New Hampshire Innovation

Research Center

Helping New Hampshire

Companies Gain a

Competitive Edge in the Marketplace

2010 Report 

“The history of industrial persistence in New Hampshire  

demonstrates the importance of constant reinvention.   

Innovation is the key to maintaining an economic base in manufacturing,  

and innovation depends on research, and applying research to economic development.” 

Governor John Lynch 

The NHIRC works in cooperation with: NH DRED (Department of Resources and Economic Development) NH PTAP (Procurement Technical Assistance Program) NH MEP (Manufacturing Extension Program) NH SBDC (Small Business Development Center) SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Program /

STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Program (Federal programs)

The History . . . The New Hampshire Innovation Research Center (NHIRC) was established in 1991 by the NH legislature to provide a mechanism to increase collaboration between New Hampshire businesses and university-based research. The purpose of the NHIRC is to promote applied and basic scientific research, engineering, and associated marketing research and technology transfer to support the New Hampshire industrial and business community with the goal of creating high quality jobs through technology development and innovation.

Results . . . Over $6 million has been awarded to 129 New Hampshire companies from 1991 to 2010. Company match and match from NH EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) plus the grants awarded from the NHIRC makes the total investments in excess of $20 million.

Many NHIRC-funded projects have resulted in the successful discovery of a new product, significant improvements of manufacturing processes, and improvements to existing products. Subsequently companies can increase sales, create and/or retain jobs, increase market competitiveness and improve profitability.

How It Works . . . The director of the UNH Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization serves as the NHIRC executive director, and is responsible for matching appropriate NH university and college faculty expertise with NH companies in need of technical support. Overall program direction is determined by a statewide Oversight Committee representing large and small businesses, private and public institutions of higher learning, and state government.

Funding . . . The program operates on a grant to UNH from the state of NH, and offers matching funds to NH companies for technical research by NH college and university faculty in support of economic initiatives by NH companies. The NHIRC budget has traditionally been around $500,000 per year. All grant awards must be matched 1:1 by the company. At present, the NHIRC has two RFP solicitations per year.

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Warwick Mills, Inc. New Ipswich, NH

Warwick Mills received the Export Achievement Certificate

from the U.S. Department of Commerce in recognition of the company’s export success.

(July 2008)

Warwick Mills was founded in 1870. As one of the oldest companies in NH, Warwick Mills has successfully transitioned from textiles to becoming a leader in materials science engineering, using high-performance fibers, adhesives and other components to withstand the most demanding chemical and mechanical requirements. Warwick has developed crash bags for NASA’s Mars Exploration program, and is world-renowned for its TurtleSkin® protective gloves and safety equipment. Warwick Mills' success includes supplying 15,000 U.S. Marines in Iraq with protective gloves and exporting their products to Brazil, Mexico, Germany and South Korea.

Results The latest innovation of Warwick Mills is the use of its fiber and weaving technology to develop artificial graft scaffolds to temporarily perform the functions of human tissue and be absorbed as the body grows its own tissue. Warwick needed the expertise and equipment of a medical school and turned to the NHIRC for assistance. Warwick Mills worked with Dartmouth College on a three year project funded by the NHIRC. Pending FDA approval, Warwick expects this new product will add 5-10 jobs per year to its workforce of 130.

IVS 3D Inc.

Portsmouth, NH Interactive Visualization Systems (IVS 3D), Inc. was founded in 1995 as the developer of the Fledermaus 3D visualization and analysis software suite. IVS 3D is the market leader in the provision of interactive 3D visualization and analysis software for marine information. Government, commercial and academic clients in all areas of ocean mapping use the software internationally. The Fledermaus software suite enables commercial, academic and military clients to interact with massive geographical datasets of numerous data types while mapping the world’s oceans.

Results The goal of the NHIRC project with IVS 3D was to create a software tool data integration to support a wide range of sonars with a unified format for the wide variety of mid-water sonar types. The developments from this project resulted in tools to allow scientists in a variety of oceanographic research to finally benefit from the evolution of the water column data available from modern multibeam sonars. In 2009 IVS 3D software, mid-water visualization, helped scientists to discover a 1400-meter plume off the northern California margin. Scientists returned to the area in July, verified that the plume was still active, and detected a number of other plumes ranging in height from 700 to 1400m in a 15 km area around the original discovery. Until now, the users of these sonars had a limited view of the mid-water data in real-time, and limited capacity to store it, replay it, or run further analysis. The data also needed to be integrated with other sensor assets such as bathymetry, backscatter, sub-bottom, sea-floor characterizations and other assets so that a 'complete' picture of the marine environment under analysis can be realized. This discovery is just one example of the emerging uses of this type of data analysis.

