The R&D efforts within six Wisconsin startups and more established companies will get a boost from a supercomputer, thanks to a new grant program.
The recipients of the one-year grant program were announced today. They will each receive between $10,000 and $50,000, as well as access to the nonprofit Milwaukee Institute’s high-performance computing and data storage resources. The program is being funded by $250,000 each from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and Mason Wells, a Milwaukee private equity firm.
The Milwaukee Institute provides the largest publicly accessible supercomputer in Wisconsin, allowing companies and nonprofits to simulate and analyze complex applications used in product development, engineering, research, and other projects. The organization spent $500,000 last year to double the capacity of its supercomputing infrastructure.
“We received numerous compelling applications for the grants, and I’m excited that the Institute will play a critical role in getting some of the winners closer to full commercialization,” said Milwaukee Institute Executive Director Jay Bayne, an Xconomist.
The grant winners are:
• Dedicated Computing, Waukesha, which provides customers with high-performance computers built for specific tasks.
• H2Oscore, Milwaukee, is participating in a Milwaukee seed accelerator program for water technology startups. I profiled the company in January and last week reported its plans for a new app that marks a new direction for the young company.
• Helionx, Middleton, is developing a neutron radiography camera that will emit pulses of neutrons in order to detect plastic explosives. The technology could be used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Helionx’s Dennis Bahr told me.
• Metamodeling Analytics, Madison, is building data analytics software for accelerating innovations in a variety of industries, like automotive and aerospace, Metamodeling’s Peter Qian told me.
• Microbe Detectives, Milwaukee, is developing a system that uses DNA sequencing to analyze water samples. I profiled Microbe Detectives in January as part of my series on Milwaukee-area water tech startups.
• Oilgear, Milwaukee, is testing software for a hydraulically powered pumping system for the fracking industry.
