News Releases from Region 09

EPA Awards $2.3 Million in Funding for 21 Small Businesses to Develop Innovative Environmental Technologies

California, Arizona businesses to receive $800,000 in funding

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $2.3 million in funding for 21 small businesses to develop technologies that will help protect human health and the environment by monitoring air quality, treating drinking water, cleaning up contaminated sites, and creating greener, less toxic materials.  Eight small businesses in Arizona and California will receive $800,000 to focus on a range of environmental challenges.

“These funds support small businesses that have developed new technologies to monitor air quality, test for PFAS, and address other pressing environmental challenges,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, we provide important assistance to entrepreneurs as they develop innovative solutions that will strengthen both environmental protections and economic growth.” 

“From real-time detection of contaminants in stormwater to remote sensing during wildfires, these new technologies promise to bring valuable public health benefits,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker.

The 21 small businesses nationwide are receiving Phase I contracts from EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which awards contracts annually through a two-phase competition. Companies compete for a Phase I award of up to $100,000 by submitting research that addresses key environmental issues. After receiving a Phase I award, companies are eligible to compete for a Phase II award of up to $300,000 to further develop and commercialize the technology.

SBIR Phase I recipients in California and Arizona include:

• Oxbyel Technologies, Inc., Mesa, Ariz., Electrochemical Mineralization of PFAS in Industrial Wastewater
• QuakeWrap, Inc., Tucson, Ariz., Trenchless Water Main Point Repairs with SuperLaminate
• 2W iTech LLC, San Diego, Calif, Rapid Field Trace Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Substance in Water
• BioLargo, Inc., Westminster, Calif., Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator to Remove Per-and Poly-fluroakyl Substances from Water
• KWJ Engineering Incorporated, Newark, Calif., Ultralow Power Sensor Package for Ground Level Air Pollution Levels from Wildland Fires
• MicroAeth Corporation DBA AethLabs, San Francisco, Calif., Black Carbon and UV Particulate Matter, Multi-Gas, Multi Pollutant Sensor Platform
• Intellisense Systems, Inc., Torrance, Calif., Remote Air Quality Reporting (RAQR) Device
• Enoveo USA, Berkeley, Calif., The NODE biosensor: real-time contaminant detection in stormwater
   

EPA’s SBIR funding supports both the economy and the environment by creating jobs and promoting small businesses to bring environmental technologies to market. EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program, enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote U.S. technical innovation. To be eligible, a company must be an organized, for-profit U.S. business and have fewer than 500 employees.

For more information on EPA’s SBIR Phase I recipients, visit https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/641/records_per_page/ALL

Learn more about EPA’s SBIR program at www.epa.gov/sbir and learn about the current open Phase 1 SBIR solicitation, which closes on July 31, at www.epa.gov/sbir/sbir-funding-opportunities. 

Learn more about the federal SBIR program at www.SBIR.gov.

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