The National
Security Innovation Network (NSIN), a program run by the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD), has awarded three start-up companies created by research at South Dakota Mines admission into the 2022 NSIN Emerge Accelerator. This business
accelerator program includes an extremely competitive entry process with teams
at top research universities across the nation competing for a spot.
“The ongoing successes of these start-up businesses
speaks to the thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship at South Dakota Mines.
We’re proud of our achievements in transforming the innovation on campus into
high-paying jobs that benefit our local economy and our nation’s defense,” says
Mines president Jim Rankin.
NSIN’s website states that the Emerge Accelerator “seeks
to establish [Technology Transfer and Transition] T3 partnerships with universities
to spin out new dual-use ventures (one that targets both government and
commercial (enterprise and/or consumer) customers), based on existing
university intellectual property, that correspond to the DoD’s urgent and
critical areas of technology development.”
Mines
partnership with NSIN began two years ago, and Emerge is just one of the
many opportunities that Mines students have to work with the DoD on real world
problems. To date, more than 40 Mines students have worked on 15 different DoD
problems ranging from 3D printed B-1 Bomber parts, concrete spalling on the
airfield and base traffic flow optimization. With Emerge, Mines students can
now create startup companies and compete for non-dilutive funding.
The businesses created by Mines researchers and
students joining Emerge include:
Hydrolyst LLC:
was started
by Mines graduate students Kirstie Gildemeister and Kelsey Fitzgerald. Hydrolyst
has created an improved material used in hydrogen fuel cells, which extends the
lifetime, aims to improve hydrogen production rate and reduces the cost of the
final product. This technology has the potential to bring hydrogen fuel cells
to market much faster by making them more affordable for the consumer.
Disappearing 4D
Advanced Materials:
Mines Ph.D. candidate
Whytneigh Duffie developed a chemical technology that includes a new type of 3D
printer resin. It eliminates the risk of reverse engineering of sensitive
military intellectual property, and it provides benefits over typical
biodegradable polymers. The innovation will increase material and combat
readiness, shorten the supply chain and reduce costs that are associated with
transportation and end-of-life disposal.
Novum Nano:
has created a
novel nano memristor, which has the potential to further miniaturize
electronics and revolutionize information storage capabilities. The technology
also requires less power than current resistors and can withstand a much wider
voltage and temperature range, increasing its durability. The founders of the
company include South Dakota Mines research scientist Haiping Hong, Ph.D., and
alumnus Greg Christensen, Ph.D.
The entry to the NSIN Emerge Accelerator is highly
competitive. In a press release the NSIN
states: “Universities nominated more than 200 teams for the NSIN Emerge
program, and after an intensive selection process, 42 teams from 17 universities
received invitations to join the inaugural cohort.”
"The selection process for NSIN Emerge was
highly competitive and included input from DoD organizations making decisions
today that will impact the future of US National security," said Jason
Combs, NSIN program director at Mines. "The fact that three Mines startups
were selected demonstrates the level of talent at Mines, and the technology
produced further solidifies our position in national defense innovation.”
The selection of Mines research to join the NSIN
Emerge Accelerator benefits both the defense of the United States and the
growth of the local economy. The NSIN press release states that Mines teams, “will
work with DoD and commercial prospects to develop critical skills in venture
strategy and marketing, and product development and design. As part of their
effort to become successful dual-use ventures, the teams will test their
prototypes in real military projects and receive mentoring on breaking into DoD
and commercial markets with their intellectual property (IP) and technology."