The EPA and ACS worked together to set up a webinar on Thursday September 24, that covered all the money that the EPA is going to give away for research and development of new environment and energy-related ideas and products. The website is here--even though the meeting is over, there is some potentially useful info still there.
You may have to convince them a little to do it, but there is ample oppurtunity to do so with the EPA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The program is scheduled to give away $5 million in 2010 to small business owners with an idea, technology, or product related to the environment or energy research. The program looks to fund projects and at two different stages of the innovation process. The first, Phase 1, just requires a proof of concept. You could be awarded a $70,000 grant (this increases to $80,000 come 2010) to develop your idea into a full blown business model.
For more developed products, Phase 2 will pay for further development and commercialization of your product. The grant for this phase is $225,000, and increases to $300,000 in 2010.
There's really some amazing opportunities out there for budding entrepeneurs right now. April Richards, the Deputy Director of the SBIR Program, advises to read the solicitation carefully—despite it's massive size—and suggests visiting the program's homepage for "success stories" to inspire you to finish your application.
Oh, and it looks like the NSF is doing something similar.
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I run a potato drying facility in Colorado, which is the nations 4 largest potato producing state. I buy unmarketable potatoes that were previously dumped on the ground to rot.
My finished dry product is used as ingredients in the pet food industry.
I have found a way to "3R" potato water. I need to do a little more research and purchase equipment but my funds are limited.
Since potatoes are 75-80% water, I have a method to recover that water, purify it and reuse it in my plants daily operations. I currently discharge this water and land apply it.