Governor McKee, Commerce Corporation Approve Innovation Vouchers to Help Fund R&D | Governor's Office, State of Rhode Island
Summary
This project will enable BluDAE to secure new, multi-million dollar international sales, expand into new markets like marine coastal habitat protection and restoration, and bring new manufacturing jobs to Rhode Island.GoTeff: goTeff, Inc. $49,985 to develop an optimized recipe and market scale process for production of the companys existing products using the ancient Ethiopian grain teff, and to explore the use of injera as a new product.FluxMarine $49,972 to help develop zero-emissions electric outboard motors for boats. The company is using funding to work with experts at the International Yacht Restoration School for Technology and Trades (IYRS) to use composite materials to reduce the cost and improve longevity and the performance of the engine. The composites will also displace more expensive and poorer quality metals.Sproutel $50,000 to partner with Brown University to assess the effectiveness of the Jerry the Bear platform and a new prototype for delivering healthcare information to children. The Sproutel team was recently named to TIMEs list of 100 Best Inventions of 2021.Other recipients report that the Voucher project enabled them to develop a product their customers had been requesting but that they did not have the internal resources to bring to market. Innovation Vouchers have also forged permanent ties between the companies and the educational institutions that can lead to new projects, a better understanding of the real needs of their business, and exposure to cutting edge technologies.Projects approved to date represent a variety of industry sectors important to the state, including medical devices, life sciences, pharmaceutical manufacturing, data analytics, defense, engineering and shipbuilding.