GENEDGE ALLIANCE Announces Innovation Commercialization Grant Award Totaling over $60K to Sea Systems Group

MARTINSVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GENEDGE ALLIANCE, in cooperation with The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (TIC), has awarded a grant totaling more than $60,000.00 to fund an Innovation Commercialization Project to accelerate high technology top line growth for the region. Sea Systems is a shock and vibration mitigation technology company that has been developing products for defense and commercial markets for over 15 years, located in Clarksville, Va.

“GENEDGE is very pleased to assist Sea Systems in targeting commercially viable markets for their terrific technology”

The funding is targeted toward expanding the MitiGator™ Technology into new markets. The MitiGator™ Technology is an engineered cushioning system designed to protect people from hi-speed, hi-impact assaults and to allow them to continue to perform their jobs or enjoy their leisure time.

“GENEDGE is very pleased to assist Sea Systems in targeting commercially viable markets for their terrific technology,” said Bill Donohue, the vice president for GENEDGE ALLIANCE. “This is a great example of utilizing capabilities originally developed for and deployed in military applications to better serve worthy industrial applications.”

Sea Systems VP of New Product Development Richard McKinney said, ”Sea Systems is delighted to have participated in this program as we believe it will allow us to move from primarily a defense industry supplier to a better diversified company with a significant line of commercial products in the next six to eighteen months.”

"Having watched Sea Systems grow from an idea to their current position, I am glad that the Tobacco Commission is now able to assist with their continued growth. Working with GENEDGE ALLIANCE will prove positive for both," stated Senator and TIC Vice-Chairman Frank Ruff.

About the Innovation Grant program: The GENEDGE ALLIANCE Innovation Grant helps qualifying manufacturing and technology businesses, which fall within counties throughout the Virginia Tobacco Commission region, bring new ideas and new products to market.

Funded in cooperation with the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification Commission (TIC), the goal is to create more jobs in Virginia’s Tobacco region. Therefore, the program seeks to fund high probability commercialization opportunities for regionally manufactured products and technologies. To be eligible for participation in this program, companies must have established operations in the TIC region, operate with primary or secondary NAICS classifications from 311 up to 339, or 54171, and be registered as such with Dun and Bradstreet (D&B). Eligible expenses include market research, development, and materials, prototype development, third party proof of concept, engineering / design, and certifications through independent testing services.

GENEDGE ALLIANCE, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) affiliate for the Commonwealth of Virginia, provides a structured, innovation based commercialization program for companies interested in the innovation grant.

About GENEDGE ALLIANCE: GENEDGE helps Virginia industries compete. Since 2000, GENEDGE has reported over $2 billion in quantified economic impact for companies. GENEDGE ALLIANCE affiliates include the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) in Wytheville, Va., and Old Dominion University Business Gateway (ODUBG) in Norfolk, Va. For more information on GENEDGE ALLIANCE please visit www.genedge.org.

About the Virginia Tobacco Commission: The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (Virginia Tobacco Commission) is a 31‐member body created by the 1999 Virginia General Assembly. Its mission is the promotion of economic growth and development in tobacco‐dependent communities, using proceeds of the national tobacco settlement. For more information, visit www.tic.virginia.gov.