Two Utah companies, Coreform, LLC and Visionary Products Inc. (VPI) each received over $1,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue work on projects that positively impact our environment and energy needs.
Coreform, based in Orem, was awarded $1,150,000 to continue work that supports a DOE initiative to develop novel modeling and simulation tools and capabilities to advance nuclear energy technologies. Coreform previously received a Phase I award and was successful in securing a Phase II award with the goal to accelerate nuclear energy design through next-generation simulation technology.
Visionary Products Inc. (VPI) , based in Draper, received a Phase II grant for $1,100,000 to develop a context-aware robotic trash boom. The project focuses on leveraging energy from rivers combined with state-of-the-art robotics technology to monitor and aggregate plastic debris in waterways, readying it for extraction. As rivers are a major pollution pathway, with floating trash moving into sensitive ecosystems, the project leverages hydrokinetic energy to address a growing problem. VPI was also awarded Phase I funding for this project.
The Utah Innovation Center team assisted both Coreform and VPI with their winning proposals and is available to assist other Utah companies looking for non-dilutive / non-equity funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
Find more information about SBIR/STTR programs, funding opportunities and related support services for Utah based small businesses here. Or, contact our team at: innovationutah@utah.gov