The EPA is announcing $200,000 in research funding to two Los Angeles small businesses to further develop and commercialize their environmental technologies. The funding comes through the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program.
“California’s small businesses are leaders in creating innovative and practical zero waste solutions that have far-reaching benefits for communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Deputy Regional Administrator Cheree Peterson. “These companies’ efforts to bring their technologies to market will advance the circular economy while protecting public health and the environment.”
Each year, EPA issues an SBIR solicitation for technology proposals for targeted environmental topics. The SBIR program consists of two phases of funding. The companies announced today previously received Phase I contracts of up to $100,000 for six months during the “proof of concept” of their proposed technologies. Now, for this Phase II announcement, companies are awarded up to $400,000 to further develop and commercialize their technologies.
This year’s SBIR Phase II award recipients in Los Angeles are:
- Water Illumination Inc. (Irvine, Calif.) to develop technology using UV light to destroy PFAS in wastewater without producing harmful byproducts.
- Holochip Corporation (Torrance, Calif.) to develop a mobile mapping application that does not require access to GPS, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi for users in disaster areas.
“We are very excited to have received this SBIR award,” said Water Illumination CEO Xuejun Yu. “It will accelerate our company’s efforts towards commercializing a sustainable PFAS destruction technology from water that can serve the greater Los Angeles region and beyond.”
“We are excited to be partnering with EPA to deliver AI-based environmental mapping and localization solutions to improve the safety and efficacy of disaster response teams,” said Holochip CEO Robert Batchko. “Holochip has been supporting simulation, training, and mission success with next generation AI, SLAM, XR, and imaging solutions since 2004.”