FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jami McFerren

July 29, 2003 Communications Director

www.azcommerce.com (602) 771-1163/ 448-9604

INNOVATIVE HIGH TECH FIRMS RECEIVE GOVERNOR’S AZ FAST GRANT AWARDS

A new radiation treatment for cancer, a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear, a portable biohazard detection machine and a cost-effective water filtration system are just some of the technologies from Arizona firms that have received one of the Governor’s AZ FAST Grants. A total of 27 awards have been made to small companies from Lake Havasu, Flagstaff, Tucson, and throughout Maricopa County.

In grants ranging from $4,000 to $5,000 per company, a total of $134,000 is being awarded. State general funds are not appropriated for these grants. Half of the fund comes from the US Small Business Administration through the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program with matching funds from ADOC’s Commerce and Economic Development Commission.

The primary goal of the AZ FAST grants is to assist start up high tech firms in securing federal SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) funding to develop and commercialize their technology – a process that can take as long as 12 months. Commerce Director Gilbert Jimenez says grant money will be used to hire experts who provide training, mentoring and guidance; business advisory services; proposal assistance and technology transfer expertise. “These 27 companies now have an opportunity to leverage millions of federal dollars that will allow the innovative research to continue and new products to be brought to market,” says Director Jimenez.

The Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology in partnership with Commerce, the Arizona Technology Council and the Southern Arizona Technology Council did workshops throughout the state in advance of the grant deadline to generate interest in the entrepreneurial high tech community. “The result of their work is obvious in the range of technologies presented,” says Jimenez. “Some of the other products under development include a ballistic armor for military use that is capable of defeating high powered rifle fire, low cost stroke therapy robots and rehabilitation devices for those with physical disabilities.”

Grant recipients met today for a conference designed to celebrate their awards, answer questions on contractual matters and allow for networking. Held at the State Capitol, the conference was sponsored by the Arizona Department of Commerce.

For more information on project management contact Marsha Kolich at (602) 771-1100. A list of recipients is attached.

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Attachment

Governor’s AZ Fast Grant Award Recipients

Announced 7-29-03

Region Company Representative

Greater Phoenix

Bioguard Industries (Phoenix) Kathy Sommer

(abient biohazard detection of airborne microbial pathogens)

BPhone, Inc. (Phoenix) James Breese

(Advanced Telephony Server & Unified Messaging Services)

BTI Consultants (Tempe) Vaughn Adams

(safety and assistive devices for those with disabilities)

Crawdad Inc. (Chandler) Steven Corman

(Text analysis software to help customers mine their communications)

Deluge, Inc. (Phoenix) Brian Hageman

(Beta testing-pumping water for tomorrow)

Engineering Science Analysis Corp. (Tempe) Martin Martinez

(design, research, & development for the commercial, electronic & aerospace industries)

G.W. Medical Technology (Phoenix) William Gartner

(Diagnostic technology development using biotech solutions)

Glacis Corp. (Scottsdale) Gregory Wojak

(Diamond substrate application for aerospace application)

Innocure (Phoenix) Donald Collins

(Intensity Modulation Radiation Therapy filters for cancer treatment

Innovation Enterprises (Paradise Valley) Theodoros Grigoriou

(solutions to control pests without harmful pesticides)

Inxsol (Phoenix) Henry Ryng

(Technical Training and Simulation Development for aerospace application)

Kinetic Muscles, Inc. (Tempe) James Koeneman

(Development, mfg. and sales of stroke therapy devices)

Kutta Consulting (Phoenix) Douglas Limbaugh

(Avionics software development, testing and consulting)

Performance Software Corp. (Phoenix) Scott Ziebarth

(development of avionics, telecommunications, and military software)

Safe & Sound Solutions (Phoenix) Alan Platt Sands

(Healthcare systems integration and marketing)

Symmetric Objects, Inc. (Phoenix) Robert Howard

(new symmetry for data modeling to build tera-sized database)

Three Rivers Holdings (Mesa) David Boninger

(products for people with disabilities)

Greater Tucson

Cybernetic Research Labs John Rix

(Fabrication of high quality cables and precision machine parts for military, aerospace, medical fields)

Innovative Formulations, Inc. Ian Ornstein

(Development and mfg. of carcinogen-free paint coatings and sealants)

Nviro Health, Inc. Gary Payne

(Cost-effective water filtration processes for business, government & public use)

Paragon Space Development Corp. Taber Maccallum

(Human spaceflight technology for endeavors in water, on land, and in space)

Polypore, Inc. Warren Lazar

(polymer hybrid matrix chemistries for the automotive and aerospace industries)

Flagstaff

Corneal Science E. Allan Blair

(Produces new ophthalmic medical devices and pharmaceuticals)

Flagstaff Renewable Fuels David Allen Spence

(Develops environmentally clean renewable energy technologies)

Novakinetics, LLC James Corning

(Provides engineering/composites manufacturing services to the aerospace industry)

Senestech Loretta Mayer

( Mouseopause induces menopause in mice for research and commercial application)

Lake Havasu City

Info Bahn Industries, Inc. Don Holbrook