Addressing a well-known gap that many innovative companies face, the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology & Innovation announced its latest round of funding to small businesses developing and commercializing new technologies in North Carolina. In fiscal year 2024-2025, 90 small businesses in 21 counties received 102 awards from the One North Carolina Small Business Program, providing $4.12 million for innovation in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, energy, advanced materials and agriculture.

Among those awarded was SmartAirway of Fayetteville. SmartAirway received $75,000 to design and test a steerable, articulating stylet for easier, safer endotracheal intubation. This new device will be able to be adjusted easily in multiple directions, improving accuracy and decreasing serious injuries or fatalities. This SBIR project is designed by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

The One North Carolina Small Business Program awards state-funded grants for small businesses that apply for awards from two highly competitive federal initiatives: the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The federal SBIR and STTR programs, collectively referred to as America’s Seed Fund™, are administered through 11 federal agencies to support technology development by small businesses, with the goal of commercialization and economic sustainability for the selected companies.