Virginia Announces $2.48 Million to Support New Research Commercialization in Emerging Technology Sectors

~ Small technology-based businesses to receive funds for projects in clean energy, cybersecurity, data analytics, life sciences, and unmanned systems ~

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced $2.48 million in funding to support 26 small technology-based businesses and four universities in commercializing their research, leveraging more than $13 million in matching investments. Thirty Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) grants will help drive progress in five emerging technology sectors, including clean energy, cybersecurity, data analytics, life sciences, and unmanned systems.
Governor Ralph Northam today announced 26 small technology-based businesses and four universities will receive incentive grants to commercialize their research in clean energy, cybersecurity, data analytics, life sciences, and unmanned systems. The new Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) grants award $2.48 million in funding and leverage more than $13 million in matching investments to drive progress in emerging technologies.
“These entrepreneurs and innovators are on the front lines of bringing new products and technologies to market, while driving job creation and supporting Virginia’s economic recovery efforts,” said Governor Northam. “I am pleased that the Commonwealth is able to support these growing companies as they develop high-potential solutions in emerging industries and build businesses from research started right here in Virginia.”
Administered by Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), CRCF invests in priority research and commercialization activities through the private sector, academia, and nonprofit research institutes. The fund accelerates innovation and economic growth in Virginia by advancing solutions to important state, national, and international challenges through technology research, development, and commercialization. Since it began in 2011, CRCF has awarded more than $30 million to help launch nearly 380 early-stage technology projects in strategically important industries.
“Virginia’s public and private institutions of higher education, tech companies, federal labs, and nonprofit research organizations must have early-stage funding and support to launch and grow their ideas,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “We congratulate the recipients, and I look forward to watching them thrive in the Commonwealth.”
“Investing in research today is important for the future of Virginia’s technology economy, and these awards pave the way for continued innovation leadership,” said Ed Albrigo, President and CEO of CIT. “These award recipients are advancing a number of new technologies, such as therapeutics, including those for infectious disease; unmanned systems for agriculture, utilities, and smart buildings; and increased cybersecurity for the healthcare industry. We are very proud of our role in helping to bring these innovative solutions to market.”
The CRCF programs help Virginia companies, higher education institutions, and nonprofit research institutes commercialize early-stage technologies that offer significant potential for economic benefit to Virginia. Awards are in technology sectors strategically important to Virginia. For more information about the CRCF program, visit cit.org/crcf.
The following CRCF projects will be awarded, contingent upon acceptance of award terms and conditions:
Commercialization Program
Commonwealth Trading Partners, Inc. | Mr. Tom FergusCloud Search Tool for Export Commodity Classification, $74,705, Data Analytics, Alexandria
Cowden Technologies, LLC | Mr. Mickey CowdenA Smart Docking Station for Drones, $75,000, Unmanned Systems, Blacksburg   
Eksdyne Inc. | Mr. Joshua EcksteinA Magnetohydrodynamic Actuator System for Robotics, $74,915, Unmanned Systems, Blacksburg
GATACA LLC | Dr. Johanna CraigGAT for NGS: A Bioinformatics Tool for Hepatitis B Virus Quasispecies – Incorporating Machine Learning, $75,000, Data Analytics, Newport
Lumin | Mr. Michael HibshmanPromoting Residential Solar PV Development Through Curtailment of Excess Production Off-Grid, $64,917, Clean Energy, Charlottesville
