NIST Backs Small Businesses Working on Manufacturing, Drug Development Projects

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has announced that it will invest almost $3 million in small business research and development projects related to advanced manufacturing, drug development and other priority areas.

NIST said it will grant 10 companies up to $100,000 each in Small Business Innovation Research Phase I funds to establish the feasibility of their R&D proposals. Meanwhile, five companies will each receive up to $400,000 in Phase II funds to continue ongoing efforts, NIST said.

Recipients of the full $100,000 Phase I investment include Durham, North Carolina-based Applied Research Transformation, which proposed to create a commercial system for measuring and controlling bond strength in 3D-printed concrete. Another is San Antonio-based SygnaMap, which aims to support drug development by developing a computational platform for analyzing spatial metabolomics data.

One of the Phase II companies to receive $400,000 is the Alexandria, Virginia-based Criticality Sciences, which is developing measurement techniques to support resilience investments in critical infrastructure organizations.

Businesses that complete Phase I can apply for Phase II funding. Phase III of NIST’s program is expected to focus on technology commercialization.