Twelve Lexington-area tech companies receive state match for federal SBIRs and STTRs

State matching funds were awarded to the following 12 Lexington-area companies that won Phase 1 grants from the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs. Press release follows company listing. For more information, see Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds Overview.

Adaptive Intelligent Systems
Contact: YuMing Zhang at 859-537-9871 or ymzhang@engr.uky.edu
Adaptive Intelligent Systems was established in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2005. The company is developing innovative, intelligent sensing and control technologies and systems that help improve welding quality and productivity. AIS intends to serve the energy, chemical, shipbuilding, defense, and other industries where welding quality and productivity are critical.

Advanced Dynamics
Contact: Patrick Hu at 859-243-5615 or Patrick.g.hu@advanceddynamics-usa.com
Having relocated from Utah to Lexington, Kentucky, to benefit from the Kentucky SBIR-STTR Matching Funds program, Advanced Dynamics is developing a comprehensive and integrated tool for modeling and simulating aerospace, marine, and automotive systems, as well as the human heart and brain.

customKYnetics
Contact: Eric Hartman at 859-879-3718 or hartman@customkynetics.com
customKYnetics is a start-up research and development company that focuses on developing rehabilitation engineering products for use by individuals with paralysis following a spinal cord injury or stroke. The primary focus is to design and develop systems that use electrical stimulation to build muscle mass, strength, and endurance or to promote motor retraining. Adaptive control systems technology is used to enhance the functionality and usability of the electrical stimulation systems.

ECM Biosciences
Contact: Mike Moylan at 859-879-0755 or mmoylan@ecmbio.com
ECM Biosciences is a biotechnology company that develops innovative tools to advance research related to cancer, neuropathology, immune dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease. ECM produces antibodies and functional peptides to facilitate the study of these critical areas of life science research.

Lumenware
Contact: Matt Field at 859-885-4651 or seales@uky.edu
Lumenware’s focus is Separable User Interface Technology, which is software that facilitates mobile technologies and overcomes limitations presented by small, built-in interfaces on handhelds and portable computers. The software makes it easy to use enabled interface devices like displays, keyboards, and speakers, instantly and on demand, without plugging in cables or using special docking hardware.

Mersive Technologies
Contact: Randall Stevens at 859-514-8120 or rstevens@mersive.com
Mersive Technologies is a display technology company that redefines the ease with which ultra-resolution, multi-projector displays can be designed, configured and maintained. A leader in the creation of ultra-definition displays with resolutions greater than high-definition (HD) devices, Mersive provides a cost-effective, auto-calibration solution capable of merging any number of projectors into a seamless display of almost any size, shape, and resolution. Mersive serves the simulation and training, entertainment and engineering markets with patented technology that creates a perfectly blended and shaded pixel palette for resolution-intensive applications using off-the-shelf projectors, computers and cameras.

Naprogenix
Contact: Cindy Burklow at 859-257-1127 or cindy_burklow@yahoo.com
Naprogenix is a biotechnology company harnessing the power of genomics and proprietary pharmacological screens to explore the chemical diversity of plants and discover novel active compounds. The company’s novel technology offers advantages over conventional synthetic and high-throughput screening approaches used by the pharmaceutical industry. It can deliver plant-derived molecules with activity at almost any bioactive target, and is currently being used to discover a variety of compounds with potential uses as leads for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.

Neathery Technologies
Contact: Jim Neathery at 859-948-2278 or jim@neathery-tech.com
The Lexington-based Neathery Technologies (NTI) develops innovative applications for the energy/power, agricultural and environmental industries. NTI’s specialty is research and development in biomass energy conversion, power plant energy efficiency improvement, and advanced separation systems. Currently, NTI is developing a small-scale gasification technology to convert poultry litter biomass into a clean gaseous fuel that can be used onsite for farm energy needs.

Oraceuticals
Contact: C. Brad Huang at 859-492-6268 or chuang@oraceuticals.com
Oraceuticals, a Kentucky biotech company, is dedicated to the research, development, and commercialization of therapeutics that advance medical treatment, improve health, and enrich lives. The company’s research targets natural products, particularly those derived from Kentucky’s native flora and possessing anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can be used to prevent and manage oral diseases.

ParaTechs
Contact: Bruce Webb at 859-433-5293 or agoodin@paratechs.com
ParaTechs employs unique genes and proteins from insect parasites and pathogens to develop and commercialize innovative technologies and novel products. The technologies currently in development target insect pest control and protein production utilizing the baculovirus expression vector system.

