Innovation is a priority with Maine Technology Institute awards

An exterior view of a building with lots of windows.

FILE PHOTO / COURTESY BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES Bigelow Laboratory, which opened a 25,000-square-foot expansion this year, plans to use $900,000 in new funding to develop a hub to develop marine-based biotechnology products.

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By Laurie Schreiber

National security, the blue economy, support for startups and digital jobs are the focus of the four awardees selected from 33 applications to the Maine Technology Institute’s inaugural innovation ecosystem development program.

The program aims to develop technology startups and jobs in certain targeted sectors.

MTI launched the first statewide call for applications in the spring. By the July 1 deadline, 33 applications were in the hopper, requesting nearly $10 million. MTI‘s board of directors approved four awards totaling $1.653 million.

“Each organization selected is building the infrastructure and connections needed to help Maine entrepreneurs thrive in the technology sectors that define our economic future,” said Brian Whitney, MTI’s president.

The state has targeted seven technology sectors in mature and emerging industries for investment and other types of support: biotechnology, composites and advanced materials, environmental technologies, forest products and agriculture, information technology, marine technology and aquaculture and precision manufacturing.

National security

Northeastern University’s Roux Institute, in Portland, received an award of $375,000 award with $500,000 in matching funds.

The Roux Institute said it will use the money to establish a national security innovation hub to accelerate “dual-use technologies” for commercial and national security applications. “Dual use” refers to technology that can be used for both civilian and military applications.

The hub will provide targeted programming, federal procurement navigation and pilot opportunities to strengthen regional innovation capacity, create jobs and attract new investment.

The initiative is expected to position Maine as a national leader in dual-use innovation.

“This support enables us to continue our efforts in venture creation, research and ecosystem building to accelerate innovations vital to our nation’s security and resilience,” said Warren Adams, Roux’s managing director of entrepreneurship and venture creation.

The initiative, he said, includes partnerships with startups, corporations, investors, researchers and government agencies to develop security technologies and to create opportunities and jobs.

Roux is in the midst of building a 300,000-square-foot campus on waterfront property in Portland’s East Deering neighborhood, for education and research in fields including AI, life science and other high-tech, high-growth fields.

The graduate and research center currently leases space on Fore Street in Portland.

Blue economy

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, in East Boothbay, received an award of $453,000 and $450,000 in matching funds.

Bigelow Lab, a nonprofit research institute focused on global ocean health, said it will use the money to lead the creation of the nation’s first “blue biotechnology hub.” The hub will aim to develop marine-based biotechnology products, which is an emerging sector in Maine.

Partnering with Hatch Blue — a venture capital investment firm based in Cork, Ireland, with focus areas that include aquaculture — and regional collaborators, Bigelow’s goal is to launch an innovation studio, attract investment and create jobs by leveraging Maine’s experience in life sciences and the blue economy.

Maine has the potential to take a global position in the blue biotechnology sector and to create products used in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, manufacturing and more from the state’s marine resources, said Beth Orcutt, Bigelow’s vice president for research.

The blue biotech innovation ecosystem development project “will help accelerate bench-to-market opportunities for this sector, attracting and creating new jobs,” Orcutt said. “In partnership with global and local experts in business creation, growth and investment, the award will help companies bring to market high-value materials sourced from seaweed, aquaculture and fisheries byproducts, microalgae and marine microbes.”

Over the summer, Bigelow opened a $31 million, 25,000-square-foot addition, the Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education, that increases the research center’s footprint by 40%, providing significant and essential space to accommodate a growing staff and projects.

But the lab’s president and CEO, Deborah Bronk, has said federal funding uncertainties have affected the lab’s functions. Early this year, that included $5 million in National Science Foundation grants, that were recommended for funding, were in limbo, along with lost contracts for fee-for-service activities, from other places that lost federal funding.

Bigelow gets about half of its funding from federal grants, Bronk has said.

Startup scale-up

Startup Maine Inc., Portland, received an award of $325,000 and $450,000 in matching funds.

Startup Maine said it will scale its statewide ecosystem-building efforts by hiring staff, expanding year-round programming and enhancing visibility for Maine’s innovation community.

The project will support founders through expanded events such as Startup Maine Week, networking meet-ups and national exposure opportunities, connecting entrepreneurs to resources, investors and talent across the state.

“This investment enables us to build our team, advance our strategic goals and elevate Maine’s profile as a growing center for innovation,” said Katie Shorey, Startup Maine’s president.

The money will be used to better connect founders to investors and resources, focus on public relations and storytelling, and level up existing initiatives, she said.

Digital jobs

Central Maine Growth Council, in Waterville, received an award of $500,000 and $723,183 in matching funds.

Through Dirigo Labs, the Central Maine Growth Council said it will advance a three-year initiative focused on Maine’s digital economy with a goal to generate 100 to 200 new jobs, $15 million in sales and $25 million to $27 million in follow-on capital for participating companies.

It will also deploy a mentor network of 200 professionals to support innovation and business growth across rural Maine.

“This award represents a critical investment for our community, economy and startups, providing the necessary confidence and capital to accelerate our rural region’s (and state’s) economic transition and diversification,” said Garvan Donegan, the council’s president and CEO.

About the Innovation Ecosystem Development Program

The IEDP was created by MTI to strengthen the foundational programs and partnerships that drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Maine, by supporting organizations that provide direct services to innovators, startups and small businesses.

About the Maine Technology Institute

Created and funded by the Maine Legislature, the Maine Technology Institute is Maine’s public-private partnership whose mission is to help diversify and grow Maine’s economy by helping to catalyze innovation and its transformation into new products, services and companies, leading to the creation of jobs. It offers grants, loans and equity investments to help Maine organizations grow and scale.

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