Applications Open: New York State Commercialization Competition 

FuzeHub will host its ninth New York State Commercialization Competition on October 29–30 during the 2025 NYS Innovation Summit in Rochester, NY.

Startups will compete for a share of $410,000 in funding—including awards of $150K, $100K, and $80K—to advance the commercialization of their innovative products or technologies.

Eligibility:
– Companies are required to have an existing tangible prototype
– Applicants must be available to pitch in person October 29-30, 2025 in Rochester, NY.
– Applicants must propose to fund activities to improve upon an existing tangible prototype and/or their “go-to-market” strategy.
– Company must reside and operate in New York State, and at least one founder must reside in NYS.
– Company must be pre-revenue.
– Company must be pre-seed.
– Company must be registered with Dun & Bradstreet, and have an eligible North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code specific to manufacturing identified in their D&B profile.

Learn more an apply: https://fuzehub.com/commercialization-competition

NYSTAR-supported AI Advancements Make Strides in Fight Against Cancer

Envisagenics, supported by the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, is a pioneering biotech company that has been applying AI to drug target discovery for over a decade. In drug development, targets are molecular structures (often proteins) where drugs bind to exert their therapeutic effects. For cancer, an ideal target is a cell-surface protein found exclusively on tumor cells but not in healthy tissues.

Fuzehub recently profiled the work Envisagenics is doing on their blog – read the full post here: https://fuzehub.com/manufacturing-blog/nystar-supported-ai-advancements-make-strides-in-fight-against-cancer/

NIH-SBIR Proposal Development Training

Our partners at BBC Entrepreneurial Training and Consulting are hosting a three-part proposal development workshop starting May 13th. If your company is targeting the September submission deadline, it’s best to start the proposal development process now!

During this workshop, BBC experts will provide important information about SBIR/STTR funding and how to craft a competitive SBIR/STTR proposal that meets the unique requirements of the NIH. In addition to up-to-date information on the SBIR/STTR programs.

Expect to learn:
– Registration process necessary for submission
– Strategies for targeting your proposal to meet the reviewers’ expectations.
– How to approach each section of the proposal
– Common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and more.

Agenda: All sessions are held 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (EST)

May 13, 2025
SBIR/STTR Overview and NIH Program Essentials
An overview of the SBIR/STTR program and review of NIH SBIR/STTR Program Essentials

May 14, 2025
NIH Proposal Prep – Part 1
Detailed explanation of the major components of the Research Plan with strategies and review criteria

May 15, 2025
NIH Proposal Prep – Part 2
Continuation of NIH proposal prep, including Biosketches, Facilities, Budgets

Learn more and register here: https://bbcetc.com/event/nih-proposal-development-training-may-25/

CFB Client Mission Driven Tech Tops Stony Brook Venture Challenge

Eve McDavid and her team at Mission-Driven Tech have been named the Health Track winners of the Spring 2025 Stony Brook Venture Champions (SBV) Challenge hosted at LIHTI this past week.

The SBV Challenge is focused on identifying high-potential, impactful cutting-edge hard tech venture concepts originating from research labs and universities on Long Island, and accelerating and supporting their commercialization journey to bring impactful, equitable and sustainable solutions and products to market.

Mission Driven Tech aims to improve equity in outcomes for cervical cancers by providing a less painful medical device and raising awareness.

Prizes awarded are in the form of funds that will apply towards I-Corp support related to customer discovery, technology development, infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, and training. Awardees will complete a regional I-Corps program within four months of the challenge.

Check out all the spring 2025 winners via the LIHTI LinkedIn page here.

Pragma Bio Inks Co-Development Deal with Syntekabio

Pragma Bio, a venture highlighted at the Center for Biotechnology’s 2024 Life Sciences Summit this past fall, has signed a $3.1M deal with Syntekabioto to co-develop drug candidates sourced from gut microbiota. Pragma, which mines microbiome-based therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, will provide the compounds and Syntekabio will handle the algorithmic optimization.

Read more about the Pragma, Syteka and their partnership here: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=27024