USC News - SCRA honors Pastides with SCRA Knowledge Economy Award, announces grants for S.C. start-up companies

June 4, 2008

SCRA honors Pastides with SCRA Knowledge Economy Award,
announces grants for S.C. start-up companies

Dr. Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences at the University of South Carolina, was presented a Knowledge Economist Award Wednesday (June 4) by South Carolina Research Authority CEP Bill Mahoney.

The SCRA Knowledge Economist Award Program recognizes outstanding citizens who have made significant contributions to South Carolina’s knowledge economy, “where the value of the mind shapes the successful profile of progress and great prospects for the future,” Mahoney said.

University president Andrew Sorensen received the same award last May.

The presentation took place in Innovista’s Discovery Plaza during an event in which SCRA affiliate SC Launch! announced that it has awarded nine Small Business Innovation Research Program or Small Business Technology Transfer Program (SBIR/STTR) Phase I Matching Grant awards, totaling $863,936, during the last 12 months to South Carolina Knowledge Economy start-up companies.

The event also featured the release of a study by economics professor Dr. Doug Woodward showing that SCRA had a total economic impact, on the state of $1.4 billion in 2007. The impact includes operations, technology parks and SC Launch!

The grants have been awarded to the following companies, which represent intellectual property from South Carolina commercial ventures and from the three research foundations at Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.

The recipients include the following:

Luke Ulrich, Agile Genomics, LLC – Charleston

Kelvin Brockbank, Cell & Tissue Systems, Inc. – North Charleston

Spenser Robert, First String Research, Inc. – North Charleston

Brian Morin, Innegrity, LLC – Greenville

Dr. Harold May, Microbial Fuel Cell Technologies, LLC – Mt. Pleasant

Rubina Asif Khan, Nitek, Inc. – Irmo

Michael Bolick, Selah Technologies, LLC – Simpsonville

Remis Gaska, Sensor Electronic Technologies, Inc. – Columbia

Jeffrey DiMaio, Tetramer, LLC – Pendleton

The SC Launch! SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program is designed to foster job creation in the state by increasing the competitive position of South Carolina small businesses in attracting SBIR and STTR grant funding.

“These programs are important vehicles for the commercial technology emerging from our research universities,” Pastides said. “Today’s announcement is a great example of how we are moving faculty knowledge down the path toward job creation in South Carolina. Much of this would not be possible without the SC Launch! Program.”

Columbia, SC 29208 • 803-777-5400 • uscnews@sc.edu