NextCAT Awarded $500K Small Business Grant

Sarah Schmid9/15/11Follow @XconomyDET

Detroit-based alternative energy startup NextCAT last week announced it has received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the amount of $498,830, bringing NextCAT’s total grant funding to $1.3 million.

The company is working to commercialize a class of biofuel catalysts developed at Wayne State University. The technology would enable biofuel producers to convert low-cost raw materials such as waste vegetable oil, animal fats, and residual corn oil into biodiesel—good news in an era where the cost of the traditional feedstock used in biodiesel production has risen dramatically.

In addition to NSF funding, NextCAT has secured seed money from Automation Alley, Michigan’s largest technology business association, and the state’s Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund to design, build and install a pilot reactor at a major biodiesel equipment manufacturer’s engineering center.

Sarah Schmid is the editor of Xconomy Detroit. You can reach her at 313-570-9823 or sschmid@xconomy.com. Follow @XconomyDET