ALBANY, N.Y. — TDO of Salina, the Research Foundation for SUNY at Binghamton University, and Cornell University are among the regional organizations announced as recipients in this year’s first round of FuzeHub grant funding.

The nonprofit FuzeHub is an Albany–based organization that works to connect New York’s small to medium-sized manufacturing companies to the resources, programs, and expertise they need for technology commercialization, innovation, and business growth.

It awarded a total of $455,000 in grants to facilitate research and development, technical advancements, and process improvements for New York manufacturers.

The FuzeHub funding comes from the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, which has more than $1 million annually supporting activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York.

As part of the fund, FuzeHub offers manufacturing grants to New York state-basednonprofit organizations, including higher–education institutions, that propose projects in partnership with a New York state-based small– to medium-sized manufacturer.

The awards are also 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), per the announcement.

“This round of awardees showcases a sample of the endless innovation coming out of New York State,” Elena Garuc, executive director at FuzeHub, said. “From artificial intelligence and machine learning, to wellness and the treatment of chronic ailments, there is no limit to the ingenuity of our companies. I take pride in our commitment to support them through essential funding and support services.”

Regional recipients

FuzeHub awarded $65,000 to the partnership of TDO of Salina and Floe Inc. of New York City. TDO, which started as the Central New York Technology Development Organization, is a manufacturing extension partnership (MEP) center. It is working with Floe, a startup from MIT and Yale University that has developed a product to deal with the problem of ice dams. This project seeks to advance Floe’s development through “improving design for manufacturability, adding Wi-Fi compatibility, conducting engineering validation testing, and obtaining key safety certifications,” FuzeHub said.

FuzeHub also awarded $65,000 to the Binghamton University Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM). CAMM is working with Natrion Inc., a Binghamton–based battery-technology company, to scale production of Natrion’s LISIC component for rechargeable lithium batteries.

With the help of CAMM facilities and expertise, Natrion is “pioneering advanced low-cost, high-yield manufacturing processes with which the company will be able to service the growing mass-market electric vehicle battery sector.”

Cornell University’s Praxis Center for Venture Development will use its $65,000 grant award as it works with REEgen Inc., a startup spun out of Cornell University.

REEgen is working to develop a “clean, sustainable rare earth” manufacturing facility in upstate New York. Its “clean rare earth manufacturing uses natural, bacterial processes engineered for commercial success, and the company promotes circularity by recovering the elements from a variety of waste and end-of-life consumer goods,” FuzeHub said.