Ikar

SUSTAINABLE CELLULOSIC BASE-OILS

UPCYCLING OCEAN-BASED PLASTICS FOR SUSTAINABLE FEEDSTOCK SUPPLY CHAIN

PRODUCTION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-ACCEPTABLE BIOLUBRICANTS FOR HYDROPOWER APPLICATIONS

PURPOSE: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTED SPENDING AWARDS ARE AUTHORIZED UNDER THE CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2022 PUBLIC LAW 117-328 AND THE EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR DIVISION L OF THAT ACT. PROJECTS SELECTED FOR COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTED SPENDING ARE LISTED IN THE JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (JES) THAT ACCOMPANIES A SPECIFIC FISCAL YEAR’S APPROPRIATIONS ACT OR CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. THE JES LISTS PROJECT, RECIPIENT, STATE, AMOUNT AND CONGRESSIONAL SPONSOR.; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING AWARD PROJECTS INCLUDE A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES THAT RESULT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES. HUD WILL NOT KNOW THE FULL SCOPE OF THE PROJECT UNTIL THE RECIPIENT SUBMITS THE REQUIRED PROJECT NARRATIVE AND CONFIRMS ALIGNMENT WITH THE LANGUAGE AS PROVIDED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. TO FIND THE DETAILS OF THE GRANT AWARD AS WRITTEN WITHIN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD USE THE FOLLOWING LINK AND PATH SELECTIONS TO GET TO THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING GRANTS HTTPS://WWW.HUD.GOV/PROGRAM_OFFICES/COMM_PLANNING/EDI-GRANTS, SELECT THE FISCAL YEAR OF INTEREST, SCROLL DOWN TO PROGRAM LAWS AND REGULATIONS, UNDER FISCAL YEAR 20XX CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 20XX: CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT).; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT AS DESCRIBED IN THE JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (JES) PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SUBSEQUENT APPROVED PROJECT NARRATIVE.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE PROJECT BENEFICIARIES ARE THE INDIVIDUALS AND/OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE AWARDED GRANT FUNDS OR SERVED BY THE ENTITIES THAT ARE AWARDED GRANT FUNDS AS IDENTIFIED IN THE JES RECIPIENT OR PROJECT DESCRIPTION SECTIONS.; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES ARE UNKNOWN AT THE TIME OF AWARD.

IMPLEMENT SKILLS BRIDGE IRAQ, A WORKFORCE-PIPELINE PROGRAM IN BAGHDAD AND BASRA THAT PROVIDES U.S.-CREDENTIALED DIGITAL-SKILLS TRAINING AND EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TO BUILD A TALENT PIPELINE FOR U.S. COMPANIES OPERATING IN IRAQ.

