The Maine Technology Institute approved eight new grant applications in December 2015, totaling $82,763 in awards to entrepreneurs from across Maine to advance new product and process development in aquaculture and marine technology, composite materials, environmental technologies, information technology, and advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture.
This round of MTI awards leveraged $101,070 in matching contributions from the award recipients.
Awards from this round include:
• Four TechStart grants totaling $14,050
• Three Business Accelerator grants totaling $63,723
• One Phase 0 KickStarter totaling $4,990
“These grant awards, from MTI’s suite of funding programs, will augment the investments that eight Maine companies will make in innovative new research and development,” said Brian Whitney, MTI’s president. “The investments will assist the companies in developing new products and systems and, ultimately, will help facilitate their continued viability and growth.”
A summary of awards shows:
TechStart grants
• Farmer Brown Organics, LLC of Presque Isle, award amount $5,000
• Heatek Energy, LLC of Auburn, award amount $2,050
• Limbeck Engineering, LLC of Freeport, award amount $2,000
• Q-Team, Inc. of Naples, award amount $5,000
TechStart grants are available to entrepreneurs and companies across Maine who are seeking to develop their inventive ideas into new, innovative products or services. Grants are awarded monthly and may be used to support specific activities such as business plan development, intellectual property filings, market analysis, or technology transfer activities out of research institutions. The next application deadline for MTI’s TechStart grant program is Feb. 2.
Business Accelerator grants
• Cerahelix, Inc. of Orono, award amount $15,000
• Kennebec River Biosciences, Inc. of Richmond, award amount $20,000
• Municipay, LLC of Scarborough, award amount $28,723
Business Accelerator grants are available to startup/ early stage companies that have been awarded MTI Development Loans (DLs) and to companies that have recently been chosen for a federal Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Phase I or Phase II grant and/or a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) award.
The next application deadline for MTI’s Business Accelerator grant program is Feb. 2.
Phase 0 KickStarter
• Alba-Technic, LLC of Winthrop, award amount $4,990
The Phase 0 KickStarter is a new funding opportunity offered to individuals and companies seeking to submit SBIR/STTR Phase I proposals to one of the 11 federal agencies participating in the program.
Phase 0 KickStarter applications are accepted on a rolling basis and at least 30 days in advance of solicitation due date.
For more information on MTI funding programs, visit www.mainetechnology.org.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
