A Recap of TMAP

The NIST-wide Technology Maturation Accelerator Program (TMAP) for 2021 has just occurred, bringing with it a variety of innovations to the forefront of the NIST spotlight. TMAP was designed to provide a platform for NIST researchers to pitch cutting-edge technologies to venture capitalists and business experts, with the winners to receive funding to accelerate their projects toward the market. This year’s event came with a variety of NIST researchers from multiple NIST labs presenting projects that covered a spectrum of technical fields. There were eight NIST presenters who each had ten minutes to pitch the commercial opportunities of their technologies, and they were:

• Aly Artusio-Glimpse - “Self-calibrated Embedded Microwave Sensor"
• Abdella Battou – “Multiverse - Network Automation Platform for Emerging Network Technologies"
• Steve Brown - “Toward Commercialization of a Hyperspectral Image Projector for Optical Medical Imaging"
• Kevin Douglass – “Vacuum-Fixed Length Optical Cavity”
• David Ferraiolo - “Fine-grained Data Sharing Infrastructure"
• Daniel Gopman - “Ultrahigh Density in Memory Compute Chips using Advanced Magnetic Memory Devices"
• John Marino - “RNA-based Nterminal Amino Acid Binding (rNAAB) Reagents for use in Next-Generation Protein Sequencing Devices”
• Wes Tew - “Advanced Refrigeration Platform for Triple-Point Cells"

There were four TMAP judges this year who each came with a wealth of knowledge and work experience in getting emerging technologies to market.  The judges were:

• Andrea Alms – Andrea is specialized in guiding venture capital, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and other transactions involving early stage companies.
• Sherry Altman - Sherry is an experienced professional in the areas of business strategy, innovation, and environmental sustainability.
• Elizabeth Mazhari – Elizabeth brought experience in product development, technology commercialization and venture management.
• Brad Stewart – Brad has helped accelerate business growth for companies, foster entrepreneurship, and leverage resources from multiple federal agencies.

There were four presenters selected to receive funding and they are:

Gopman, Daniel (MML) – “Ultrahigh Density in Memory Compute Chips using Advanced Magnetic Memory Devices” 

 Ferraiolo, David (ITL) - “Fine-grained Data Sharing Infrastructure” 

 Marino, John (MML) – “RNA-based N-terminal Amino Acid Binding (rNAAB) Reagents for use in Next-Generation Protein Sequencing Devices” 

 Douglass, Kevin (PML) – “Vacuum-Fixed Length Optical Cavity”

TMAP has once again provided an opportunity for the public and private sector to come together to highlight the importance of NIST research while seeking out potential commercial opportunities. Through collaborative efforts with businesses, NIST can lay the groundwork for technologies and inventions to achieve commercialization, propelling innovations to market to drive the economy.