Ben Franklin Technology Partners - Northeastern Pennsylvania

Ben Franklin to Invest $304,100 In Regional Economic Development

laura — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:37:35 +0000

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors approved the investment of $304,100 in support of regional economic development. The investments are with three early-stage technology companies, two established manufacturers, and one special initiative.

BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help lead northeastern Pennsylvania to a better economic future by building partnerships that develop and apply technology for competitive advantage. To achieve this goal, Ben Franklin staff concentrate their efforts on three key areas:

developing early-stage technology-oriented companies,
helping established manufacturers creatively apply new technology and business practices to achieve industry leadership, and
promoting an innovative community-wide infrastructure that fosters a favorable business environment for high-growth companies.

Since beginning operation, BFTP/NEP has helped to create 14,301 new jobs for Pennsylvania workers and to retain 21,236 existing jobs, to start 408 new companies, and to develop 948 new products and processes. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania is headquartered on the campus of Lehigh University and operates Ben Franklin TechVentures, an award-winning business incubator/post-incubator facility, in Bethlehem.

Ben Franklin announces the following early-stage company investments:

Lazarus Therapeutics, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000
Conduct further pre-clinical testing for a new drug candidate for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. This is being completed in preparation for an Investigational New Drug filing. The company will also research the application of this medication to other traumatic or degenerative neurologic conditions.

LMC Software Solutions, Morgantown, Berks County
Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000
Assist LMC Software Solutions in the launch of its new software platform that supports information technology staff dealing with problems within their companies. 24/7 monitoring and log trails are built in, providing complete audit and compliance functions. Called Enterprise Technical Support Center(ETSC), this platform improves productivity and service availability at a reduced cost.
Viddler, Inc., Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Ben Franklin Investment: $25,000
Continue commercializing Viddler’s on-line video enhancement, distribution, and sharing platform which consumer and commercial customers use to engage their clients and build their brand recognition on-line. Viddler offers the only platform that allows in-line text or video commenting, which has been proven to increase the amount and duration of a video’s viewership. Further develop the current version for business and serious videographers.

Ben Franklin announces the following established manufacturer company investments.

Ashland Foundry and Machine Works, Ashland, Schuylkill County
College Partner: Northampton Community College’s Emerging Technology Applications Center
Ben Franklin Investment: $32,850
Assess Ashland’s current energy consumption to identify ways to reduce usage and energy inefficiencies, and thereby decrease operating costs. Ashland manufactures pump components from high alloy castings.

Hitachi Metals, Lawrenceville, Tioga County
Ben Franklin Investment: $36,250
University Partner: The Pennsylvania State University
Develop a collagen-based core binder system that can displace the phenolic urethane and resin binders now used at this ductile iron caster. This binder system will reduce emissions and energy consumption, allowing the foundry to increase production and profits.

Ben Franklin announces the following special initiative investment.

Pennsylvania College of Technology Thermoforming Center, Williamsport, Lycoming County
Ben Franklin Investment: $10,000
College Partner: Pennsylvania College of Technology
Building on the success of two Plastics Centers of Excellence at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, develop a Thermoforming Center of Excellence. The Center is developing relationship networks among companies and academic institutions in the thermoforming industry, and assessing educational needs in industry.

NovaPedix

laura — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:19:23 +0000

NovaPedix is developing highly purified alginates for several surgical orthopedic applications. These include the use of biopolymers in resorbable bone scaffolding and load-bearing, resorbable internal bone fixation.

NEXT Biometrics, Inc.

laura — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:13:55 +0000

INaBILLION has developed and patented a new type of heat transfer technology applicable to various kinds of sensors. This will allow the company to work with Lehigh University to develop a prototype sensor that meets performance criteria and can be volume manufactured at a low cost for a variety of applications.

ISS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

laura — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:08:25 +0000

Advance ISS’s drug discovery research in the area of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Proprietary research techniques are being employed to identify novel targets in this disease area. The initial focus is on utilizing these targets to screen for new molecules with the goal of bringing more effective and safe drugs to the marketplace.

SolarPA

laura — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:43:18 +0000

SolarPA is developing a coating for solar photovoltaic cells to improve their efficiency in generating electricity. The company will evaluate several polymeric materials to determine the best material that meets requirements of solar cell manufacturers. The polymer must be applied and cured at near-room temperature, maintain its characteristics over the long term with no degradation in a variety of climates, and be compatible with current solar cell manufacturing processes. In this translational research project, approximately 100 solar cells will be coated with a variety of anti-reflective polymers containing SolarPA’s proprietary nanomaterial, and will undergo an accelerated aging process. Efficiencies will be measured under various conditions before and after.

L&H Sign Company

laura — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:08:36 +0000

Assess the technical and economic feasibility of a proposed rooftop photovoltaic array to address the energy needs of this producer of commercial signage and merchandising systems. Evaluate an existing coating, drying, and curing operation to increase product throughput.

Keystone Potato Products

laura — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:57:27 +0000

Conduct a feasiblity study to establish the technical and economic viability of a wind system at the Keystone Manufacturing site. This producer of potato flakes and fresh / frozen potatoes uses alternative energy to power manufacturing.

CEWA Technologies

laura — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:04:47 +0000

Complete design, construct, and test a prototype of a new type of concentrated solar power dish that takes advantage of lower cost materials due to its in a novel shape. The dish will provide heat and electricity in industrial and institutional applications. This proprietary dish technology provides for 30KW of peak power at a lower cost and matched performance, as compared to current concentrated solar power (CPS) technologies.

Video: i xchange 2010

laura — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:06:37 +0000

The i xchange is the premier business networking opportunity in northeastern Pennsylvania. Last year, more than 600 technology entrepreneurs, business people, economic developers, venture capitalists, political leaders, educators, students, bankers, lawyers, and accountants from Ben Franklin’s 21-county service area attended.

Please view the introductory video below.

QIO Systems

laura — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Support product design work to transfer manufacturing of QIO’s touch pad product to Offray Narrow’s textile weaving company. QIO integrates multi-device electronic controls into apparel.