Six Charlottesville area biotech companies receive Commonwealth Commercialization Fund grants from the state
Charlottesville based companies Advaray, AgroSpheres, Bonumose, Cerillo, Contraline, and Icarus Medical are among those awarded in the inaugural round of Commonwealth Commercialization Fund awards, developed through the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA).
“We celebrate the strong representation from Charlottesville in the inaugural round of funding from the state’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant,” said Nikki Hastings, Ph.D., executive director of CvilleBioHub, a non-profit organization in Charlottesville.
The awarded companies represent various stages of growth within the BioHub and have been acknowledged for their innovative high tech solutions, ranging from medical devices and instrumentation to agriculture and food tech. CvilleBioHub’s mission is to reduce barriers and increase the probability of success for companies, and commercialization is a key part of the trajectory to market.
“This is proof that our regional biotech ecosystem is thriving and CvilleBioHub is excited to continue to support these businesses as they grow and innovate,” Hastings said.
Below are the listing of companies and projects awarded.
Progress Toward Commercialization of a Novel Hydrogen-Based Product for Pelvic Brachytherapy, $100,000, Life and Health Sciences, Charlottesville
Commercialization of Reliable, Sustainable Crop Protection Products, $100,000, Agricultural and Environmental Technologies, Charlottesville
Making Healthy Sugar Affordable for the Mass Market, $100,000, Life and Health Sciences, Charlottesville
Development of a Low-Cost, Miniaturized, Field-Deployable ELISA Reader, $100,000, Life and Health Sciences, Charlottesville
Development of Market Access Strategy for a Novel Male Contraceptive, $99,998, Life and Health Sciences, Charlottesville
Determination of Clinical Outcomes for a Novel Multi-Compartment Unloader Brace, $99,989, Life and Health Sciences, Charlottesville
RICHMOND—July 13, 2021 -Governor Ralph Northam today announced that 34 small technology-focused businesses in Virginia will receive a total of $3.4 million in Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grants to commercialize research in an array of sectors, including agricultural and environmental technologies, autonomous systems, clean energy, cybersecurity, data analytics, life sciences, and space and satellites. These awards mark the inaugural funding round for CCF, which was developed through the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA).
“Facilitating research breakthroughs and getting new technologies out of the lab and into the hands of consumers is key to driving economic growth and creating jobs in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Northam. “I am confident this first round of CCF awards will produce far-reaching benefits and congratulate these innovators and entrepreneurs on their success in developing transformative solutions to improve lives and address some of the most pressing challenges we face.”
CCF was launched in 2020 to promote innovative and collaborative commercialization efforts, consolidating two legacy programs, the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund and the Virginia Research Investment Fund. The Fiscal Year 2021 round offered grants of up to $100,000 to advance early-stage technology projects in strategically important industries through product or service development, market research, intellectual property protection, marketing, pilots, and more. Award recipients will provide 1:1 match funding.
CCF seeks technologies with a high potential for economic development and job creation and that position the Commonwealth as a national leader in science- and technology-based research, development, and commercialization. For more information about the CCF program, visit cit.org/ccf.