RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—Through the company’s innovation lab, The Shop, VSP Global is announcing today a major collaboration with the University of Southern California (CBC), an interdisciplinary think tank specializing in research related to mobile health, wearable technology and the growing intersection of personalized, empowered health care.

“As we enter into a new phase in the development of our Project Genesis, it’s critical that we have the very best minds at the table to ensure we’re developing a meaningful experience that enhances the wearer’s life,” said Shop co-lead, Jay Sales. “Our membership with the USC CBC creates a partnership hub that will allow our team to engineer the next generation of this product with insight from experts outside our own bubble.”

In March, VSP Global announced the development of Project Genesis, as VMail reported, the first wearable prototype to seamlessly integrate health-tracking technology into the temple of an optical frame. The first generation of the device syncs via Bluetooth to a custom app, tracking the wearer’s steps, calories burned, activity time and distance traveled.

As part of VSP Global’s membership with the USC CBC, Shop team members engaged in an intense, two-day think tank earlier this summer to explore commercialization pathways to take Project Genesis from prototype to market-ready product. According to a VSP spokesperson, the next generation of Genesis is anticipated in 2016.

“It’s exciting to work with VSP on an unexplored avenue of wearable health technology,” said USC CBC founder and executive director Dr. Leslie Saxon. “Together we’re going beyond the limitations of today’s health and wellness monitoring and giving power to consumers to become the heroes of their own health stories. As the leader in vision services, VSP supports millions of members and we’re thrilled to have them as a USC CBC member where we can collaborate closely on the development of this groundbreaking product.”

Founded in 2007, the CBC functions as an interdisciplinary brain trust and innovation center within Keck School of Medicine of USC. Member organizations are given access to expertise in medicine, business, engineering and entertainment to better navigate the complex and evolving world of wireless health care. A brief video about the goals of the project are now posted.

“Being at the USC Center for Body Computing is like being at the Knights of the Round Table,” said Shop co-lead, Leslie Muller. “With diverse perspectives and the mobile health expertise of the CBC, we can move Genesis into the next phase of development with a holistic approach that fuses design, technology and contextualized health care through a platform that we know best—eyewear.”

As an emerging focus area for The Shop, “contextualized health care” is the idea of enriching and personalizing traditional medical records with context from daily living, VSP noted. An example might include harnessing raw biometric data from a wearable device and transforming it into actionable insights that result in increased health and well-being for the wearer.

The Shop continues to explore collaboration opportunities with a number of entities, including other organizations, startups and academic institutions. Interested parties can contact The Shop directly, the company said, at TalkSHOP@vsp.com.