(Washington, DC) – Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today issued a statement lauding a U.S. Department of Energy announcement that six Maryland small businesses were awarded more than $6.6 million to conduct cutting edge research on innovative technology, including research on nuclear energy, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

The businesses received the grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which award competitive contracts to small businesses to develop innovative technologies that keep the American economy competitive, and address national security and public health needs.

“SBIR and STTR represent the best of government-industry partnerships,” Ranking Member Cardin said. “The Department of Energy’s investment will empower these six Maryland small businesses to continue cutting edge research that will lead to technological breakthroughs years into the future.”

Company

Location

Award Amount

Accustrata, Inc.

Rockville, MD

$1,000,000

Machfu, Inc.

Rockville, MD

$993,937

Inventwood, LLC

College Park, MD

$1,000,000

Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc.

Annapolis, MD

$1,499,734

WSC

Frederick, MD

$1,000,000

X-wave Innovations, Inc.

Gaithersburg, MD

$1,148,500

Maryland ranks as the number one state in the nation in research and development spending due to the presence of federal and academic research institutions, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

Last month, Ranking Member Cardin, Committee Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the SBIR and STTR Permanency and Improvement Act of 2019.

In May, the Small Business Committee heard testimony from Dr. Stephen Hoffman, the founder of Sanaria—a biotechnology company based in Rockville, MD that is developing a vaccine for the malaria virus in partnership with NIH. During the hearing, Dr. Hoffman shared that Sanaria “would not be here today without the initial and continuing support of the SBIR program.” The company is scheduled to begin clinical trials for an FDA approved vaccine next year.

Last year, Ranking Member Cardin spoke at a technology transfer summit hosted by the State of Maryland and NIST, where leaders across the state shared ideas and solutions on how to foster technology transfer and commercialization in Maryland’s federal and university labs.