National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency established in 1950 and based in Alexandria, Virginia. It is dedicated to supporting research and education in science and engineering across a wide range of disciplines. The NSF provides significant non-dilutive funding, up to $1.5 million, to startups and small businesses through its America's Seed Fund initiative, which is part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program mandated by Congress. With an operating budget of approximately $7.8 billion, the NSF is committed to advancing fundamental research and education, thus fostering innovation and technological development in the United States.

James Donlon

Program Director

Debasis Majumdar

Program Director

Graciela Narcho

Staff Associate

Sethuraman Panchanathan

Director

Past deals in Nuclear Energy

Muon Vision

Grant in 2024
Muon Vision specializes in enhancing the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of mineral processing and industrial operations through advanced subsurface visualization technology. The company has developed a sophisticated x-ray visualization and digitalization sensor that employs nuclear imaging techniques to assess the bulk density of geophysical assets. This technology enables the detection of issues within large material masses and monitors fluid migration in pore spaces over time. By providing geologists and mining companies with insights into the composition and distribution of materials, Muon Vision facilitates improved decision-making and operational effectiveness in various industrial processes, including leaching heaps and mine tailings dams.

NearStar Fusion

Grant in 2023
NearStar Fusion is focused on creating fusion power plants utilizing a tritium-free pulsed impact fusion method. This innovative approach employs hypervelocity plasma railguns to propel solid projectiles at magnetized deuterium fuel targets, facilitating pulsed fusion reactions. The design of NearStar's power plants emphasizes simplicity, which aids in reducing development time, construction costs, and operating expenses while enhancing reliability and longevity. By leveraging existing materials and technologies, the company minimizes the need for significant investments in material science and complicated supply chains. Through its efforts, NearStar Fusion aims to provide a clean and limitless energy source for global power needs.

Muon Vision

Grant in 2022
Muon Vision specializes in enhancing the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of mineral processing and industrial operations through advanced subsurface visualization technology. The company has developed a sophisticated x-ray visualization and digitalization sensor that employs nuclear imaging techniques to assess the bulk density of geophysical assets. This technology enables the detection of issues within large material masses and monitors fluid migration in pore spaces over time. By providing geologists and mining companies with insights into the composition and distribution of materials, Muon Vision facilitates improved decision-making and operational effectiveness in various industrial processes, including leaching heaps and mine tailings dams.

Howe Industries

Grant in 2021
Howe Industries specializes in developing innovative technologies for both space and terrestrial applications, leveraging expertise in nuclear technologies, thermal systems, and space propulsion. The company focuses on advancing space exploration through the creation of space-based power systems, which encompass radioisotope-fueled and reactor-based systems. These technologies aim to enhance capabilities for future missions, helping clients reach new destinations in space while also addressing challenges such as debris deorbiting and designing rovers for extreme environments like the surface of Mercury. Howe Industries is committed to propelling the human race further into space through its cutting-edge solutions.

Tibbar Plasma Technologies

Grant in 2021
Tibbar Plasma Technologies develops a plasma heat engine for efficient fusion energy production. The company's headquarters are in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Molten Salt Solutions

Grant in 2021
Molten Salt Solutions is a technology firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, established in 2018. The company focuses on advancing nuclear power technology by developing a platform that facilitates molten salt synthesis and purification. This innovative approach aims to produce large quantities of isotopically-enriched materials essential for both advanced fission and fusion nuclear power. Molten Salt Solutions' technology addresses critical requirements for energy security and reducing carbon emissions, thereby supporting businesses in the rapid development and deployment of isotope enrichment applications.

Muon Vision

Grant in 2020
Muon Vision specializes in enhancing the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of mineral processing and industrial operations through advanced subsurface visualization technology. The company has developed a sophisticated x-ray visualization and digitalization sensor that employs nuclear imaging techniques to assess the bulk density of geophysical assets. This technology enables the detection of issues within large material masses and monitors fluid migration in pore spaces over time. By providing geologists and mining companies with insights into the composition and distribution of materials, Muon Vision facilitates improved decision-making and operational effectiveness in various industrial processes, including leaching heaps and mine tailings dams.

Scalar Magnetics

Grant in 2020
Scalar Magnetics, founded in 2019 and based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, specializes in developing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technologies for chemical analysis. The company focuses on utilizing reduced potency magnets to conduct spectroscopy at moderate magnetic field strengths. This innovative approach allows users to circumvent the challenges associated with traditional large superconducting magnets, making NMR technology more accessible and efficient for chemical analysis applications.

