Five Colorado firms get $4.35M in grants for research, infrastructure

Five of six applicants for state funds to support their infrastructure have won $4.35 million in grants, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade said Monday. The money comes from the Advanced Industry Accelerator Grant Program, a state program that has doled out about $18 million to more than 50 companies since its 2013 inception. "This is about helping them accelerate their growth so they can stay in Colorado," said Katie Woslager, the grant's manager. Only six groups applied for the infrastructure grant, which must be used to invest in programs, equipment or other capital. Applicants must also contribute twice the amount themselves or through a third party. For every dollar the state puts in, the applicant must put in $2, Woslager said. Boulder-based Manufacturer's Edge, for example, received $2.5 million from the state to build a 3-D metals printing research center. It's also getting $5 million from Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Fauston Tool and the Colorado School of Mines. In a separate application, Manufacturer's Edge won another $300,000 to create a pilot program with the Small Business Development Center to support manufacturers and help them expand. Barber-Nichols, an Arvada designer of rotating machinery equipment, was the only applicant to not get funded. The agency's other program grants are much more popular. The Early Stage Capital grant and the Proof of Concept grant had 93 applicants in the latest round last month. Other infrastructure grant recipients included: • Cyber and Space Operations Center, $750,000: a new research lab at the Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs. • Southwest Innovation Corridor, $300,000: an effort by the Telluride Foundation and Fort Lewis Collage to spur high-tech innovation in southwest Colorado. • Solar Technology Acceleration Center ( SolarTAC), $500,000: a 74-acre test site for solar technology near Denver International Airport.