Project Grant R42AI125006

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $983,776 Cooperative Agreement to Optical Waters, Inc. through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to scale and optimize manufacturing methods for Germicidal Optical Fibers (GOFs). GOFs are a novel fiber technology that can distribute ultraviolet (UV)-C radiation along their entire length to reduce infections, deaths, and operational issues caused by bacteria build-up in pipes, tubes, and channels found in hospitals, homes, and...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems awarded a 3-year, $300,000 Project Grant to the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Georgia Tech) to conduct fundamental research on the use of novel krypton chloride excimer lamps (KrCl* excilamps) emitting UV radiation at 222 nm for the degradation and mineralization of organic micropollutants in water and wastewater. The key objectives are to: 1) measure photolysis properties of...

This SBIR Phase I project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, focuses on the development of a novel, inexpensive, and adaptable point-of-use water treatment device. The device deploys ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection technology in a simple, pitcher-shaped, countertop household appliance that can operate on electricity or rechargeable battery power. The project aims to design an instrumented UV appliance that can...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science awarded Uviquity, Inc. a $200,000 Project Grant under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049). The grant, awarded on July 22, 2024, supports a one-year project to develop a breakthrough energy reduction technology for superior indoor air quality using a novel solid-state far-UVC light source. The project aims to advance U.S. energy, economic, and national security priorities through transformative scientific discoveries...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to significantly improve the efficiency of ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The objective is to develop a new class of flexible, lattice-engineered substrates that can address strain-related issues and enhance light extraction for UV emitters, resulting in up to a 10-fold efficiency improvement over current solutions. The $549,999 award to the University of Wisconsin...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $878,296 Cooperative Agreement to Surfplasma Inc., a minority-owned small business based in Gainesville, FL, to develop a rapid, low-temperature plasma prototype for disinfecting personal protective equipment (PPE), medical devices, food products and other materials from pathogens like COVID-19. The project, funded under NSF's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, aims to deliver a market-ready sterilization solution...

This $256,000 National Science Foundation Project Grant under the Engineering (47.041) program will support the development of a permanent ceramic antimicrobial coating technology by Nanoionix, LLC. The goal is to synthesize and deposit a pure ceramic coating on relevant substrates that exceeds EPA requirements for generating reactive oxygen species to inactivate viruses and bacteria. Nanoionix will conduct spectroscopic assessments to rapidly evaluate the types and numbers of reactive oxygen...

Biospherical Instruments, Inc. was awarded $299,996 under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Small Business Innovation Research Program to develop a new technology for reducing biofouling on radiometers measuring light in ocean waters. The project aims to install ultraviolet C light-emitting diodes inside radiometers to inhibit biofouling using germicidal UV-C radiation without interfering with radiometric measurements. Key objectives during the initial six-month phase include...

Optical Waters, Inc. received a $255,492 National Science Foundation Project Grant under the Engineering (47.041) federal grant program. The grant funded research and development of scaling and optimizing manufacturing methods for germicidal optical fibers to prevent disease-causing biofilms in tight channels. The goal is to advance technologies that inhibit biofilm formation using fiber optic delivery of ultraviolet light. Work will be conducted in Hadley, Massachusetts over an 11-month...

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $275,000 Project Grant to Water Illumination Inc., a small minority-owned business, to develop a tunable deep ultraviolet (UV)-based technology for the destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. This grant, funded under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, aims to create a cost-effective, chemical-free water treatment system capable of nearly complete PFAS elimination without...