The National Safety Council has announced the continuation of its Research to Solutions (R2S) and MSD Solutions Pilot Grant programs for a fourth cycle. The 2026-2027 grants will provide up to $300,000 in funding, bringing the total investment to more than $1 million since the initiative’s inception.
 
The grants support cutting-edge research and workplace pilot projects through the NSC MSD Solutions Lab, established in 2021 with funding from Amazon. The grant programs focus on preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), America’s most common workplace injury for businesses.

“While MSDs are preventable, they continue to be a persistent workplace challenge,” said Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at NSC. “By investing in research and technology, we are helping to transform how employers address these injuries and ensuring more workers can return home safe every day.”

“The MSD Solutions Lab has become a powerful engine for progress, inspiring new ways to tackle MSDs,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of global workplace health and safety at Amazon. “These grant programs help connect bold ideas with real-world applications and raise the bar for employee safety across industries."

Since inception, the programs have funded 25 projects ranging from emerging technology solution development to real-world pilot implementations. MSDs include strains, sprains, tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, often caused by forceful exertions, awkward postures, or repetitive motion. They affect workers in every industry and cost U.S. private sector businesses more than $19 billion annually, according to the 2025 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index.
 
R2S Grant: Awards up to $50,000 per approved project, totaling $200,000. It’s open to academic institutions, businesses and industries seeking to innovate new solutions for MSD risk reduction. Proposals should support areas such as emerging technologies, non-physical risk assessment and mitigation and high-risk task solutions.
 
MSD Solutions Pilot Grant: Awards up to $20,000 per approved project, totaling $100,000. The grant connects MSD Pledge members with innovative technology providers to trial solutions in real-world applications.
 
Recipients of the 2026–2027 cycle will be announced in June 2026, with the opportunity to present their findings at the 2027 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. To learn more, visit nsc.org/msd and apply for the R2S and Pilot grants.