Background
An SBDC client company was formed in March 2003 to target opportunities in waste gas reduction. The Department of Energy identified coal mines, landfills and agricultural waste as significant sources of the greenhouse gas methane. Methane is the principal component of natural gas. The client was developing a patent pending technology that would enable the many small operators of methane emitting installations to upgrade captured methane to saleable quality with a simple rugged device that is cost effective to install and operate, allowing them to contribute to the nation's energy supply, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and realize competitive prices for their product.

The technology “continuous absorption technology” is a separations process that lies at the intersection of nanostructured adsorbents, electro-kinetic fluid transport, and enhanced heat transfer. The client is pioneering the leap from mechanical to molecular separations systems. Their work concentrated in designing solid-state mesoscale adsorptive reactors that operate without external compressors, pumps, motors and chemicals. Their mission was to simplify separations technology, making it more readily available.

Assistance Requested/Provided
The problem the client faced as they were in the pre-seed/start-up stage of the company was the lack of start up and seed funding to develop the technology. The SBDC consultant searched DoD SBIR topics, and while several topics appeared to apply to the client technology, better topic matches were found within National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The SBDC assisted the client in applying for two SBIRs with the NSF entitled ‘Continuous Absorption Technology for Oxygen Enrichment’ and with the NIH entitled ‘Lightweight Ambient Pressure and Temperature Oxygen Concentrator.” The NSF project investigated a novel technology that exploited micro-scale enhanced heat and mass transport phenomena, and micro-fabrication mass production methods. The proposed device would have no moving parts, would operate at ambient pressure, and could be used as a micro-component or assembled into a larger architecture to perform separations at high production rates. The NIH project would work toward developing a continuous absorption cell as an oxygen concentrator that is lightweight, compact, quiet, and capable of extended operation.

The assistance provided by the SBDC has included business strategy, planning, and identifying SBIR funding opportunities and with proposal strategy and preparation assistance. As part of this effort the consultant worked directly with the client in developing micro-grant and SBIR proposals.

Outcome/Impact
As a result of their efforts, the client was awarded both micro-grants and received a technical review of their SBIR proposal strategy and a combined total of $8000. The client was awarded $100,000 grant from the NSF for their Phase I proposal. As a result of this initiative, the client has also been successful in raising a small amount of private funding in the amount of $160,000.

CASE 2

BioMed Firm Wins $1.5M in SBIR Funding with Technology Commercialization Assistance Help

Background
Another example of the type of assistance provided by the SBDC included a Bio-Med business with various patents in the Bio Med field associated with different products. They were pursuing several of the patents toward commercialization as well as future applications. They were working on a healing compound that improves the healing process of wounds. The application had been successfully demonstrated in the laboratory in the past and then began focusing the application of the healing compound to the eyes of diabetics where healing is impeded by the disease. They were working jointly with an ophthalmologist to develop this healing compound for the eyes.

Assistance Requested/Provided
The problem the client encountered was clinical trials were required on laboratory specimens with and without eye wounds if they were to move forward in the commercialization process and funding was needed for these trials to proceed. Opportunities existed for these funds though the National Institute of Health’s SBIR program.

The SBDC consultant worked with the client and directed them through every phase in the preparation of a proposal for a Fast Trac NIH SBIR to accomplish the required trials.

Outcome/Impact
As a result the client was awarded a $1.5M SBIR from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases of the NIH. This resulted in the hiring of three (3) new employees to work on the new project.