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Board approves four innovation vouchers totaling $228,921 for Rhode Island manufacturers and startups
Summary
The board approved four innovation vouchers totaling $228,921 to support local manufacturers and startups developing defense, maritime and internet-resilience technologies; motions were carried by voice vote with one recorded opposed vote.
The board approved four innovation vouchers totaling $228,921 to support manufacturing and technology projects across Rhode Island.
Staff (S2) opened the item by saying, “There are 4 voucher recommendations for your consideration tonight. A total request of $228,921 of funding.” The vouchers fund projects including advanced tactical webbing, hydrophone production for unmanned maritime platforms, a supercapacitor-based internet backup unit, and underwater wireless charging for autonomous underwater vehicles.
American Cord and Webbing will test and prototype an advanced tactical product line engineered to meet U.S. military standards; company representative Carl (S3) described the business as a “four-generation family operated business.” Crewless Marine Acoustics will use funding to develop a manufacturing line for hydrophones and third-party verification for prototype sensors, and Electro Standards Laboratories will prototype its Ethercap supercapacitor-based battery-management unit to stabilize internet service in areas with inconsistent electrical service. Batten Systems will pursue an underwater wireless charging system for its AUVs to enable longer-duration offshore missions.
Board members asked questions about partnerships, workforce scale and supply-chain constraints during each presentation. For Crewless Marine, presenters noted planned collaboration with the Bay Campus and local universities; S2 said the Crewless project would include “3rd party verification of prototype sensor designs and develop quality control measures for the production line.” For Electro Standards, presenters described supply-chain reliance on components from South Korea and Japan and noted chip-supply risks.
Motions to approve each voucher were moved, seconded, and approved by voice vote; during the Electro Standards vote one member stated opposition. The meeting then moved to a separate agenda item on selecting a vendor for a manufacturing sector mapping study, which was introduced by staff and began with a presentation from Cara.