CLINICAL GRADE INSULIN-PRODUCING IPSCS ENCAPSULATED WITH DURABLE HYALURONIC ACID FOR LONG-TERM TREATMENT OF TYPE 1 DIABETES - ABSTRACT FOR THOSE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES, THE WAIT FOR A CELL THERAPY TO CONTROL BLOOD GLUCOSE WITHOUT SYSTEMIC IMMUNOSUPPRESSION HAS BEEN LONG AND DISAPPOINTING. WHILE RECENT COMMERCIAL ACQUISITIONS FOR SUCH CELL THERAPIES OFFER HOPE THAT THE FIELD IS FINALLY ADVANCING, THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR NUMEROUS OPTIONS, MUCH LIKE THE APPROACH TO THE COVID VACCINE. LIKARDA HOLDS MULTIPLE PATENTS SURROUNDING OUR NOVEL MICROPLATES USED FOR DIFFERENTIATION OF INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS INTO INSULIN-PRODUCING CELLS AND AROUND OUR UNIQUE ENCAPSULATION TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS US TO USE BIOCOMPATIBLE HYDROGELS THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO TRADITIONAL MICROENCAPSULATION APPROACHES. WE HAVE DIFFERENTIATED CLINICALLY-APPROPRIATE HUMAN PLURIPOTENT CELLS INTO INSULIN-PRODUCING CELLS (INSULIN-PRODUCING INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS – IPIPSCS) USING OUR 5-STEP PROTOCOL THAT INCORPORATES FEW GROWTH FACTORS COMPARED TO PUBLISHED PROTOCOLS AND CAN REVERSE DIABETES IN IMMUNE-COMPROMISED MICE. WE HAVE ENCAPSULATED ISLETS IN A PEG-BASED HYDROGEL AND REVERSED DIABETES IN IMMUNE-COMPETENT RATS FOR THEIR LIFESPAN WITHOUT IMMUNOSUPPRESSION OR EXOGENOUS INSULIN. HOWEVER, THE IPIPSCS DID NOT FUNCTION WELL IN THE PEG- BASED HYDROGEL. PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATES THAT A NEW HYDROGEL FORMULATION WE HAVE CREATED BASED ON THIOLATED HYALURONIC ACID (THHA) IS A BETTER MATCH FOR THE IPIPSCS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EXAMINE THE ABILITY OF THHA TO DURABLY REVERSE DIABETES IN RATS WITH A PILOT TRIAL IN DIABETIC DOGS. THE SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: 1) IDENTIFY GENETIC STABILITY OF THE IPIPSCS AFTER ENCAPSULATION AND IMPLANTATION INTO DIABETIC RATS; 2) DETERMINE WHETHER IMPLANTATION OF THHA-ENCAPSULATED HUMAN IPIPSCS IN DIABETIC RATS AND BEAGLES ARRESTS THE CLINICAL SIGNS OF DIABETES; 3) IDENTIFY BIOMARKERS OF A POSSIBLE FOREIGN BODY REACTION IN THE SURROUNDING TISSUE AT 2 WKS, 3 AND 9 MOS POST-TRANSPLANT INT DIABETIC RATS AND 6 MOS IN DIABETIC DOGS. ONCE WE CONFIRM THE OPTIMAL HYDROGEL FORMULATION FOR THE IPIPSCS, WE WILL INCORPORATE THEM INTO OUR RIBBON DEVICE, A RETRIEVABLE DEVICE THAT MAINTAINS THE LARGE SURFACE AREA AND LOW DIFFUSION BARRIER CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROSPHERES WHILE DELIVERING RETRIEVABILITY FOR REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. AT THE COMPLETION OF THIS PHASE I FEASIBILITY STUDY, WE WILL UNDERGO PHASE II STUDIES IN SPONTANEOUSLY DIABETIC DOGS, WHICH ARE AN OPTIMAL MODEL FOR HUMAN T1D DUE TO PARALLEL CLINICAL PRESENTATION, SIMILAR AUTOANTIBODIES, PATHOLOGY AND COMPLICATIONS. PROMISING LONG-TERM RESULTS IN SPONTANEOUSLY-DIABETIC DOGS WOULD OFFER STRONG PRECLINICAL DATA FOR HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS.

SBIR PHASE I: ILLUMINATING DARK WEB ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

DECARBONIZED BIO-BASED 2-METHYLFURAN MANUFACTURING IN AMERICA FOR SUSTAINABLE DOMESTIC BIO-ECONOMY

EMOLLIENTS ARE KEY INGREDIENTS IN APPROXIMATELY 2,000 COSMETICS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, INCLUDING SKIN AND HAIR CARE ITEMS AND COLOR COSMETICS. THEY FUNCTION BY SOLUBILIZING EMULSIFIERS AND COMBINING EMULSIFIERS, WATER, AND ADDITIVES INTO A SINGLE PHASE TO FORM STABLE EMULSIONS THAT DELIVER A PLEASANT TEXTURE AND EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE. THE GLOBAL EMOLLIENT MARKET IS VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $4 BILLION AND IS GROWING AT A RATE OF ~10%, PARTICULARLY IN RESPONSE TO DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVES TO SILICONE-BASED INGREDIENTS.FOR DECADES, CYCLOSILOXANE COMPOUNDS AND MINERAL WHITE OILS HAVE BEEN COMMONLY USED IN THIS MARKET. HOWEVER, CYCLOSILOXANES ARE NOW REGULATED UNDER THE REACH FRAMEWORK DUE TO CONCERNS RELATED TO BIOACCUMULATION AND SAFETY. ALSO, THE USE OF MINERAL OILS IS DECLINING BECAUSE OF CONSUMER SAFETY CONCERNS TOWARDS PETROLEUM-BASED INGREDIENTS IN COSMETICS. AS A RESULT, COSMETICS MANUFACTURERS ARE INCREASINGLY SEEKING RESPONSIBLY SOURCED, HIGH-PERFORMANCE EMOLLIENTS THAT MEET REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND ALIGN WITH CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS.RIKARBON IS DEVELOPING A PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE BIO-EMOLLIENTS DERIVED FROM FOREST AND OTHER NON-FOOD BIOMASS SOURCES AS INGREDIENTS IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS. OUR PATENT-PENDING PROCESS ENABLES THE PRODUCTION OF EMOLLIENTS THAT MATCH THE DESIRED PROPERTIES FOR EFFICACY, SENSORY FEEL, AND PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, WHILE ADDRESSING KEY INDUSTRY CHALLENGES.IN THIS PROJECT, RIKARBON WILL DEVELOP A SCALABLE PROCESS USING A PROCESS-INTENSIFIED FIXED-BED FLOW REACTOR TO PRODUCE LOW-VISCOSITY BIO-EMOLLIENTS FROM FOREST BIOMASS. WE WILL CHARACTERIZE THE PHYSICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE BIO-EMOLLIENTS, ASSESS THEIR BIODEGRADABILITY, AND PERFORM ECONOMIC AND PROCESS EFFICIENCY EVALUATIONS. THIS WORK WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN COLLABORATION WITH USDA-ARS-NEA-ERRC THROUGH A COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (CRADA NO. 58-8072-5-046), CONTINGENT UPON USDA SBIR FUNDING.

