No tech crisis: The ten recipients of NTNU Discovery’s main project funding on stage during an event organized by StartupTRD. Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

NTNU Discovery awarded almost NOK 8 million to employees and students affiliated with NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge.

Text: Per Steinar Moen

NTNU Discovery donated NOK 1 million to seven different main project applications from employees at NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge:

• EDGE-Tx is developing a new virus-based gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases.
• FR-PRO is a rotary transformer that makes renewable energy sources robust in isolated power grids.
• GBM-SYNERG4 is a new treatment strategy for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
• OptoPatch is developing a nanoprinted passive sensor for measuring heart rate.
• PolyMEX develops 3D printing of ultra-strong plastic components that can replace metal.
• Revie-001 is a potential new medicine for ALS.
• SlashCloud.io is developing a service that automatically optimizes and reduces costs associated with cloud services.

Three student projects received NOK 300,000 each:

• Naere Medical is developing a wireless monitoring system for critically ill newborn babies.
• DuxPace is a data-driven decision-making tool for the aquaculture industry, designed to predict dynamic changes in the marine environment.
• Turnip is designed to prevent costly design and construction errors in the construction industry.

Pro-rector Toril Hernes awarded a total of NOK 7.9 million to ten different staff and student projects. Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

Toril Hernes, pro-rector for research and innovation, handed out the checks during an event organized by StartupTRD at Digs on Thursday 21 May. She believes the ten projects that received funding today have great potential.

“If you’ve heard of any NTNU start-ups, it’s quite likely that they’ve received support from NTNU Discovery. Since the start of the program, more than 111 companies have been founded with a turnover of over NOK 2 billion. So there are a lot of good ideas and research results that have become sustainable companies,” she says.

NTNU Discovery is funded by NTNU, the Central Norway Health Authority and Sparebanken Midt-Norge.