AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT), in collaboration with the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is sponsoring a business design and innovation competition to redefine the tire for the Internet of Things.

The Goodyear Innovation Challenge invites teams of four to five business school graduate students to submit an intelligent tire business case by October 10 in response to a design brief for the chance to compete in a two-day hackathon at Case Western Reserve's Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box], a world-class center for innovation and entrepreneurship.

"There is no question that you can improve vehicle performance by adding intelligence to tires – it's already happening," said Jim Euchner, vice president of global innovation at Goodyear. "The question is what are you sensing, and how do you integrate that data with the vehicle in a way that adds value not only for the automaker, but also for the driver."

Five team proposals will be selected to participate in the November 10-11 hackathon in Cleveland, where students will be asked to design a service by validating user needs, brainstorming concepts, prototyping the best fit, and developing "back of the envelope" business model calculations.

"This is not like the typical app development contest," said Case Western Reserve design and innovation Professor Youngjin Yoo. "We are seeing a moment where an industry is literally being reimagined. It is as real as it gets when it comes to digital innovation."

A jury of Goodyear executives and Weatherhead professors will select the first, second and third place winners for awards of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively. In addition, the first place team will have the opportunity to interview for a position on Goodyear's global innovation team.

For more information, including rules and how to submit a team proposal, visit http://designdev.case.edu/.

About Goodyear
Goodyear, founded in 1898 in Akron, is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately 66,000 people and manufactures its products in 49 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 5,100 undergraduate and 6,200 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodyear-and-case-western-reserve-launch-intelligent-tire-innovation-competition-300337874.html

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company