Meru Biotechnologies, LLC | Mr. Daniel RodenhaverDevelopment of the Minimum Viable Product for a Free Solution Biomolecular Characterization Device, $75,000, Life Sciences, Richmond
Onclave Networks, Inc. | Mr. James TaylorSecure IoT: A Zero-Trust Platform for Elimination of OT Attack Surface, $75,000, Cybersecurity, McLean
Organizing4Innovation | Dr. Floor BlindenbachUsing Team-Learning and Teamwork-Quality Indicators as Objective Performance Assessments to Vet Early-Stage Innovation Teams, $50,450, Data Analytics, Vienna          
SCOUT Inc. (formerly Eighth Continent Technologies, Inc.) | Mr. Sergio GallucciDemonstrating Small Satellite Technology to Enable Satellite Health Inspections in Geostationary Orbit, $74,816, Unmanned Systems, Alexandria     
Sentinel Robotic Solutions, LLC | Mr. John RobinsonSentinel Aerium: American-Made Class I UAS with Disruptive Flight Endurance Technology, $75,000, Unmanned Systems, Wallops Island
Service Robotics & Technologies | Dr. Gregory ScottA Software Command Center for Scheduling and Optimizing Robots and Humans in Smart Buildings, $75,000, Unmanned Systems, Springfield
Techulon Inc. | Dr. Nrusingh MohapatraPPNA-Based Antimicrobial Therapeutics Against Multi-Drug-Resistant Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, $75,000, Life Sciences, Blacksburg
Matching Funds Program
Old Dominion University Research Foundation | Dr. Sachin ShettyBlockchain-Empowered Cyber-Resilient IoT Security Solution, $150,000, Cybersecurity, Norfolk
University of Virginia | Dr. Leon FarhiMachine Learning Technology for Prediction of Future Glucose Fluctuations to Enable a New Generation of Adaptive Glucose Control in Diabetes, $137,453, Life Sciences, Charlottesville
University of Virginia | Dr. Xi YangNovel Automated System to Measure Plant Health, $150,000, Unmanned Systems, Charlottesville
Virginia Commonwealth University | Dr. Frank GuptonDevelopment of Novel Heterogeneous Cross-Coupling Catalysts for Pharmaceutical Applications, $150,000, Life Sciences, Richmond
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Funds Programs
AgroSpheres, Inc. | Mr. Ameer ShakeelAgroSpheres Enabled RNAi Delivery for Agriculture, $75,000, Life Sciences, Charlottesville
Aquasys LLC | Mr. Tyler LockeCommercializing a Precision Agricultural System for Irrigation, Fertilizer, and Spray Scheduling, $75,000, Data Analytics, Alexandria
Azimuth1 | Mr. Jason DaltonEnviMetric: Geospatial Statistical Tools for Environmental Screening of Commercial Real Estate Sales, $75,000, Data Analytics, McLean
Babylon Micro-Farms Inc. | Mr. Graham SmithDesigning a Disruptive Platform for Hydroponic Vertical Farming: Addressing Challenges in Effective Urban Farming and the Elimination of Food Deserts, $75,000, Data Analytics, Charlottesville
BEM Controls, LLC | Mr. Rasheq RahmanWiseMrkt: A Platform for Transactive Energy and Demand Response Applications, $75,000, Clean Energy, McLean
Burnshire Hydroelectric LLC | Dr. R. Lee Harvey, Jr.Inverter Controlled Multigenerator, $74,981, Clean Energy, Star Tannery
Federal Foundry LLC | Mr. Geoffrey OrazemStructured and Unstructured HR Analytics to Support Hiring, Staffing, and Partnership Decision Making, $73,140, Data Analytics, Arlington
ICBiome, Inc. | Dr. Srini IyerA WGS-Based Genomics Platform for Early Identification of MRSA Transmission in ICU Settings, $75,000, Life Sciences, Sterling
KeViRx, Inc. | Dr. John LazoDevelopment of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Oncogenic Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase PTP4A3 for the Treatment of Human Cancers, $75,000, Life Sciences, Charlottesville
Li Industries, Inc. | Mr. Nolan SchmidtEffective Materials Separation for Low-Cost Lithium Ion Battery Direct Recycling, $75,000, Clean Energy, Blacksburg
Micro Harmonics Corporation | Ms. Diane KeesCryogenic Isolators for High-Frequency Ship Radar and Drone Inspection Systems, $75,000, Unmanned Systems, Fincastle
ReAlta Life Sciences | Dr. Neel KrishnaPeptide Inhibitor of Complement C1 (PIC1) as a Treatment for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), $59,446, Life Sciences, Norfolk
Tympanogen, Inc. | Dr. Elaine Horn-RanneyPreparation of a 510(k) Application for FDA Clearance of a Gel Patch for Nonsurgical Eardrum Repair, $75,000, Life Sciences, Richmond
WynnVision LLC | Dr. Olga ZolotarskayaPreventing Ventilator-Associated Infections, $75,000, Life Sciences, Richmond