NEW YORK — Today, the NFL unveiled the HealthTECH Challenge I, a crowd-sourced initiative aimed at fast-tracking innovations to improve the safety and consistency of playing surfaces for players.
The Challenge, held in collaboration with Football Research, Inc. (FRI) and Duke Biomedical Engineering (Duke BME), is calling for submissions that tackle various aspects of safety concerning natural and synthetic playing surfaces. These aspects include:
- New or improved field maintenance techniques.
- Equipment that minimizes inconsistency across the surface and/or over time.
- Approaches to extend the lifespan of natural grass surfaces in NFL stadiums.
- Treatments applied topically to synthetic surfaces to enhance player traction.
- Equipment for protecting playing surfaces during events not related to sports.
- Field usage monitoring technologies.
The HealthTECH Challenge I is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for participants who propose ideas aimed at enhancing the safety and uniformity of playing surfaces. If your project is chosen for funding, you will have the chance to collaborate with a team of experts to refine your concept and devise a plan for the production of the final product.
Not only companies currently specializing in playing surfaces, but also new ventures from outside the surface industry can submit to the Challenge. This includes representatives from academic institutions, design houses, and other entities specializing in engineering, advanced manufacturing, and material science.
Timeline for Challenge:
- Nov. 16, 2023 to Feb. 20, 2024: Submission window open. Applications can be submitted here (more details are available in the official rules).
- Duke BME and a panel of expert judges, established in collaboration with FRI, will review from March to April 2024.
- Deadline for selecting finalists and presenting oral submissions is set for April 2024.
- May 2024: Final selection.
- May 2024-May 2025: Funding period.
The full request for applications is available for review here.
“We aim to generate innovative and original concepts through this challenge that will complement our continuous work to develop the most optimal, consistent, and safe playing fields for NFL players,” stated Jennifer Langton, the NFL’s senior vice president of health and safety innovation. “Crowd-sourced challenges such as this one offer a distinct opportunity to utilize a broad spectrum of expertise and enhance the safety of players on the field.”
“We believe that the complexity of the topic of NFL playing surfaces will inspire innovation and bring fresh insights and solutions for enhancing playing surfaces across our league and beyond,” stated Nick Pappas, the NFL’s field director.
The HealthTECH Challenge I is a component of the HealthTECH Challenges series, formerly known as the HeadHealthTECH Challenges. These innovation challenges aim to enhance knowledge and develop solutions in various areas including head protection, lower extremity protection, materials science, kinematic measurement, and more.
