Research and development that leads to new products that serve larger markets is the cornerstone of every innovation economy.
Over the past five-plus years, the state helped expand research and development by creating the EDGE (Economic Development Generating Excellence) program.
EDGE has 12 proposals competing for an anticipated $6.5 million in R&D funding scheduled to be announced soon. The innovative technologies and products represented include a miniature blood pump, hearing technology, an electromechanical battery, sensors for detecting explosives, low-cost Doppler weather radar systems, bio-feed for cattle, and an antibiotic peptide to treat hospital-acquired infections resistant to current antibiotics.