic medical center.

“This is an idea competition to suggest useful new applications or modifications to an existing clinical or operational tool, to eliminate a paper process or a suggestion for a new app to be housed in our UCLA Health App Store,” according to the announcement. “The idea submitted should be compelling and able to be completed by our IT department.”

More for you

Loading data for hdm_tax_topic #better-outcomes...