HITIQ (ASX: HIQ) has announced that Monash University has secured a $799,866 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grant featuring the company’s PROTEQT instrumented mouthguard technology as the core data platform.
The project will integrate HITIQ’s real-time head impact data with advanced biomarker analysis to develop evidence-based thresholds for concussion and brain injury risk.
Monash has pre-committed to purchase 400 PROTEQT units for $200,000 in January 2026, marking an immediate commercial outcome and positioning HITIQ at the centre of one of Australia’s most significant concussion research programs.
Groundbreaking Injury Threshold Research
The ARC Discovery Project aims to close a long-standing gap in sports medicine by combining objective biomechanical impact data with biological markers of brain injury to replace subjective, symptom-based assessments.
By linking mechanical impact forces with physiological responses, researchers intend to identify the precise thresholds at which cumulative or single head impacts begin to cause neurological damage.
The project builds on existing collaborations using HITIQ’s instrumented mouthguards in community Australian football studies, with findings to inform future return-to-play protocols, helmet safety standards, and clinical concussion guidelines across numerous sectors.
Monash’s chief investigator Dr Stuart McDonald said the team aims to move beyond simple acceleration cut-offs to “biologically grounded thresholds for when a single head impact is likely to injure the brain,” helping shape future helmet testing standards and improve player safety.
The ARC Discovery Program represents the highest tier of competitive research funding in Australia, assessed through international peer review, and selection of HITIQ’s platform underscores its scientific and clinical credibility.
Commercial and Clinical Significance for HITIQ
The Monash collaboration adds to HITIQ’s expanding global research portfolio, which includes partnerships with leading universities and elite sporting organisations.
PROTEQT’s integration into ARC-funded research provides independent academic validation and accelerates the company’s efforts to establish a clinical evidence base for regulatory and commercial adoption.
Beyond immediate revenue from the sale of devices, the project offers long-term commercial upside by generating data that supports regulatory approvals and future uptake by professional leagues, health agencies and safety regulators.
The company said its technology’s adoption in an ARC Discovery Project reflects increasing recognition of instrumented mouthguards as the gold standard for head impact measurement in real-world environments.
About the PROTEQT Platform
PROTEQT is a next-generation concussion management and athlete safety system that uses a smart mouthguard and analytics platform to deliver high-resolution head impact data in real time.
Developed in collaboration with Shock Doctor, the technology builds on HITIQ’s existing Nexus platform, already deployed across elite sports leagues in Australia and internationally.
HITIQ said the new project reinforces its strategic focus on developing clinically validated technologies that contribute to improved athlete welfare, medical research and safer participation in contact sports worldwide.
The company believes the research outcomes will enhance PROTEQT’s value proposition as a medical-grade concussion monitoring tool while strengthening its competitive position in the growing global brain health technology market.