POLYOLS, REPRESENTING ~31BILLION GLOBAL MARKET, ARE MAJORLYFOR POLYURETHANESMANUFACTURING.THE MAJORITY OF POLYOLS ARE CURRENTLY PRODUCED FROM PETROLEUM FEEDSTOCK, RESULTING IN EMISSIONS OF ABOUT 3.5-4.88KG CO2-EQ PER KG OF POLYOLS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AN ENABLING TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE 100% BIO-BASED POLYOLS AND BIO-POLYETHER POLYOLS WITH 2-3 HYDROXYL EQUIVALENT FUNCTIONALLY FROM NON-FOOD BIOMASS. THE PRODUCTS ARE ANTICIPATED TO MEET THE CURRENT MARKET NEEDS TO MITIGATE CUSTOMERS CHALLENGES, DELIVER SAFER AND NATURAL BIO-PRODUCTS, AND MITIGATE CLIMATE CHALLENGES.THE PROPOSED RESEARCH FROM THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE MANUFACTURING PROCESS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PROPOSED BIO POLYOLS AND VALIDATE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THE PRODUCT. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL DEVELOP REACTOR AND PROCESS PARAMETERS TO (1) IMPROVE THE YIELD AND SELECTIVITY OF BIO-POLYOLS, (2) SYNTHESIZE 2-HYDROXYL EQUIVALENT BIO-POLYOLS, (3) UPGRADE BIO-POLYOLS TO BIO-ETHER POLYOLS (4) DEVELOP A PROCESS INTENSIFIED MANUFACTURING PROCESS WITH LOW CAPEX AND LOW ENERGY DEMAND AND (5) VALIDATE THE PRODUCT'S MARKET FIT.PRODUCTS AND INTERMEDIATES WILL BE ANALYZED USING VARIOUS CHROMATOGRAPHIC AND SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS. PRODUCT'S KEY SPECIFICATIONS WILL BE MEASURED USING INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED ASTM METHODS. BIODEGRADABILITY WILL BE ASSESSED. FINALLY COST AND GLOBAL EMISSION POTENTIALS WILL BE CALCULATED. WE ANTICIPATE A SIGNIFICANT OUTCOME FROM THIS PHASE I RESEARCH TO MOVE THIS TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS COMMERCIALIZATION IN PHASE II.

BUDGET SHIFT: THE COOPERATIVE¿¿S MEMBERS CULTIVATE SORGHUM ON SMALL INDIVIDUAL PLOTS AND ON A THREE HECTARE DEMONSTRATION PLOT.

CONSERVING THE TARZAN CHAMELEON: PREVENTING ILLEGAL TRAFFIC AND PROTECTING NATURAL HABITATS

PROTECTING THE GOLDEN MANTELLA FROGS FROM GOLD MINING IN GOLDEN PONDS

SEC 9007 REAP-RENEW ENERGY SYSTEMS GRANTS, $20,000 OR LESS (MAN)