Young minds shaping the future of children’s HealthTech

The future of children’s HealthTech isn’t just promising – it’s already taking shape, driven by some of the most innovative young minds in the country. 

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust hosted a collaborative HealthTech challenge that brought together young people, healthcare teams and HealthTech professionals from across the country to co-design solutions for children’s health. 

As Sheffield Children’s prepares to open the National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT) at new The Spark building in Sheffield, we were proud to host the University Technical College (UTC) HealthTech Challenge in partnership with The Baker Dearing Education Trust. 

Now in its third year, the 2026 Healthtech Challenge marked its first formal collaboration between healthcare and education, placing young people at the heart of HealthTech innovation. Since November 2025, students have worked alongside clinicians, researchers and innovation specialists to explore real challenges in children’s health and develop ideas shaped by both professional insight and lived experience. 

Students aged 13–16 from University Technical Colleges (UTCs) across the UK were invited to invent or design solutions that help children stay healthy, focusing on three priority areas: 

• Mental health 
• Long-term conditions, including asthma and diabetes
• Neurodevelopmental needs, including autism and ADHD

Students have worked in teams at their college, supported by specialist masterclasses from the team at the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health, which is hosted by Sheffield Children’s.

They developed original concepts, prototypes and brands, informed by research, real-life stories and their own lived experience. Selected teams progressed to the final showcase at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, where Sheffield Children’s will open the National Centre for Child Health Technology at The Spark in 2026.  

Students travelled from as far as Peterborough, Coventry and Lincoln to share their innovative ideas and deliver interactive presentations demonstrating impressive creativity, professionalism and empathy. Their ideas included a ‘Brush Buddy’ to make teeth cleaning fun and help tackle the national challenge with young people’s oral health, an AI powered wheelchair for use on all terrains including stairs, a ‘Breathing Buddy’ to regulate nervous-systems and avoid asthma attacks, and many more.  

Inspiration flowed both ways throughout the day as students also learned from leaders across healthcare and education and met an experienced judging panel including industry professionals, innovation leaders, researchers, clinicians and engineering students.

Inventor and Kids Invent Stuff founder Ruth Amos highlighted the real-world impact that can begin when a teenager’s idea becomes an award-winning design used all over the world. 

The HealthTech challenge reflects Sheffield Children’s ambition with the National Centre for Child Health Technology: to build an innovative community dedicated to creating, testing and scaling HealthTech solutions for children, with children. We look forward to building on this work to shape a healthier future for children everywhere. 

Thank you to all our partners, supporters and judges, and most importantly the students, whose ideas, insight and commitment delivered truly remarkable results. 

Congratulations to all the winners: 

The winners in the pre-16 category:
🤝 Teamwork – UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
🌲 Sustainability – Doncaster UTC
👩‍🏫 Presentation – Lincoln UTC
🎓 Students’ award – UTC Derby Pride Park
🏆 Overall – WMG Academy Trust Coventry

The winners in the post-16 category:
🤝 Teamwork – UTC Derby Pride Park
🌲 Sustainability – UTC Derby Pride Park
👩‍🏫 Presentation – Berkeley Green UTC
🎓 Students’ award – Berkeley Green UTC
🏆 Overall – Greater Peterborough UTC