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Itaconix LLC Hampton Falls, NH

Itaconix LLC is a privately-held green technology company founded in 2008. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing environmentally friendly polymers derived from renewable resources. Its primary product line is derived from polymers of itaconic acid. The new chemicals are designed to replace the petroleum-based chemicals used in such products as detergents and diapers.

Results The successful R&D efforts of Itaconix led the company to apply for and receive a $1.8M grant in October 2009 through the Joint Biomass Research and Development Initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture. The award will fund efforts by Itaconix, in partnership with the University of Maine, to produce Itaconix’s green polymers from itaconic acid fermented with sugars extracted from hardwood biomass. Itaconix was one of only nine companies to receive the government grant from among more than 900 applicants.

During the NHIRC funding period, 2 interns and 6 UNH grad/undergrad students worked on the project, and 2 UNH students were hired by the company. This provided student experience in green chemistry and engineering exposure in addition to industrial process engineering.

A National Science Foundation-GOALI (Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry) proposal was submitted in 2009. A Department of Energy proposal is planned for 2010. The company has demonstrated remarkable growth in its first 15 months. Six new employees were hired in 2009, and in October 2009, Itaconix announced the commercial launch of its first two products.

"The more we can do to help small and medium-sized businesses, the better, because that's where most of the job growth is going to come from."

Senator Jeanne Shaheen

WMUR January 22, 2010

Suflex/Regal Sleeving and Tubing, LLC

Newmarket, NH

Suflex was founded in 1946 as a manufacturer of standard or custom sleeving and tubing products for electrical insulation. The 65-year-old company in downtown Newmarket was saved from bankruptcy in 2003 after it was purchased by the plant’s two managers. Prior to the purchase, Suflex had been losing money, but the two managers acquired the company and turned it around.

Results The plant housed an outdated and cost-prohibitive process for drying one of its key products — acrylic fiberglass sleeving. The NHIRC-funded project focused on developing a new, more efficient and less costly chemical formulation and drying process. As a result of the first project with the NHIRC, the company experienced a 50-100 percent increase in the production process and added nine new employees. A second grant continued process enhancements from the first project.

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Graphicast, Inc. Jaffrey, NH

Graphicast has been in business for 31 years and is a manufacturer of precision machined zinc alloy castings. Graphicast provides its customer with a complete casting design and manufacturing capability.

One of NH’s Best Small Companies to Work For (Business NH Magazine, December 2009)

One of the 100 Most Progressive Manufacturers of the Year (Awarded by Managing Automation Media, March 2009)

Results Graphicast had a recurring quality issue in its casting process that represented 65% of its quality costs. Portions of the casting cavities were unfilled and occurred in a random fashion. These problems are called drops. Through NHIRC funds and working with the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Graphicast was able to support experiments to isolate the most important factors for reducing drops.

As a result of the NHIRC project, Graphicast reduced its overall casting quality costs by 21% and reduced its drop costs by 32%. Of more financial impact than quality improvement was an increase in productivity and reduced unit costs applied to most castings. For example, by using a casting optimization plan based on the Dartmouth findings, the company was able to significantly reduce the production time on a troublesome part from 40 hours to 25 hours.

Pleasant View Gardens

Loudon, NH

Pleasant View Gardens is a family-owned wholesale nursery founded in 1976 and the largest wholesale nursery in New Hampshire. Pleasant View Gardens is a founding partner in Proven Winners, the #1 nationally recognized consumer brand of gardening plants. Pleasant View Gardens ships plants to wholesale growers across the country as well as sells plants for retail nurseries and garden centers throughout the Northeast, selling approximately 40 million plants annually.

2004 Grower of the Year Selected by the Greenhouse Grower trade magazine

Results Many new varieties were developed through the NHIRC project in collaboration with UNH’s ornamental breeding program. Nine of the developed varieties have been patented, including two very colorful flowers named “Wildcat Pink” and “Wildcat Mandarin.” The flower varieties developed are vigorous, compact, colorful, and have distinguished blooming features. Increased sales of these breeding lines have yielded higher profits for the company. During the NHIRC funding period, one technician and two undergraduate students worked on the project. In addition, a high school student from the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter completed an internship in ornamental breeding during the project period.

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Applied GeoSolutions, LLC Durham, NH

Applied GeoSolutions, LLC was formed in 2000 to provide consulting services and training for environmental applications of geospatial technologies. Their mission is to promote scientifically sound cutting-edge geospatial technologies and provide integrated spatial information services for enhanced environmental stewardship. A central focus of their work is the development of greenhouse gas decision support systems that integrate remote sensing, GIS and biogeochemical modeling.

