SyracuseCoE announces $200,000 in TAD awards to four Upstate companies

The Syracuse Center of Excellence (SyracuseCoE) today announced that four Upstate New York companies have received a total of $200,000 in the fourth round of Technology Application and Demonstration (TAD 2011) awards. These demonstration projects are designed to improve air quality and water systems.

The awards are made possible through funding to SyracuseCoE from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The announcement was made at SyracuseCoE headquarters, and recipients were congratulated by U.S. Rep Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25); Edward Bogucz, executive director of the SyracuseCoE; Eric F. Spina, vice chancellor and provost of Syracuse University; Pete King, managing partner of King & King Architects LLP and chairman of the SyracuseCoE; and Rob Simpson, president of CenterState CEO.

The TAD 2011 awards will push the total EPA funding to date for SyracuseCoE technology demonstration projects to more than $1.9 million, a subset of a larger portfolio of demonstration projects funded by the SyracuseCoE in the past. TAD projects are a crucial part of SyracuseCoE’s “innovation ecosystem,” which seeks to fund product and service innovations in clean and renewable energy, indoor environmental quality and water resources through research, demonstration and commercialization phases.

“Small businesses, such as those receiving this round of Technology Application and Development (TAD) awards, are the engines for economic growth in our region. I want to congratulate those receiving TAD awards today for their cutting-edge work that holds the promise for generating jobs here in Central New York,” says Buerkle. “I also want to thank the Center of Excellence for providing a collaborative atmosphere where new technologies can be researched, nurtured, commercialized.”

The TAD 2011 companies were competitively selected based on their proposals for three-month projects that demonstrate the “first proof of concept” or “reduction to practice” phase of a new product or service associated with air and/or water quality. Projects begin now and run through August.

“We warmly thank the U.S. EPA for providing funding to establish our TAD program, which is a national model for targeting federal support to create jobs by fueling innovations within a regional cluster,” says Bogucz. “Our previous TAD recipients have been very successful in demonstrating new technologies that now are being advanced toward commercialization. The awards we are announcing today are sure to strengthen Upstate New York’s reputation as a leading regional innovation cluster in clean and green technologies.”

“Fostering cross-sector collaboration is both the essence of the SyracuseCoE’s work and essential for spurring job creation regionally,” says Spina. “SU thanks Representative Buerkle for her support of these collaborations and we look forward to working with her and our many partners to continue building on the internationally recognized team and facilities that we have established over the last 12 years.”

The award recipients and their collaborators are:

• Antek Inc. of Syracuse: $49,864 for “Innovative Drain Inlet Filter.” Collaborator: Chris Nomura of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. This project is aimed at demonstrating the ability of biodegradable polymers to absorb oil and naphthalene compounds from storm sewer systems.
• Haledyne Inc. of Syracuse: $50,000 for “Identifying the Optimal UV-Fluence Rate and Fan Efficiency of the Haledyne HAS-74 in Order to Optimize the Device Performance as a Method to Increase Productivity and Improve the Health of Room Occupants.” Collaborators: Mark Glauser of SU and Goodarz Ahmadi of Clarkson University. This project will enable the testing of a device developed by Haledyne to improve indoor air quality in hospital settings.
• Indoor Controls LLC of Syracuse: $50,000 for “Instrumentation of the SyracuseCoE TIEQ Laboratories in Support of Commercial Building Control System Device Manufacturing and Research Projects.” Through this project, Indoor Controls will work with the SyracuseCoE to deploy its building automation system in SyracuseCoE Total Indoor Environmental Quality (TIEQ) laboratories while simultaneously creating or improving several devices suitable for manufacturing.
• Taitem Engineering, PC, of Ithaca: $48,785 for “Acoustic Methods for Estimating Filtration.” This project will focus on the development of a rapid, inexpensive and easy-to-use air infiltration measurement method.

“The TAD awards are a clear realization of the vision of SyracuseCoE to utilize collaboration between Central Upstate New York universities and businesses, to demonstrate new technologies, commercialize innovations, and create jobs and wealth,” says King.

“These four companies exemplify our region’s global leadership in green technology, particularly indoor air quality and protection of water resources,” says Simpson. “These EPA-funded grants, combined with the outstanding research partnerships facilitated through the SyracuseCoE, will accelerate the growth of these emerging greentech companies, enabling them to create jobs and be more competitive worldwide.”

The SyracuseCoE (http://syracusecoe.org) is a federation of more than 200 firms, organizations and institutions that creates innovations to improve health, productivity, security and sustainability in built and urban environments. Activities within SyracuseCoE include research, product development, commercialization assistance and education programs. The scope of application interests include systems that monitor and control thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, sound and water quality in built and urban environments and innovative energy systems, including clean technologies and renewable fuel sources.