You may one day eat food preserved naturally and safely thanks to research by Clemson bioengineer’s Dr. Alexey Vertegel, who was awarded $50,000 by the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps to evaluate novel natural antioxidants extracted from animal blood. According to Dr. Vertegel, the main goal of the NSF I-CORPS program “is to provide entrepreneurial training and evaluate commercial viability of a new product or development.” An I-CORPS grant serves as a bridge between NSF grants intended to fund fundamental research through a university and small business research grants awarded to a company commercialize a product or technology.
Dr. Vertegel used the grant to perform a thorough study of the market landscape, potential customer segments, value propositions, key partners, key activities, key resources and potential marketing channels. He said, “We have identified several market segments with strong interest in our solution. The research aspect of the grant focused on key issues for successful commercialization, including development of an oil-soluble formulation and demonstration of the efficacy of our preservative with relevant food models.”