Results The NHIRC-funded projects have been quite successful, although it is too early in the development cycle to assess the commercial impact. The company reported it was able to retain 1.5 full time employees as a result of the project. Through the joint research with UNH, funded by the NHIRC, the company has been able to stay at the forefront of this important research and the company reports that the NHIRC program has been extremely useful in building incremental components of the business. The company was awarded one USDA SBIR Phase I grant to develop a web-based tillage practice monitoring system. This system will focus on using remote sensing for mapping and monitoring agricultural tillage practices.

IXXAT, Inc. Bedford, NH

IXXAT, Inc. is a leading supplier of products and services for data communication in industrial and mobile systems. Using IXXAT’s CANopen, a network technology optimized for industrial control environments, allows development of network protocols to set the communication behavior of multiple devices and facilitate automated interaction and responses.

Results The NHIRC funded research focused on developing a plug-and-play medical device system that interfaces a hospital bed with a blood pressure monitor. The need for such a system has been identified by physicians and anesthesiologists due to inaccuracies in invasive blood pressure measurements associated with changing positions of a patient in a hospital bed. The proposed solution by IXXAT was to transmit the blood pressure readings to the hospital bed and let the hospital bed adjust itself based on a quasi-controller. The NHIRC grant provided a medical device interoperability application that was demonstrated at a medical conference. This application then directly influenced major medical device manufacturers to begin a standardization process. The process introduced the company to engineers at medical device manufacturers and has led to increased sales for IXXAT. One UNH graduate student worked on the project and was hired by the company upon his graduation.

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Operating room of the future, with more space for medical personnel and automated device communication.(Massachusetts General Hospital)

Benefits of NHIRC Grants . . . For the Company:

Improved efficiencies in production allow companies to introduce products to new markets

Increase in production process improves profitability for companies

NH companies gain access to cutting-edge research at partner NH academic institutions, including UNH and Dartmouth

Companies are able to use high tech equipment at partner NH academic institutions, including UNH and Dartmouth, that they would not be able to purchase

Overhead is waived by the partner academic institutions, making it affordable for company R&D projects

Medical technology research sponsored by the NHIRC allows companies to go forward with clinical trials and to pursue FDA approval

Technology developed during company-academic institution collaborations may become commercialized by the company

NHIRC funds can be used for proof of concept – before a company invests a substantial amount of money in a product or process, they can use academic resources and equipment to test their theory. Some successful NHIRC projects have shown a company that an idea is not feasible, which saves them time and money

To continue NH’s competitiveness as a high tech state, NH needs to invest in its companies: state NHIRC dollars are matched with federal dollars, which are matched with company dollars; the company then partners with academic institutions for research expertise and access to state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories

For the Academic Institution:

Lab funding

Solving actual technological issues at companies

Potential outcome for universities: sponsored research agreements and license agreements following completion of NHIRC grants

Universities have opportunity to showcase their excellence, professionalism and capabilities to collaborate with industry, and to develop reputation and rapport among the business community

Students:

Undergraduate and graduate students interface with companies

Experience with actual technological issues at companies

Possibility of employment following graduation

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In 2006,

there were 32,103

small employers in NH.

This accounts for 96.6% of NH’s

employers and 54.9% of its

private-sector employment.

U.S. Dept of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census

In 2008,

NH ranked 9th in the nation for

high technology

and

manufacturing employment

as a percent of population.

The Milken Institute,

State Technology and Science Institute

U.S. Dept of Commerce, Bureau of the Census

MARCH 2010

New Hampshire

Innovation Research Center

Robert Dalton Executive Director

Paula Pelletier

Program Coordinator

University of New Hampshire 35 Colovos Road

Durham, NH 03824 603-862-4125

www.nhirc.unh.edu

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New Hampshire Innovation Research Center

Oversight Committee Members Richard Powers, Chair Director, Advanced ISR Solutions BAE Systems, Inc. Jenny Houston, Vice Chair Vice President of Business Development Warwick Mills Mark Coen President and CEO Page Belting Company Robert Gyurik Pharmaceutical Consultant Wendell Jesseman President New England Wire Technologies Representative Naida Kaen NH House of Representatives Alla Kan Director, Technology Transfer Office Dartmouth College Joseph Klewicki Dean, College of Engineering & Physical Sciences University of New Hampshire Senator Amanda Merrill NH Senate Jan Nisbet Senior Vice Provost for Research University of New Hampshire John Orcutt Professor of Law Franklin Pierce Law Center Christopher Way Business Services Manager Division of Economic Development

“Watching the NHIRC grow and mature

since its inception in 1991 has been a

tremendous experience,” said Alla Kan, director

of Dartmouth College’s Technology Transfer

Office and a member of the NHIRC Oversight

Committee.

“The program evolved into an invaluable

vehicle, connecting industry and academia in

the state, fostering local economic development

and competitiveness, providing hands-on

experience for university students, and helping

New Hampshire companies get access to cutting

-edge research.”