We’re excited to announce that Elateq, Inc. recently won $236,645 from the National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I program to develop novel technology for the degradation of per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS), widely known as “forever chemicals”, in water.

Through this grant, we are also collaborating with Dr. Rainer Lohmann, director at the URI Superfund Research Center “STEEP“, as we are eager to collectively work on a sustainable solution for this complex issue. NSF SBIR Phase I award will allow Elateq to offer cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions for removing this class of toxic chemicals from water as they affect almost all water sources in the country.

“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”

About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund (https://seedfund.nsf.gov/) powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investments or sales. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.