ALBANY, N.Y. — Manufacturing projects based in both Central New York and the Southern Tier will use grant funding from FuzeHub and the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund. The Albany–based nonprofit FuzeHub provides small- to mid-sized manufacturers with “guided access to an extensive network of industry experts, programs, and resources to solve business growth challenges,” per […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Manufacturing projects based in both Central New York and the Southern Tier will use grant funding from FuzeHub and the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.
The Albany–based nonprofit FuzeHub provides small- to mid-sized manufacturers with “guided access to an extensive network of industry experts, programs, and resources to solve business growth challenges,” per its announcement.
With the fund, FuzeHub offers manufacturing grants to New York nonprofits — including higher-education institutions — that propose innovative projects in partnership with a New York state small- to mid-sized manufacturer.
Project categories cover adoption of new technology to enhance a process and/or product, prototype development, design for manufacturing, proof-of-concept manufacturing, certain equipment purchases, manufacturing scale-up, and other projects to advance manufacturing capabilities.
The Innovation Fund, consisting of more than $1 million annually, supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York. It’s made possible through funding and support from Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), FuzeHub said.
“Prior to every Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund grant opportunity round, our team revisits our processes in order to better achieve our goal, which is to award the most innovative projects that come to us,” Elena Garuc, executive director at FuzeHub, said in an Aug. 16 release. “You can see the wide span of ideas in this list, and we are eager to take them to market and show New York State’s strength, from advanced materials to clean tech and beyond.”
The projects
FuzeHub awarded $50,000 grants to each of the following projects:
• Upstate Medical University’s CNY Biotech Accelerator in Syracuse and CathBuddy, Inc. will use their funding to support testing required for their product submission to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “ultimately leading to their ability to enter the Aurie reusable catheter system into the catheter market,” FuzeHub said. “Hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States suffer from neurogenic bladder and may use 4-6 intermittent single-use catheters a day for the duration of their lives. The Aurie System will provide patients with a catheter system that is both safe and affordable, through the development of a reusable catheterization system to make catheterization more cost-effective, sustainable, and healthier.”
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is partnering with Douglas Outdoors, a fishing-rod manufacturer in Phoenix in Oswego County, on a 12-month project that involves prototyping a fishing rod made of thermoplastic composites, “a first of its kind in the recreational fishing market, using a novel manufacturing process called Hot Roll Wrapping,” per the FuzeHub announcement. “The new material and process will (1) improve rod performance and durability and (2) significantly reduce manufacturing time and cost as compared to the current thermoset composite materials used.”
• Binghamton University’s Northeast Center for Chemical and Energy Storage (NECCES)/ Dynami Battery Corp are working on a microstructured lithium battery manufacturing validation project.
• Koffman Southern Tier Incubator/ LiBAMA Power Corporation are working on a project that targets manufacturing development of advanced 3D anodes for lithium batteries. “LiBAMA Power will optimize and scale the production of its patented Advanced Metal Anode technology designed to reduce the size, time required to charge, and cost of today’s Lithium-Ion batteries while improving overall battery safety. LiBAMA Power is headquartered at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator where it plans to grow operations.”
• Binghamton University’s Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC) and Opal Wearables, Inc. of New York City are partnering to develop a “thoughtfully designed smart ring that provides discreet safety and protection.” The device can silently send requests for help to 911 or emergency contacts with the user’s GPS location and information.