Herndon, VA (PRWEB) December 12, 2013
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced today nearly $1.4 million in funding for 14 awards to Virginia’s colleges, universities, and research organizations as part of the FY2014 fall solicitation of the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF). During this solicitation, awards were made to ten unique organizations targeting nine strategic industry priorities identified in the Commonwealth Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap.
The CRCF program is a state fund designed to advance, in Virginia, targeted areas of research with commercial promise. During this round, applications were invited under two programs: Eminent Researcher Recruitment, to aid public universities in recruiting a top scholar to the institution to acquire or enhance research superiority, and Matching Funds, to assist public and private colleges and universities and research institutions in commercializing research activities.
Jim Duffey, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, said, “This solicitation continues the CRCF mission to advance outstanding projects in the Commonwealth that leverage public and private investments to strengthen and expand economic development across the state.”
“We were pleased to receive applications in a wide range of technologies and including from colleges and universities new to CRCF. Our institutions are continuing to push the boundaries of exciting research and development,” said Nancy Vorona, Vice President of CIT R&D.
The following CRCF proposals will be awarded, contingent upon acceptance of award terms and conditions:
Eminent Researcher Recruitment Program
- Virginia Tech (Blacksburg), Recruitment of Eminent Researcher in Nanoparticle Cancer Therapeutics Development, Dr. Michael Friedlander, $250,000
Matching Funds Program
- College of William and Mary (Williamsburg), Algal Aquaculture for Nutrient Assimilation and Removal, Dr. William Cooke, $100,000
- College of William and Mary (Williamsburg), Developing Sonic Net Technology to Reduce the Risks of Bird-Aircraft Collision, Dr. John Swaddle, $99,781
- Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (Disputanta), Knowledge Capture and Integration, Dr. Kevin Farinholt, $99,810
- Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk), New Combination Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Yumi Imai, $100,000
- Old Dominion University Research Foundation (Norfolk), Real-Time Fusion of Medical Images for Personalized Image Guided Diagnosis and Therapy, Dr. Nikos Chrisochoides, $100,000
- Randolph College (Lynchburg), Assessing the Quality of Harvested Rainwater for Residential Use, Dr. Sarah Lawson, $23,910
- Region 2000 Research Institute dba CAER (Forest), Impact of Digital I&C Failures on Human Performance, Mr. Bob Bailey, $79,712
- Region 2000 Research Institute dba CAER (Forest), Wireless Broadband Using LTE Repeater, Mr. Bob Bailey, $97,891
- University of Virginia (Charlottesville), Micromachined Probes for Manufacturing Diagnostics of High-Speed Electronic Components, Dr. Robert Weikle, $100,000
- University of Virginia (Charlottesville), New Molecular Imaging Technology for Safe and Inexpensive Cancer Screening, Dr. John Hossack, $100,000
- Virginia Tech (Blacksburg), Development and Manufacturing of Fiberoptic Microneedle Devices for Cosmetic and Cancer Treatments, Dr. Christopher Rylander, $100,000
- Virginia Military Institute Research Laboratories (Lexington), 21st Century Laser Wireless R&D with Ultrashort Pulse Lasers, Dr. Stacey Vargas, $99,576
- Washington and Lee University (Lexington), Simultaneous Localization and Mapping in Python for RF-Denied Environments, Dr. Simon Levy, $19,286
This list, along with award recipients from previous solicitations, can also be accessed at http://www.cit.org/initiatives/crcf-awards/.
Proposals underwent a four-step review process beginning with guideline compliance performed by CIT and followed by a review by subject matter experts from industry, academia and government. The Research and Technology Investment Advisory Committee (RTIAC) then recommended proposals to be funded to CIT’s Board of Directors, which selected the awards. CIT staff will be available to discuss the selection process beginning January 7, 2014.
CIT is also pleased to announce the next CRCF solicitation, available beginning in early January 2014. This second of two FY2014 solicitations will include six programs: Commercialization, Eminent Researcher Recruitment, Facilities Enhancement Loan, Matching Funds, SBIR Matching Funds, and STTR Matching Funds. These programs will be available to the private sector and political subdivisions, as well as academia and nonprofit research institutions in Virginia; specific eligibility requirements and other program information will be released with the RFP next month. For more information, visit http://www.cit.org/initiatives/crcf/. To be included on a CRCF listserv to receive the latest announcements, email crcf[at]cit[dot]org.
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 uses 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 are eligible for new CRCF awards. The Research and Technology Investment Advisory Committee (RTIAC), comprised of university, industry and economic development experts, reviews applications and make award recommendations to the CIT Board.
About the Center for Innovative Technology, http://www.cit.org
Since 1985, CIT, a nonprofit corporation, has been the Commonwealth’s primary driver of innovation-based economic development. CIT accelerates the next generation of technology and technology companies through commercialization, 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’s CAGE Code is 1UP71.
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