The Rio Tinto Sports Innovation Challenge is expected to stimulate students to design and build new types of sporting equipment for people with disabilities in the lead up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The initiative was launched at Imperial College London and is funded by Rio Tinto, the Official Precious Metal Provider to London 2012 and a Tier Three partner.

The five-year programme aims to harness the creativity of Imperial's students in order to make sports more accessible to people with disabilities and to improve their sporting performance equipment.

Hugo Bague, the Rio Tinto group executive, People and Organisation, said: "The Rio Tinto Sports Innovation Challenge inspired by the London 2012 Paralympic Games is an exciting opportunity to work with our long-term partner Imperial College London.

"As well as supplying the metal for the medals at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are excited that our sponsorship can also make a tangible contribution to Paralympic sport and healthy lifestyles for people with disabilities."

The programme will also create the opportunity for Rio Tinto to work with promising undergraduate and postgraduates, providing them with real life projects as a means to support their future career prospects.

The five-time Paralympian and gold medalist Sarah Storey, Rio Tinto's Ambassador said: "It is fantastic to be working with Rio Tinto and these amazing students on a project that might just give us that little something extra.

"This programme could also bring tangible benefits to all people with disabilities."

Professor Anthony Bull, from the Department of Bioengineering, Imperial's lead organiser of the Challenge, said: "Today's event is the symbolic start of what has the potential to be an absolutely fantastic and fun learning experience for students.

"Apart from being a great way to enhance their education, we believe that by harnessing the talents of Imperial students, they will be able to come up with innovative ways to improve the sporting performance of Paralympians and enhance the quality of life for those with disabilities."

The students are working on projects such as the development of a prosthetic limb allowing for rotation at the foot to benefit javelin-throwing performance.

Rio Tinto will be providing access to its expertise in the use of metals to assist construction.

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