TU Delft start-ups have done very well in the latest allotment of STW-valorisation grants – the American-based subsidy scheme intended to get knowledge off the shelves and into business. Ten of the 21 grants went to TU-spinoffs.
The STW grants are based on the American Small Business Innovation Research programme – a large stimulation programme that has led to many new innovative businesses since it was started some 20 years ago. The Dutch equivalent, ‘Valorisation Grants’, led by technology foundation STW, has been operational since 2005, and like its US counterpart, the grants distinguish between three phases.
The first is the technological and financial feasibility of an idea. STW phase-I proposals offer a maximum of 25,000 euros for six months. In the second phase, the entrepreneurs have developed a product portfolio and have found a first ‘launching’ customer. They can then receive grants up to 200,000 euros over a maximum timespan of 2 years for making their product ripe for commercial development. Phase III is the commercial development of a product or service for the market. There is no phase-III contribution from STW. Between 2005 and 2010, STW granted 166 phase-I proposals and 48 phase-II proposals, totaling 13 million euros. The TU was remarkably successful in the last round in December 2011: seven phase-I and three phase-II applications were rewarded (See table). In total, 15 phase-I and six phase-II projects were chosen out of 30 and 25 applications, respectively. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
The most advanced is perhaps Delmic, an invention from Professor Pieter Kruit and colleagues that combines electron and optical microscopy. They retrofitted an optical microscope within an electron microscope and succeeded in becoming the first ever to align the two. In phase II, the Delmic team aims to develop four different microscope models for nanotechnology and life sciences research.
Another phase-II winner is Sunuru, a start-up from recent 3mE graduates Thomas de Leeuw and Jan van Kranendonk. They developed a smart system for rigging solar panels above parking places that is not only lightweight and space-efficient but also tracks the sun throughout the day, thus increasing the panels’ energy output.
Leading the phase-I winners is Disdro, the rain-listening device from Professor Nick van de Giesen’s group. Stijn de Jong (MSc) explained that this low-cost and sturdy acoustical rain monitor allows for better registration of rainfall in urban areas because the monitors can be widely distributed.
The Exo-Ligament, developed by Marcel Fleuren (MSc), is an effective and comfortable brace that protects against spraining one’s ankle. Fleuren aims to develop a standard product that may be individually fitted.
The Open Fitting, developed by Dr Dick Plettenburg, is a new fitting for underarm prostheses. Unlike other models, the Open Fitting does not become sweaty and smelly because it leaves three-quarters of the skin uncovered.
Calender42, by Michiel Boerrigter (MSc), is a web-based agenda with a difference. Because it involves online subscriptions, the agenda will know if your train has been canceled or your planned restaurant is fully booked, and then notify you and rearrange your schedule accordingly.
The Fleet Cleaner is a robot designed to clean a ship’s hull while docked. It can do so both above and below the waterline. Developer Alex Noordstrand (MSc) will use the STW grant to build the robot’s unique cleaning head.
