Vaporsens detects grant

Vaporsens, spun out in 2011 and developer of a sensor to detect explosives and narcotics, has been awarded a grant worth almost $720,000 from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme. The company was able to secure the money with the help of the Utah SBIR-STTR Assistance Centre, an outreach centre of Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR).

The outreach centre is located at the Salt Lake Community College’s Miller Business Resource Centre and is a statewide resource that assists innovators and entrepreneurs to maximise their business potential through SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programmes. Vaporsens is also supported by Utah’s Technology Commercialization & Innovation Program, the US Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and private investors.

The core research has been funded by the US Department of Homeland Security through Ling Zang’s lab at Utah University. Zang has been developing amplified fluorescing and optoelectronic sensor technology for a decade, has published more than 20 papers on it, and has produced seven intellectual properties regarding the technology.

Vaporsens already secured a $150,000 Phase I grant last year. Phase IB – which is only given to a company that can match it with investor funding – brought in an additional $30,000. The Phase II grant will enable the company to reach commercialisation faster. The company’s current prototype is a lab version that is undergoing testing for sensitivity, selectivity, interference, and robustness. Vaporsens will now be able to move toward a field-ready device.

Ben Rollins, co-founder and chief executive officer, said: “Having funding to perform necessary research and development is critical for us to move out of our current phase and in to a company that has products and revenue. It’s all about research and development right now. We are performing tests and making adjustments according to the results of those tests and moving forward from there.”