Centers of Excellence (COE)
D
uring the 2007 Legislative Session the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, changes to the COE statute that permitted ongoing support of grants to companies which are Licensees of technologies developed at Utah’s colleges and universities. 2008-09 was the first year that focused the program’s funding on Licensee Grants and allowed the State to see this implementation more clearly.
The purpose of the Centers of Excellence Program is to accelerate the commercialization of promising technologies
For the 2008-09 Solicitation 39 proposals were received with total funding requests exceeding $4.5million. Of this total, 21 Licensees and one University Center were awarded funding for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Of the budget, $1,869,250 was allocated to direct Licensee grant funding. Another $515,750 was allocated for funding directly to universities with another $25,000 allocated for a Business Team for the CEU University Center. The remaining $340,000 was held back to be distributed mid-year during a “Part B” solicitation.
that have strategic value for Utah. The end goal of the COE Program is to help drive economic development and job creation.
As noted, $340,000 was held back from the initial solicitation to be distributed in a Part B solicitation midyear. In April, existing Licensee Grant recipients were invited to apply for additional funds, which totaled $500,000 when the $340,000 was combined with “carry-in” funds. Six of the 2008-09 Licensees which had shown significant progress were awarded additional funding, with three of them receiving $100,000, two receiving $75,000 and the last receiving $50,000. All Licensees are required to provide appropriate matching funds. Of the 22 teams awarded funding, 21 signed contracts to receive their funding during the year—20 Licensees and one University Center and, of these, 15 licensees received their entire grant award during the year by providing evidence of appropriate matching funds. Three additional teams had their contracts extended to finalize their matching funds.
SUCCESS STORIES Wastewater Compliance Systems, Inc. Wastewater Compliance Systems, Inc. is a University of Utah spinout company that sells a patented, submergible, igloo-shaped aeration product called PooGloo™ that dramatically enhances the efficiency of wastewater lagoons. Their simple, economical solution is an easy-to-install retrofit solution for lagoon operators faced with compliance, cost, and capacity issues.
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Submergible Poo-Gloo Dome Set AIR IN
WATER SURFACE DOME SHELLS
WATER MOVEMENT
CONCRETE CROSS BASE BUBBLE DISTRIBUTION TUBES
BOTTOM OF LAGOON
Governor’s Office of Economic Development • Annual Report 2009
