------- United States Environmental Protection Agency MlJi rli IJJJ The United States and other countries have a need for new, cutting-edge environmental technologies that can lead to x, •, :imprpverne.nt|.in^hwman health EPA/600/F-00/003 March 2000 Office of Research and Development (8722R) Washington, DC 20460 ------- s EPA is one of 10 federal agencies that partici- pate in the Small Business Innovation Research Program established in 1982. The SBIR Program is intended to spawn commercial ventures that improve our environment, create jobs, increase productivity, promote economic growth, and enhance the international competitiveness of the U.S. technology industry. EPA has already pro- vided millions of dollars in funding to small busi- nesses for the development and commercialization of innovative technologies and the Agency encour- ages small firms to take advantage of the opportuni- ties provided by the program. EPA issues an annual solicitation that re- quests Phase I research proposals from small science and technology-based firms. Companies that successfully complete their Phase I projects are eligible to compete for a Phase II contract in EPA's Phase II solicitation cycle. PHASE I OBJECTIVE: To investigate the scientific merit and technical feasibility of the proposed concept. AWARDS: $70,000 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 6 months PHASE II OBJECTIVE: To further develop the concept proven feasible in Phase I and to complete the R&D required for commercializa tion. AWARDS: $225,000-$295,000 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 2 years Information on EPA's next Phase I Solicitation is available on the National Center for Environmen- tal Research (NCER) Web Site at: www.epa.gov/ncerqa/sbir J Information on SBIR Solicitations also may be obtained by calling the EPA Hotline at: 1-800-490-9194 Nanomaterials and Clean Technology Nanotechnology Pollution Prevention Green Chemistry Clean Production • Clean Air Mobile Source Emissions NOX, VOCs, S02, Particulates, Toxic Air Emissions Indoor Air-Pollution •Ozone Depletion Greenhouse Gas Emissions Clean Water Drinking Water Municipal .WasteWater .;industrjaf.Wastewater ' ;. Stormwater .Management n Infrastructure agement and Site Remediation ••/{Municipal'-Solid Waste '"Hazardous'Wastes ..'.Site Cleanup • . Monitoring.and Measurement Technologies •'.'Air Monitoring. . ' Water Monitoring • - Waste Monitoring Monitoring Hazardous Waste Sites Pesticides'Monitoring All SBIR proposals are reviewed for technical merit by an external panel of experts. Each pro- posal is rated based on the scientific/technical sig- nificance of the proposed technology, the quality and soundness of the research plan, the unique- ness/ingenuity of the proposed concept, potential for demonstrating performance/cost effectiveness and environmental benefits of the technology, quali- fications and commitments of the proposed person- nel, and the potential for significant commercial application. ------- From 1990 to 1999, EPA has awarded more than 500 Phase I contracts and 200 Phase II con- tracts totalling approximately $70 million. Each year, almost half of the Phase I contracts are awarded to companies that are newcomers to the EPASBIR Program. The awardees represent every geographic region in the United States and range from firms with fewer than 5 employees to compa- nies with up to 500 employees. Dozens of innova- tive environmental technologies and products have emerged from EPA's SBIR Program. A number of these have moved quickly from "proof of concept" to commercialization. In other cases, companies are still seeking the start-up capital or other sup- port needed to commercialize their technologies. To assist small companies in overcoming the barriers to commercialization, EPA has imple- mented several initiatives. These include: Requiring companfes to submit commer- cialization plans with their SBIR proposals. Providing technical commercialization assistance to companies as they conduct their Phase I feasibility studies. Preparing and disseminating publications and resources on commercialization assistance. Organizing venture capitalist forums to help companies obtain financing. Sponsoring environmental forums to educate the investment and economic development communities about trends, challenges, and opportunities in the environmental industry. Informing small businesses about the resources offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist small compa- nies seeking to commercialize technologies. iSoISGoMi^iislffi^S^^ Novel Vent Gas Scrubbers for the Semiconductor Industry Advanced Technology Materials, Inc., Danbury, CT Membrane-Based System for the Recovery and Reuse of Solvents Bend Research, Inc., Bend, OR Slurry Carb™ Process for Clean Energy from Municipal Solid Waste EnerTech Environmental, Atlanta, GA E-Change™ In-Process Recycling System for Electroplating Rinsewater Faraday Technology, Inc., Dayton, OH Zero-Waste Dry Plating Process lonEdge Corporation, Fort Collins, CO Solvent-Free Polymerization Process , KSE, Inc., Amherst, MA Core Separator System for Controlling Particulate Emissions LSR Technologies, Inc., Acton, MA Membrane Process to Recover Monomer in Polyolefin Plants Membrane Technology and Research, Inc., Men/o Park, CA Hazardous Solvent-Free Manufacturing Process for Electroceramic Powders Nanomaterials Research Corporation, Longmont, CO Infrared Fingerprint Sorting of Postconsumer Plastics Resins National Recovery Technologies, Inc., Nashville, TN NITON XL-309 Dual Detector Lead Paint Analyzer NITON Corporation, Bedford, MA Electrolytic Regeneration Process for Restoring Acid Cupric Chloride Printed Circuit Board Etchant Ox/ey Research, Inc., New Haven, CT Microlith™ Fast Lightoff Catalytic Converters Precision Combustion, Inc., New Haven, CT Environmentally Benign Oil Absorbent Sea ; Sweep, Inc., Denver, CO . Surface Functionalization Process for Packaging Films to Promote Adhesion of Aqueous-Based Inks Sigma Technologies International, Inc., Tucson, AZ RP-1 Polymer Identification System for Plastic Identification and Sorting SpectaCode, Inc., West Lafayette, IN Selenium Removal Process for Petroleum Refinery Wastewaters TDA Research, Inc., Wheat Ridge, CO ------- |