A rash of entrepreneurial Central Florida companies are taking advantage of federal and state grant programs to help them grow. This is good news for the region's economy, as it ultimately translates into job creation and community investment. Interestingly, all of these companies are either current or former clients of the UCF Business Incubation Network.
NR Electronics, a growing Seminole County company located in the UCF Business Incubator in Winter Springs, has been certified as a U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program participant. In layman's language, that makes the firm eligible to participate in a wide range of federal government contracts. This Metro Orlando-based international exporter company procures and distributes obsolete and hard to find electronic components -- ranging from microchips to circuit breakers - worldwide. The SBA 8(a) certification is an incentive program available to minority business entrepreneurs.
Two UCF Technology Incubator clients, Acudyn Inc. and United Materials and Systems, have been selected for Phase "0" program assistance through Enterprise Florida. This program awards small businesses with up to $3,000 to help them prepare proposals for Phase 1 grant funding, which is available through federal agencies such as the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, Transportation, and NASA, as well as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Acudyn is a scientific research and engineering company specializing in the advancement of energy and automation technologies. United Materials and Systems is developing advanced polymer derived ceramic material applications.
Three other local companies are among five in the state of Florida to have secured Phase 1 grants, which can amount to $100,000 and support efforts to test the technical feasibility of a new product or service idea. Red Lambda Inc., based in Longwood, is a network security company that specializes in computer system firewalls and intellectual property right protection. NeoCytex Biopharma, co-founded by UCF Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology Dr. Kiminobu Sugaya, is developing novel therapeutics to promote the repair and rejuvenation of damaged tissues. And Datanautix Inc., located in UCF's Winter Springs Incubator, has pioneered innovative analytical tools and data to help their clients with operational improvements in call center and back office operations.
And in other good news, former UCF Incubator client Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc. (ECS) has been selected to receive the U. S. Small Business Administration's 2010 Florida Small Business of the Year Award. Based in Orlando, ECS is a leading provider of "serious games" used in training by the military, emergency responders, and others.
Congratulations to each of these dynamic companies, and to our partners at the UCF Incubator. Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 130 emerging companies create over $800 million in annual revenue and more than 1600 new jobs. Incubator facilities are located in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties.
