FuzeHub, a nonprofit organization responsible for assisting small to medium manufacturing companies in New York state by matching them with technical and business resources, has launched the Jeff Lawrence Manufacturing Innovation Fund. Lawrence, who passed away in 2015, was a top executive at the Center for Economic Growth and a champion for New York manufacturing and entrepreneurial communities.
The Manufacturing Innovation Fund, consisting of $1 million annually for five years, supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York state. FuzeHub is administering this fund as part of its role as the Empire State Development-designated, statewide Manufacturing Extension Partnership center.
Through the fund, FuzeHub offers manufacturing innovation grants on a quarterly basis. The grants are available to nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions in the state proposing projects to be undertaken with small and mid-sized manufacturers or early stage companies.
Projects can include prototype development, proof-of-concept manufacturing, certain equipment purchases, manufacturing scale-up, market identification, and other projects to advance manufacturing capabilities.
The next open application period began Dec. 2 and closes on Friday, Dec. 30. The application is available at fuzehub.com/manufacturing-innovation-fund.
The Manufacturing Innovation Grants, with award sizes ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 each, are intended to offset costs and help more small and mid-sized manufacturers succeed.
“We have an extensive network of organizations that work closely with the industry to ensure that New York state’s companies remain as competitive as possible. The Manufacturing Innovation Fund will allow even more companies to take advantage of these critical services and receive world class technical expertise,” said Matt Watson, director of Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation.
“The fund will fill such an important gap in the New York State innovation ecosystem’s ability to move promising companies and products toward commercial success. The entire FuzeHub team is passionate about helping small and mid-sized manufacturers, and we are confident that these grants will have a meaningful impact in terms of enabling companies to ultimately create jobs and make new investments here in New York as they grow,” said FuzeHub Executive Director Elena Garuc.
“Too often, companies fail to overcome start-up hurdles or sustain their competitiveness because they lack the resources to engage partners that can help them with technological and innovation challenges. FuzeHub’s grant program is a welcome new resource that will make that engagement more affordable,” said Richard E. Honen, chairman of the selection panel for the grants and a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP.
For more information, contact FuzeHub Industry Engagement Manager Amber Mooney at amber@fuzehub.com.