WJI: If a company that wins NSF funding achieves commercial success and patents, what does it owe? Bates: Our funding does not need to be repaid, nor do we obtain ownership in any of our awardees. The government does retain some limited rights to any intellectual property that our funds help to create; however, to date it has never exercised these rights for any funded small business award. WJI: What advice can you offer companies? Bates: Reach out to a program director to see if your idea fits with the goals of NSF. We also recommend registering early and applying early. We encourage a visit to our website, www.nsf.org, to see what NSF has funded in the past, and our “Apply Page” for more information on the process.
DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS ISO9001 OF PAYOFF & TENSION CONTROL REGISTERED EQUIPMENT FOR WIRE & CABLE
NSF
NSF Standard Grant: Size Effect on the Evolution of Kirkendall Pores in Ti-Coated Ni Wires
Sponsor: Northwestern University Agency: NSF Amount: $396,789 Year: 2016 Program: Division Of Materials Research Abstract: Nitinol, commonly used for applications
such as actuators or switches, is a biocompatible material. Traditional bulk Nitinol can be further improved by introducing open porosity to enhance the properties in a variety of ways. We seek to investigate a novel approach where controlled interdiffusion in Ti-coated Ni wires forms near equiatomic NiTi alloys with shape-memory or superelastic behavior. This project aims at understanding the wire size effect on the Ni-Ti interdiffusion behavior and Kirkendall pore evolution ... This research will focus on transforming pure Ni wires into three-dimensional NiTi wire-woven structures.
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that the product is technically feasible, or if it is simply offering a plan that has no innovation in terms of their product or service, this would not be a good fit. In selected cases, NSF supports innovations to existing products and services, but these innovations must dramatically change the products’ commercial prospects. NSF doesn’t fund work that modestly improves existing products. For a better idea for what we are looking for, go online to https://seedfund.nsf.gov/portfolio to see some of the companies that have been quite successful.