NSC Expends $300K in Novel Efforts to Limit Workplace Injuries

The National Safety Council has granted $300,000 to recipients of the 2026-2027 Research to Solutions (R2S) and MSD Solutions Pilot Grants. The monies will be used to fund projects that are dedicated to preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the leading workplace injury. The grant program is in its fourth cycle and continues to focus on eliminating preventable injuries and deaths.

The initiative, launched by the MSD Solutions Lab, funded by Amazon, has supported 35 projects and invested more than $1 million in scalable worker safety solutions.

“MSDs can affect every part of a person’s life, both on and off the job,” says Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at NSC. “These projects underscore our dedication to finding solutions that are grounded in real-world work and centered on people. By investing in both research and practical applications, we are helping employers better understand risk and take meaningful steps to protect their teams."

The R2S grant program gives up to $50,000 per project, funding research that can result in beneficial workplace solutions.

Here are the 2026-2027 recipients:

● Ergami Endoscopy, partnering with Stony Brook University, will focus on creating a robotic colonoscope insertion device to reduce risk of endoscopy-related injuries.

● University of Wisconsin-Madison will study personal protective equipment with embedded sensors to measure movement and ergonomic risk while lifting and doing overhead tasks

● ViVA health at work, through its emerging innovation and human-centered design division at ViVID Design Labs, in collaboration with Australian Catholic Universityand Queensland University of Technology, will develop an AI-enabled framework that integrates ergonomic, psychosocial, organizational and individual risk data to help prioritize MSD prevention strategies for healthcare workers.

● Wichita State University will validate a job rotation optimization tool designed to balance MSD risk across manufacturing tasks.

The MSD Solutions Pilot Grant program, gives up to $20,000 per project and supports MSD Pledge member organizations in testing and evaluating technologies and approaches in workplace settings.

Here are the 2026-2027 recipients:

● Carolina Canners will use SpatialCortex’s wearable sensors to identify material handling risks and evaluate interventions to lessen absences and injuries.

● Compass Group Canada will apply Amp Health’s computer vision technology to evaluate workplace screening and movement programs.

● PIP Safety will use CerebrumEdge’s AI-powered platform to assess and reduce MSD risks in repetitive manufacturing and warehousing operations.

● Radiometer will deploy Precure’s wearable sensors to measure worker movement and identify ergonomic risks across job functions.

● Volvo Car Gent will evaluate MATE’s digital twin technology to quantify ergonomic risk and improve return-to-work planning.

This year’s winners can present their findings at the 2027 NSC Safety Congress & Expo.

For more information about the grant program, visit nsc.org/msd.  

About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is the U.S. nonprofit safety advocate, working to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways.