Bangor-area efforts awarded technology grants

GARDINER – Six Bangor-area entities recently were awarded seed grants from the Maine Technology Institute, according to Dr. Janet Yancey-Wrona, director.

“Seed grants, which can be up to $10,000, are for small research and development projects or for technical or business planning consulting,” Yancey-Wrona said. “We approved a total of 20 grants out of 53 applications that were reviewed.”

Bangor-area companies receiving grants, and the scope of each project, include:

. Aquaculture and marine technology: Sea & Reef Aquaculture of Orono will evaluate several species of marine ornamental fish to determine which are best suited to commercial culture;

. Biotechnology: Lewey’s of Corinna will patent and develop a marketing plan for an all-natural insect repellent, with 80 percent of the repellent’s ingredients from Maine;

. Composite materials technology: Telford Aviation Services Inc. of Bangor will do market research and develop a business plan for a new company to address the needs for repair and more efficient production of composite components for aircraft, and the AEWC Center at the University of Maine in Orono will perform a study to determine the feasibility of a wood-composite I-joist plant;

. Environmental technology: Ascendant Energy Co. of Owls Head proposes to build and test a proof-of-concept for a solar concentrator module that generates electricity as part of an integrated roofing system;

. Precision manufacturing technology: BIODE Inc. of Brewer will file a patent to protect a viscometer it has developed.

A complete list of seed grants awarded during this round and program information may be found at www.mainetechnology.org.

The MTI was created by the Legislature in 1999 to encourage research and development leading to the commercialization of new products and services in the state’s technology-intensive industrial sectors. Programs are designed to enhance the competitive position of those sectors and increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity and create new jobs.