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Emanate Wireless Awarded Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation - Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D

CLEVELAND, OHIO — September 15, 2020 — Emanate Wireless has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $255K to conduct research and development work on a unique healthcare IOT solution: Utilization, Condition, and Location System (UCLS). UCLS uses smart tags with sensors and machine learning algorithms to track the utilization, condition and location of medical equipment within a healthcare facility. The NSF funding will support pilot trials with three major hospital groups.

Managing medical devices is one of the top cost centers for a hospital. UCLS provides actionable insights to healthcare administrators to help them discover under-utilized equipment, optimize equipment workflows and implement usage and condition-based maintenance schedules. Current hospital asset tracking solutions (known as RTLS) attempt to track the location of assets, but do not provide context on what the device is doing or how effectively it is operating. The addition of measured utilization and condition data enhances patient safety and enables cost savings related to purchased equipment and maintenance.

“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”

"Emanate is very excited to be a recipient of NSF funding to help advance our critical healthcare IoT solution,” said Emanate Wireless CEO Neil Diener. “In the Industrial IoT space, it's common to use sensors to track the usage and condition of critical devices, but healthcare is lagging on this technology. Our solutions will help healthcare institutions save on equipment costs which can be re-applied to enhancing patient outcomes and experience."

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $256,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II grant (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II grants are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.

Once Emanate’s system detects an event that defies expected patterns or thresholds, alarms can issue to appropriate staff. In February, the new “Enterprise Tier” subscription will provide integrated text- and email-based alarm notifications. This tier will also go beyond the “Basic Tier” subscription with compliance reports and resolution logging.

Startups or entrepreneurs who submit a three-page Project Pitch will know within three weeks if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve a level of technical risk. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/