Four UK-affiliated companies receive federal SBIR-STTR awards and Kentucky matching funds

LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 1, 2011)— Four UK-affiliated technology companies received federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards that were matched for a total $1 million by the state this summer. Funded by the Cabinet for Economic Development Office of Commercialization & Innovation, the program provides matching funding up to $150,000 for Phase I and up to $500,000 for Phase II federal awards.

The UK-affiliated companies are ATI, 3H Company, nGimat, and Orthopeutics.

ATI or Alloy Technology Innovations is located at UK’s Coldstream Research Campus. The company received a state match for a Phase I Department of Defense award for their project, "New Aluminum Alloy Weld Wire Development." This company specializes in aluminum alloys and product development for aerospace and defense applications.

3H Company is located in the UK ASTeCC campus incubator. Originally based in Hampton, Va., 3H Company partnered with UK-affiliated organizations during their relocation to Lexington including the Lexington Innovation & Commercialization Center (ICC) and the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP). The company received a state match for a Phase II National Science Foundation award for its project, "Split Amine Absorption for CO2 Caption from Post Combustion Flue Gas of Coal Fired Power Plants." 3H Company focuses on clean coal technology and testing its carbon sequestration technology designed to capture and store carbon dioxide underground.

nGimat is located in Lexington and has partnered with UK faculty in the centers for applied energy research (CAER) and nanoscale science and engineering (CeNSE). This company received a state match for a Phase II National Science Foundation grant for their project, "Scale-up of Nanopowder Manufacturing Via Cost-Effective, Low Carbon-Footprint Process." The company is initially focusing on the development and scale-up of nanomaterials for energy applications, particularly nanopowders for Li-ion batteries. www.ngimat.com

Orthopeutics, which relocated from Texas to the UK Coldstream Research Campus in 2010, received a state matching award for a Phase II National Institutes of Health grant for their project, "Injectable Tissue Revitalization Research for Degenerative Disc Disease and Damaged Tendons and Ligaments." Orthopeutics is developing a nonsurgical treatment for degenerative disc disease and associated lower-back pain. During their relocation, the company partnered with UK through the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership and the UK Office for Commercialization & Economic Development. www.orthopeutics.com

About the Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds Program

For more information on the Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds Program and how to apply for future awards, visit the Web site. Companies from outside of Kentucky can apply and receive conditional pre-approval the Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds Program (see the guidelines).  For a list of previous awards, click here.

About UKCED

The University of Kentucky Office for Commercialization & Economic Development creates jobs and grows Kentucky’s economy through the commercialization of research and innovations, university-industry partnerships, and business development of university spinoffs companies and Kentucky small businesses. UKCED manages the intellectual property portfolio and assesses, patents and licenses technology. UKCED includes the ASTeCC campus incubator, Coldstream Research Campus, Kentucky Small Business Development Center, Kentucky Technology Inc., Lexington ICC and the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship.