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EPA Awards $598K to Massachusetts Small Businesses for Sustainable Technology Development

Release Date: 08/07/2013
Contact Information: Emily Zimmerman, 617-918-1037

Boston- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the awarding of $598,333 in contracts to two Massachusetts small businesses to develop sustainable technologies that will help protect human health and the environment.

EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program funded 25 research proposals from small businesses across the country for six months through last year’s Phase I contract of $80,000. The agency’s Phase I funding allowed each of the companies to investigate its proposed project’s feasibility and potential applications. Following a competitive peer-review process, seven Phase I recipients are now being awarded Phase II contracts for up to $300,000, supporting further development and commercialization of their technology.

“These two grants will help spur technology and innovation in Massachusetts small businesses,” said Curt Spalding, EPA New England Regional Administrator. “This is encouraging for environmental progress and economic growth in New England.”

The following companies received 2013 SBIR Phase II contracts in New England:

• GVD Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Aerodyne Research, Billerica, Massachusetts

Aerodyne President and CEO, Chuck Kolb said, “The grant will allow us to make several important improvements to a small aerosol mass spectrometer that we have designed to automatically measure atmospheric PM2.5 chemical content.”

“GVD is very excited and honored to receive the continued support of the EPA through their SBIR program," said chief technology officer for GVD Corporation, Dr. W. Shannan O'Shaughnessy. "This award will further development and commercial deployment of our environmentally benign mold release coatings, eliminating the use of large quantities of fluorinated surfactants.”

This year marks 30 years for EPA’s SBIR program, which has made close to 1500 awards to small businesses to develop and market their innovative technologies. One such company, Defiant Technologies, won a Phase II contract in 2011 to develop a portable device to detect and analyze volatile organic compounds (VOC) in water, soil, and air. VOCs include a range of chemicals that occur in the environment naturally, some of which have been associated with health issues following long-term exposure.

Defiant Technologies’ FROG-4000, which is now is available on the market, reduces costs and allows for onsite analysis of VOCs in 10 minutes. With the support of EPA’s SBIR program, Defiant has also helped to more accurately define the area of a contaminate plume, and promote more effective remediation and removal of VOCs at excavation sites.

EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that provides funding to small businesses through its SBIR program, created as a result of the 1982 Small Business Innovation Development Act. To be eligible for funding, small businesses must have fewer than 500 employees and be described as a for-profit. The 2013 SBIR Phase I Request for Applications is now open.

More information on the SBIR Phase II recipients: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/2013sbirph2
More information on EPA’s SBIR program criteria: http://epa.gov/ncer/sbir/

More information on the SBIR Phase I RFA, open until August 13, 2013:
https://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/sbir14ph1

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More info on EPA's Environmental Results in New England (https://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html)