Becq

Grant in 2020
Becq is a materials engineering company specializing in radiation shielding solutions for the nuclear industry. By utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning, Becq designs advanced materials that provide enhanced radiation-stopping capabilities. Their product lines can be tailored to meet specific requirements, including neutron and gamma source characteristics, design temperatures, desired dose rates, and various geometric or weight constraints. This customization enables clients to operate efficiently in challenging environments, ensuring safety and effectiveness in radiation management.

Howe Industries

Grant in 2019
Howe Industries specializes in developing innovative technologies for both space and terrestrial applications, leveraging expertise in nuclear technologies, thermal systems, and space propulsion. The company focuses on advancing space exploration through the creation of space-based power systems, which encompass radioisotope-fueled and reactor-based systems. These technologies aim to enhance capabilities for future missions, helping clients reach new destinations in space while also addressing challenges such as debris deorbiting and designing rovers for extreme environments like the surface of Mercury. Howe Industries is committed to propelling the human race further into space through its cutting-edge solutions.

Radiation Detection Solutions

Grant in 2019
Radiation Detection Solutions develops the solid-state tissue-equivalent detector, or SSTED, a radiation detection system. The company was founded in 2011 with its headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Becq

Grant in 2019
Becq is a materials engineering company specializing in radiation shielding solutions for the nuclear industry. By utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning, Becq designs advanced materials that provide enhanced radiation-stopping capabilities. Their product lines can be tailored to meet specific requirements, including neutron and gamma source characteristics, design temperatures, desired dose rates, and various geometric or weight constraints. This customization enables clients to operate efficiently in challenging environments, ensuring safety and effectiveness in radiation management.

Tibbar Plasma Technologies

Grant in 2019
Tibbar Plasma Technologies develops a plasma heat engine for efficient fusion energy production. The company's headquarters are in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Pearlhill Technologies

Grant in 2015
Pearlhill Technologies is a research, technology development, and commercialization company. They are involved in low-level nuclear waste management, carbon capture and CO2 utility, manufacturing fluorinated products, magnetoreception sensing and navigation, the fabrication of electronic sensors, and the use of nanomaterials in electronics.

Silverside Detectors

Grant in 2014
Silverside Detectors is a technology company that develops nuclear radiation detection technologies to protect cities and citizens from nuclear terrorism. It designs and develops adaptable radiation detectors. These detectors can be installed in urban and transit infrastructure for nuclear detection. The company develops inexpensive thermal neutron detectors that can be a building block for large-area networked scanning and other future solutions for nuclear threat reduction.

NanoConversion Technologies

Grant in 2013
NanoConversion Technologies, Inc. specializes in the development of devices that convert heat into electricity, primarily through its innovative C-TEC concentration-mode thermoelectric converter. Established in 2008 and based in San Jose, California, the company has created a low-cost, efficient solution for generating electrical power from a variety of heat sources, including propane, diesel fuel, natural gas, waste heat, and concentrated solar power. The C-TEC operates without any moving parts, resulting in silent operation and minimal maintenance requirements. This technology is particularly suited for remote and portable power applications, offering greater efficiency compared to traditional methods like Stirling engines while producing lower emissions than internal combustion engines.

NanoConversion Technologies

Grant in 2012
NanoConversion Technologies, Inc. specializes in the development of devices that convert heat into electricity, primarily through its innovative C-TEC concentration-mode thermoelectric converter. Established in 2008 and based in San Jose, California, the company has created a low-cost, efficient solution for generating electrical power from a variety of heat sources, including propane, diesel fuel, natural gas, waste heat, and concentrated solar power. The C-TEC operates without any moving parts, resulting in silent operation and minimal maintenance requirements. This technology is particularly suited for remote and portable power applications, offering greater efficiency compared to traditional methods like Stirling engines while producing lower emissions than internal combustion engines.

Pearlhill Technologies

Grant in 2012
Pearlhill Technologies is a research, technology development, and commercialization company. They are involved in low-level nuclear waste management, carbon capture and CO2 utility, manufacturing fluorinated products, magnetoreception sensing and navigation, the fabrication of electronic sensors, and the use of nanomaterials in electronics.
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