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News Releases from Region 02

EPA Awards Nearly $100K to Ecovative Design, LLC for Development of Environmental Technology

09/19/2017
Contact Information: 
Jennifer May-Reddy (may.jennifer@epa.gov)
212-637-3658

(New York, NY) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it has awarded $99,994 to Ecovative Design, LLC, of Green Island, New York, through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. Ecovative is one of 15 small businesses nationwide who have received funding this year through this program – totaling $1.6 million nationwide.

Ecovative is developing a replacement for engineered wood resins that will be economically competitive and non-toxic. The mResin™ adhesive system is an entirely bio-based adhesive that is grown from natural materials, unlike the synthetic resins used in the more conventional engineered wood products. This resin system represents cost and energy savings and is capable of leveraging existing manufacturing equipment in production today. The activities financed through this round of funding will be used to validate the ability of mResin™ to meet industry performance standards and to determine if it is economically viable to grow fungal resin for a novel approach to manufacturing wood particleboard.

“EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program is awarding funding to these small businesses because they have demonstrated the potential to create technologies that will improve our environment and our economy,” said Administrator Pruitt. “These technologies are focused on creating cutting-edge products that can help solve today’s complex environmental problems and enhance economic growth.”

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program awards contracts annually through a two-phase competition. Companies compete for a Phase I award of $100,000 by submitting research that addresses key environmental issues. After receiving a Phase I award, companies are eligible to compete for a Phase II award of $300,000 to further develop and commercialize

the technology.  This is the seventh time Ecovative has been awarded funding through the SBIR program for various technologies. This round of funding for Ecovative is a Phase I award.

EPA’s SBIR funding boosts local economies by creating jobs and promoting collaborations among small businesses through product testing and research. This funding also supports technologies aimed at creating cleaner manufacturing materials and better infrastructure in communities.

EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program, enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote U.S. technical innovation. To be eligible, a company must be an organized, for-profit U.S. business and have fewer than 500 employees.

For more information on EPA’s SBIR Phase I recipients, visit https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/626/records_per_page/ALL%20on%209/8/17.

Learn more about EPA’s SBIR program at www.epa.gov/sbir.

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