SCRA and MATIMOP announce S.C.-Israel R&D Award

Columbia-based CIRTEMO Approved for Research Funding

SCRA and MATIMOP (Israeli Industry Center for R&D) on behalf of the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in the Israeli Ministry of Economy, are pleased to announce the recipient of the second round of project proposals. The bilateral projects are a result of the collaborative industrial research and development program established in October 2013, between South Carolina and Israel. SCRA manages the program on behalf of the S.C. Department of Commerce. The first two projects were awarded in September, 2014.

“We are excited to work with Semiconductor Devices, SCRA and MATIMOP to develop a new class of Multivariate Optical Element (MOE) based hyperspectral imagers,” said CIRTEMO CEO Jason Williamson. “From security to agriculture applications, these new MOE based imagers will provide customers and end users with high value chemical information for real-time decision making without the high cost, complexity and post processing challenges associated with today’s hyperspectral imaging systems.”

The current project award will focus on developing an advanced Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) multispectral sensor with improved performance and size, weight and power characteristics over traditional Hyperspectral Imaging Systems used in commercial applications. Hyperspectral imagers in the marketplace today are expensive, complex and require tremendous amounts of post processing resources. These systems are generally only used by the military and large companies. The planed sensor can be applied to detection of explosives and other chemicals of interest at significant stand-off ranges with speeds enabling real-time spectral imaging. The sensor will use Multivariate Optical Computing algorithms and optical coatings developed by Columbia, S.C.-based CIRTEMO, which will be integrated with the Israel-based SemiConductor Device’s (SCD) SWIR Multifunction sensor.

“We are delighted to announce the continuation of these joint R&D projects,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney. “This collaboration furthers innovative research and collaboration, helping advance South Carolina’s Knowledge Economy.”

The South Carolina – Israel Industrial R&D Program seeks to stimulate generation and development of new or significantly improved products or processes for commercialization in global markets. The technology sectors that are the focus for this program are: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Advanced Materials; Sustainable Energy/Water/Agriculture Systems; Transportation; Defense and Homeland Security; and Insurance and Health Information Technology. The program is being managed by SCRA on behalf of the state of South Carolina under a contract with the State Department of Commerce, and by MATIMOP on behalf of the state of Israel.

The program has an open “call for proposals” in which teams from South Carolina and Israel may submit funding applications at any time. The next round of program applications will be accepted through 1 March 2016. For more information, please visit the SCRA website at http://www.scra.org/matimop_2014.html.

SCRA is a self-sustaining non-profit Applied R&D company that grows the technology-based economy in South Carolina by commercializing intellectual property and supporting and making investments in early-stage companies. Multiple economic impact studies show our cumulative output into South Carolina’s economy to be over $18.1 billion since 1983, creating approximately 15,000 technology-related jobs with annual wages averaging between $55,000 and $79,000.