grants

NCIIA funds projects with the potential to change the world and welcomes participation from faculty and students engaged in technology invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. NCIIA places special emphasis on the following sector and market focus areas. Projects outside these areas of focus are also welcome to apply.

Click here for NCIIA's new cleantech initiative with Village Capital - Village Capital/VentureWell - Boston.

Polytorx | Developed Helix, a new steel fiber additive for concrete reinforcement. US market.

Ecovative Design | Developed Ecocradle, a biodegradable alternative to polystyrene/Styrofoam packaging. US market.

Whole Tree | Creates technical innovations (such as auto parts) from renewable natural resources, such as coconut husks. US market (materials sourced from developing markets).

NCIIA has recently placed additional emphasis on the broad cleantech sector. Historically we have seen many cleantech applications to our E-Team Program, in areas like solar lighting, sanitation, water, and engineered products based on agriculture waste material. We currently have special Stage One E-Team Program funding available for projects in this sector.

I-Conserve | Wireless sensor that monitors and adjusts household energy use to maximize efficiency. US market.

Greenlight Planet | Solar-charged, battery-powered LED lanterns that are healthier, more economical, less dangerous, and less polluting then petroleum lanterns. Emerging markets.

Solar Ivy | Solar panel array for use on building facades. US market.

Twig Light (Daylight Solutions) | Uses existing waste energy to produce clean electric light inside homes. Emerging markets.

Afghan briquettes project (Afghans for Tomorrow) | School-based initiative that provides classes and lessons for children, and also teaches children to produce fuel briquettes as a business opportunity.
 

 
Sproxil | Cell phone system that enables validation of pharmaceutical drugs by customers, preventing the sale and use of counterfeit medicines. Nigeria and emerging markets.

Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design | Program at Johns Hopkins University

Antenatal screening kit | Delivers low-cost healthcare to women in remote locations, using a variety of custom markers pre-filled with reagents for screening tests. Piloted in Nepal.

Global Healthare Technologies Program | Course at Northwestern University where students work with front-line healthcare workers to design medical devices specifically for the developing world.

NCIIA is an active supporter of university biomedical engineering programs. We run two competitions for biomedical engineering students, BMEStart and BMEIdea, from which many students progress to our E-Team Program. Many of our E-Team Program reviewers bring technical expertise in biomedical engineering, ensuring appropriate grant application assessments.
 
Intelliject | Convenient epinephrine auto-injector that can be carried in a wallet. US market.

Marrowminer | Innovative device and method for rapidly harvesting bone marrow and the stem cells bone marrow contains.

Onebreath | Low-cost ventilator for use in developing nations and disaster relief efforts.

PneumoniaCheck | Effective and inexpensive device for obtaining samples to test for pneumonia. Emerging markets.
 

Michigan State University, 2010 - $29,500

This grant supports a new course in entrepreneurship at Michigan State University (MSU). Currently, the College of Engineering at MSU generates a number of invention disclosures every year from student-faculty teams, but the question of whether a business opportunity exists or not isn’t typically addressed.

The new course will introduce select students and faculty working on IP-generating projects to the entrepreneurial process (opportunity identification, IP strategy, market research, operations, financial analysis, etc.); provide students with a multidisciplinary team experience by including business students on each of the projects; and provide teams with experience in developing formal product feasibility and business plans, submitting them to Michigan’s Great Lakes Entrepreneurship Quest Competition and gaining “real-world” feedback. The program is integrated with university engagement in local economic development programs and has support from those programs for mentoring and support of successful student teams.

Rice University, 2010 - $18,000

Approximately two million babies die each year from acute respiratory infections (ARI), almost all in developing countries. Many neonatal ARI patients in the developing world do not receive proper treatment because hospitals can’t afford ventilators, which cost $6,000 on average.

To combat the problem, this E-Team, calling itself infantAIR, is developing BabyBubbles, a low cost ventilation system for use in developing countries. The device uses a continuous positive airway pressure system, which works by maintaining positive airway pressure during spontaneous breathing, increasing lung volume at the end of exhalation, preventing the collapse of the airway structure, and improving oxygenation. The device helps to keep a baby’s lungs fully inflated so he or she can breathe naturally.

The team is aiming to implement the device in Rwandan hospitals first, followed by worldwide dissemination.

Update: In the summer of 2012, the infantAir team won $2m in funding through the Gates Foundation.