CIT Announces Fall 2011 Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) Awards

Herndon, VA (PRWEB) December 21, 2011

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced today 29 Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) awards totaling $3.6 million made to 22 organizations from academia, the research community, and industry in the Commonwealth for the purpose of funding targeted areas of research with commercial promise aligned with the Commonwealth Research and Technology (R&T) Strategic Roadmap.

This solicitation brought in more than 90 eligible proposals from throughout Virginia, totaling nearly $21 million, and spanning the breadth of industries identified in the Roadmap as priorities areas for the Commonwealth, including: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, communications, energy, environment, information technology, life sciences, modeling and simulation, nuclear physics, and transportation; awarded projects represent the areas of life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing and nuclear physics.

Pete Jobse, CIT President and CEO, said, “CIT is pleased to have the opportunity to conduct the CRCF process on behalf of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority, these awards will advance crucial technology research and commercialization initiatives that will result in company growth, research expenditure growth and new company formation opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.”

The following CRCF proposals will be awarded contingent upon acceptance of the programs terms and conditions:

SBIR Matching Funds Program

• AFrame Digital, Inc., $49,997 for Continuous Fall Risk Monitoring System: Walking vs. Activities of Daily Living
• Alexander BioDiscoveries, LLC, $50,000 for Novel Anti-Viral Agents to Treat Influenza
• Biospherex LLC, $50,000 for Development of an LH-PCR Based Diagnostic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Gencia Corp., $50,000 for Treatment of Sepsis Bioenergetics Using a Protein Biologic
• HemoSonics, LLC, $49,734 for Development of Quality Control System for In-Vitro Assessment of Hemostasis
• HemoSonics, LLC, $49,994 for Reagent Optimization for In-Vitro Assessment of Hemostasis
• INCOGEN, Inc., $49,915 for Commercialization Strategy for Cancer Biomarker Intellectual Property
• Indoor Biotechnologies Inc., $50,000 for Multiplex Array for Mold Biomarkers
• iTi Health, Inc., $50,000 for Comparing Imaging Agent Modalities for Optimal Detection of Pancreatic Cancer
• iTi Health, Inc., $50,000 for Developing a SPECT Imaging Agent for Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer
• Jericho Sciences, LLC, $50,000 for A Novel CNS-Penetrable Antiretroviral
• LC Technologies, Inc., $49,992 for Eyetracking Comprehension Assessment System (ECAS): Improving Validity of Comprehension Assessment for People with Brain Injury
• Parabon NanoLabs, Inc., $50,000 for Mixed-Ligand Targeting of a Nano-Pharmaceutical Against GBM Stem Cells
• Phthisis Diagnostics, Inc., $49,400 for Molecular Diagnostic for Microsporidia
• Synthonics Inc., $50,000 for Levodopa Pharmacokinetic Optimization by Metal Coordination
• Xyken, LLC, $50,000 for An Intelligent Capsule Endoscopy Video Analysis Software Platform

Eminent Researcher Recruitment Program

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, $250,000 for Recruitment of Eminent Scholar in Heart Regenerative Medicine Research

Facilities Enhancement Loan Program

• Old Dominion University Research Foundation, $500,000 for Frank Reidy Center for Bioelectrics Facility Expansion

Matching Funds Program

• Old Dominion University Research Foundation, $100,000 for A Nonchemical Approach for Creating Platelet Gel
• Old Dominion University Research Foundation, $100,000 for Development and Commercialization of Pulse Power Technology
• Region 2000 Research Institute, $100,439for Center for Safe and Secure Nuclear Energy
• The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, $120,000 for Bone Imaging: Technology Development and Pilot Study
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science, $97,435 for Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectrometry (NIRS) for Evaluation of Oyster Physiology in Selective Breeding
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, $50,000 for Chemical Synthesis of Square Quantum Dots
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, $148,998 for Photovoltaic Inverter Development for Virginia Manufacturing Industries

Commercialization Program

• Black Laboratories, LLC, $91,992 for Processing and Testing of Hydroformed SRF Cavities
• HemoShear, LLC, $500,000 for Interspecies Drug-Induced Vascular Injury (DIVI) Consortium
• Phthisis Diagnostics, Inc., $499,477 for Commercialization of Cryptosporidium/Giardia Molecular Diagnostic
• RetiVue, $250,000 for Bringing Affordable Retinal Screening Technology and Services to the Primary Care Clinic

“The proposals awarded during this solicitation support goals and industry opportunities identified in the Commonwealth Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap, and were reviewed by a multi-step assessment process,” said Nancy Vorona, CIT Vice President Research Investment.

Vorona noted the review process. All proposals were initially reviewed by CIT for guideline compliance. Acceptable submissions were subject to an external review by subject matter experts from industry, academia, and government. Those proposals passing the expert review were ranked and selected by the newly-created Research and Technology Investment Advisory Committee (RTIAC), comprised of university, industry, and economic development experts. The RTIAC made recommendations to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA), which approved the final awards.

Award recipients will be contacted over the next two weeks to review award terms and conditions. Proposal authors whose submissions are automatically eligible for consideration in the spring solicitation will be notified the week of January 9, 2012. CIT staff will be available to discuss the selection process starting January 11, 2012.

CIT will publish information on the next CRCF solicitation as it becomes available on distribution resources including webinars, newsletters, press releases, Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) events, and on the CIT website at: http://www.cit.org/programs/cit-rd/crcf.

About the CRCF and R&T Roadmap
The Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) advances science- and technology-based research, development, and commercialization to drive economic growth in Virginia and to encourage collaboration among its institutions of higher education and partnerships between these colleges and universities and business and industry.

The Commonwealth Research and Technology (R&T) Strategic Roadmap is a comprehensive planning tool the Commonwealth will use to identify research areas worthy of economic development and institutional focus. It provides elected and other officials with priorities in key industry sectors that have commercial promise and that will be eligible for new CRCF awards.
In 2011, the General Assembly approved $6 million for the CRCF; $2 million of the award is specifically for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) matching program for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Phase I award winners. The remaining $4 million is designated for the following four programs: commercialization, facility enhancement loans, eminent researcher recruitment, and matching funds.

The reforms and funding were part of the McDonnell Administration’s economic development package and spearheaded in the 2011 Virginia General Assembly session by Delegates Scott Lingamfelter and Joe May, and Senators Mark Herring and Stephen Newman. Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey, the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and other technology councils, the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABio), and universities and colleges were instrumental in the passage of new legislation and funding, as well as the developing the Roadmap.

As part of the CRCF funding package, the General Assembly created the Research and Technology Investment Advisory Committee (RTIAC), comprised of university, industry, and economic development experts, to review applications and make award recommendations to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA).

About the Center for Innovative Technology, http://www.cit.org
CIT is the state-chartered nonprofit corporation that conducts the business of the IEIA and accelerates innovation and the next generation of technology and technology companies. CIT creates new technology companies through capital formation, market development, and revenue generation services. To facilitate national innovation leadership and accelerate the rate of technology adoption, CIT creates partnerships between innovative technology start-up companies and advanced technology consumers. CIT is now listed on the GSA MOBIS Schedule, Special Item Numbers (SINs) SIN 874-1 for Consulting Services and SIN 894-2 for Facilitation Services. Its CAGE Code is 1UP71.

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