The Center for Pediatric Innovation was established in 2015 to help bring Children's Mercy innovations to life. The Center's goals are to advance our mission, build our reputation and create new sustainability models/revenue streams. Children's Mercy collaborates with global strategic partners to deliver solutions that create a world of wellbeing for all children.

Children’s Mercy has been at the forefront of innovation since our founding sisters Alice Berry Graham and Katharine Berry Richardson felt compassion for Kansas City’s neediest children. Innovation starts with empathy and solving for deep needs, which continues to be at the heart of the employees at Children’s Mercy driving them to innovate new solutions to transform the health, wellbeing and potential of children.

Our innovation process

Our innovation process consists of three important phases. These phases include need, solution and market validation. The Innovation team at Children's Mercy has experience in consumer goods, product and software development, intellectual property management, go-to-market strategy, and clinical care. Meet the Pediatric Innovation Center team.

Children’s Mercy is interested in collaborating with start-ups, entrepreneurs and other entities to develop solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of children.

In addition, Children’s Mercy wants to engage with companies that can prototype, develop and provide other competencies to help us deliver our solutions to the pediatric market.

SPARK Employee Innovation Bash

For nearly 10 years the Center for Pediatric Innovation has invited all Children’s Mercy employees, regardless of department, to participate in the annual SPARK Employee Innovation Bash. Employees bring their ideas to improve pediatric health care and compete to win seed money to develop their innovation with the Center for Pediatric Innovation. This event has had over 135 innovation entries to date and led to the development of many employee-championed innovations now available in the marketplace!

Children’s Mercy innovations

Intellectual property management

Visit our Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization to meet the Tech Transfer team. The Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization provides guidance to the Innovation Center and Children’s Mercy staff on intellectual property and technology commercialization matters.