The Alaska SBDC and UAF’s EPSCoR are proud to announce this year’s recipients of the TREND Phase 0 grants. Through the TREND Phase 0 Program, grants of up to $10,000 are awarded to Alaskan innovators and companies in the early stages of deploying technologies with a strong technical basis and competitive edge. The program received more applications in 2022 than ever before and competition was highly competitive.
Please join us in congratulating the companies listed below for their commitment to Alaska’s economic diversification and technological innovation.
GRAYSTAR Pacific, Inc. (Anchorage, AK)
GRAYSTAR Pacific proposes to submit four SBIR proposals for technology that reduces the discharge of waste to the environment, develops novel medical products, and enhances rural economic development. They will produce preliminary prototypes from seafood processing waste.
North Iron Engineering, LLC (Anchorage, AK)
North Iron Engineering (NIE) plans to submit a NIH SBIR Phase 1 grant application to develop a high throughput method of chemically removing PCB/PFAS/PFOA and heavy metals from soil waste streams. NIE will utilize the supercritical CO2 extraction process in conjunction with a unique continuous feed mechanism lowering costs associated with soil disposal.
Golden Umbrella Growth (Fairbanks, AK)
Golden Umbrella Growth (GUG) is a Fairbanks-based agricultural business established in 2010. GUG will use the Phase 0 funding to develop technology used to produce unique cold-tolerance cucumber seedlings through grafting and facilitate the adoption of the new cucumber cultivars in Alaska. It’s owner has a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and has experience growing produce, managing business, and serving customers.
PKS Consulting, Inc. (Anchorage, AK)
PKS Consulting Inc. used its Phase 0 funding to secure a Phase II SBIR grant from the EPA for the design of a mobile plastic ocean waste recycling solution. The goal of this project is to convert plastic collected from beach cleanups into recycled plastic lumber. The lumber will be produced and sold locally, providing both local jobs and a local product that is in high demand — construction materials.
Airhounds, LLC (Anchorage, AK)
Airhounds is an Alaska-born-and-raised startup developing products that enable people to understand their risk of infection from airborne disease in real-time. An Airhounds wearable sensor measures carbon dioxide in the air for aerosols that can carry diseases like COVID-19. They will use the Phase 0 funding to develop a SBIR proposal to determine the feasibility of adding additional sensors to products in order to use sound, motion, and the presence of airborne particulate matter to improve accuracy and ease of use.
Please join the Alaska SBDC TREND Program and UAF’s EPSCoR Program in congratulating the 2022 Phase 0 awardees. Visit aksbdc.org/about/programs/trend/ to learn more about the program.