Scout Diagnostics
Contact: John Beran at 502-767-1020 or jeberan@insightbb.com
Scout Diagnostics, based at the University of Kentucky's ASTeCC incubator, is commercializing a testing kit to detect Alzheimer’s disease at an early stage with greater sensitivity and specificity than is available using current techniques. The test kit is designed to identify an aberrant protein complex in cerebral spinal fluid and was developed by Drs. Mark Lovell and Bert Lynn from UK's Department of Chemistry and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Scout Diagnostics was founded by John Beran and the inventors with the objective of providing physicians with an FDA-approved, early diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease.

Topasol
Contact: Matt Partymiller at 859-539-4825 or graham@topasol.com
Topasol is a nanotechnology-based company that focuses on multifunctional coatings for the aerospace and solar power industries. Smart coating systems are designed with advanced properties such as anticorrosion, antibacterial/antiviral and sensor capabilities, including prognostics for aerospace systems and solutions for solar applications. The company’s processes can help reduce the environmental, health and safety risk of manufacturing nanotech coatings.


KENTUCKY HIGH-TECH SMALL BUSINESSES GRANTS ATTRACTING NATIONWIDE INTEREST
20 Kentucky firms share $1.9 million from state to match federal awards

FRANKFORT, Ky (July 19, 2007) – Governor Ernie Fletcher, who has worked to make Kentucky a leader in supporting innovative small businesses, today announced that 20 Kentucky high-technology “start-ups” will share nearly $1.9 million in state matching funds as part of an initiative to attract and support high-tech small businesses.

State matching funds are awarded to companies that win grants in Phases 1 and 2 of the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs. Kentucky is the first state to match both phases of the federal grants, providing comprehensive funding.

“Kentucky is a leader when it comes to supporting our innovative small businesses, and the number of companies expressing an interest in this program proves that,” said Governor Fletcher. “These grants will be used to develop new technologies into commercial products. As these Kentucky start-up companies grow and prosper, they will repay our investment many times over by providing high-paying jobs for our citizens.”

The announced matching grants range from $69,999 to $100,000 per company for their Phase 1 research, which tests the feasibility of a concept or technology. Kentucky also has started matching federal awards for Phase 2 research and development, during which a company aims at making the technology ready for commercialization. The maximum state match for Phase 2 federal awards is up to $500,000 per year for up to two years. The opportunity for recipients of Phase 1 and Phase 2 federal awards to earn up to $1.1 million in matching funds from Kentucky has drawn attention to the nationally advertised program from high-tech firms in other states that are interested in relocating to Kentucky.

The 20 Kentucky firms receiving matching funds specialize in human health and development, information technology and communications, bioscience, energy and environmental technologies, and materials science and advanced manufacturing.

The companies are ECM Biosciences and customKYnetics, both of Woodford County; Sequela, of Oldham County; Wilson’sCedar Point Farms, of Pulaski County; Oraceuticals, Lumenware, Adaptive Intelligent Systems, ParaTechs, Mersive Technologies, Topasol, Neathery Technologies, and Advanced Dynamics, of Fayette County; and Naprogenix, Potentia, SureGene, ApoImmune, SCR, Regenerex, Hosting.com and Scout Diagnostics, of Jefferson County.

Companies eligible for the matching funds must be located in Kentucky or commit to relocating to Kentucky within 60 days, after which they can begin receiving the matching grant. The companies must also agree to remain in Kentucky for at least five years.

Advanced Dynamics Inc., a high-tech start-up from Utah, is the first to move to Kentucky. The company specializes in integrated and high-fidelity modeling and simulation for aerodynamics, structural mechanics, and other applications.

The Cabinet for Economic Development, through its Department of Commercialization and Innovation (DCI), is managing the program, which is being administered under contract to DCI by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation.

“This innovative program is a perfect example of the type of outside-the-box thinking that will enhance and grow Kentucky’s new economy,” said Economic Development Cabinet Secretary John Hindman. “It shows we are committed to supporting our high-tech small businesses as Kentucky moves toward a more knowledge-based, high-tech economy.”

DCI began accepting applications for the first round of the new program in November. Applications for the second round are now being accepted. A link to the online guidelines and application form for the Kentucky program are posted at www.ThinkKentucky.com/dci/SBIR.

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The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state. New business investment in Kentucky in 2006 totaled more than $3.4 billion with the creation of over 18,200 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training, incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at www.thinkkentucky.com.