(318e) From Prototype to Product with the Help of Sbir Funding

University labs are adept at creating exciting small-scale one-off prototypes, but such demonstrations are just the first step in the long path to commercialization. SBIR funding can be a critical element in building a path to the commercial market. This talk will provide one perspective on the role of SBIR funding in supporting the ongoing transition of a concept developed at MIT, initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), into a product through a startup venture, GVD Corporation (www.gvdcorp.com). SBIR grants have provided an important supplement to GVD's revenues from commercial customers. The improved process capability, equipment, and applications testing enabled by the SBIR support translates into superior ability to meet the demands of GVD's current customers and aids the establishment of ties with new customers. Most recently, Phase II SBIR support from the NSF will enable GVD to demonstrate large area production at a competitive cost by designing, building, and operating an iCVD roll-to-roll coater. The resulting products will be of sufficient size and quantity to be meaningfully evaluated by our targeted customers. Our Phase II SBIR goals are important milestones in GVD's broader path to commercial production, as the improved economics of roll-to-roll manufacturing will permit the entry of iCVD-coated products into a variety of markets.