Four Bangor-area companies recently were awarded seed grants from the Maine Technology Institute. “These seed grants, which can be up to $10,000, are for small research and development projects or for technical or business planning consulting,” according to MIT director Dr. Janet Yancey-Wrona. “We approved a total of 15 grants out of 41 applications that were reviewed.

Grants were awarded to companies from several different communities and regions of the state in five of the seven targeted technology sectors, she said.

The targeted technology sectors include advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture, aquaculture and marine technology, biotechnology, composite materials technology, environmental technology, information technology and precision manufacturing technology.

Bangor area companies receiving grants were:

. Precision Manufacturing Technology: James A. Vose of Electro Optical Instruments of Lincoln, for a project to build a prototype of the Vose Angle Index Refractometer;

. Advanced Technologies for Forestry and Agriculture: Curtis Meadow of Trefoil Corp. of Orono, to complete market research, business plans and technical specifications for a horticultural database;

. Russell A. Hazen of the University of Maine at Orono, to develop prototype commercial injection technology for frozen lobster; and,

. Information Technology: Peter Rottmann of Trefoil Corp. of Orono, to complete market analysis and business plan for Phase II SBIR proposal.

MTI seed grants of up to $10,000 per project are offered on a competitive basis to support early activities for product development, commercialization or business planning and development. Each grant requires a 1-1 match consisting of actual cash, salaries, staff time or equipment directly attributable to the proposed project. Seed grants are awarded four times each year. The application deadline for the next round of grants is Feb. 14, 2002, and grants will be announced on March 8.