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$66,890 Awarded to Interdisciplinary Design Collaborative LLC, of Rolla, Mo., to Study Energy Systems in Homes

Release Date: 04/05/2010
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov


Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., April 5, 2010) - EPA has awarded a $66,890 grant to Interdisciplinary Design Collaborative LLC, of Rolla, Mo., to study energy and cost savings of computerized systems in homes. Data will be collected and analyzed to determine and locate energy losses and wasted energy.

EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks said, “EPA is pleased to award these funds which will ensure that new technologies are developed to reduce energy usage. Innovation by small businesses is key to helping us reach that goal.”

The funds were given to Interdisciplinary Design Collaborative LLC under EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR was established to ensure that new technologies are developed to solve priority environmental problems. EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the program, enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote technical innovation in the United States.

There are approximately 25 million small businesses in the United States today. As the leading source of employment growth, these firms have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs over the past decade and are responsible for developing most of the country’s new technologies. To be eligible to participate in SBIR, a small business must have fewer than 500 employees, and at least 51 percent of the business must be owned by U.S. citizens.

EPA oversees the protection of water quality and public health. The Agency supports high-quality research that will improve the scientific basis for national environmental decisions.