Virtual Incubation Client Receives Innovation Award

A Virtual Incubation Corp. client, NanoMech LLC, has received its seventh Small Business Innovation Research award.

This award is a Phase I worth $400,000 from the National Institutes of Health for the development of improved coatings for dental implants. The coating will use NanoMech’s patented nanoparticle coating technology licensed from the University of Arkansas, which also has industrial and military applications.

NanoMech said the benefits of a dental coating will enhance implant lifetime by as much as two times, and allow for quicker installation. The company estimates that more than 200 million people in America, Europe and Japan are missing one or more teeth and could benefit from the technology.

A grant in April to NanoMech funded development of a nanoparticle-based lubricant coating that could reduce or eliminate the need for liquid coolants on cutting tools.

“Nano” is a prefix, meaning one-billionth of a unit. Therefore, take a measurement and move the decimal nine places to the left and that’s nano scale.

VIC, a Fayetteville company, provides clients with management, operational, research and fundraising support. It takes an equity stake in the firms and derives some fees from the SBIR awards it helps land.