Curuvar Awarded Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation

Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D

Baltimore, MD, September 22, 2021 – Curuvar, LLC has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on decentralized root of trust infrastructure for defending critical information systems against advanced cyber threats.

Critical information systems, such as those that facilitate essential services or maintain highly sensitive/valuable digital assets, represent significant potential targets for highly sophisticated cyber adversaries. While there has been significant progress in the practice of securing information systems in the past several decades, vulnerabilities in these systems present exceptionally grave threats to national security, including public institutions, private enterprises, critical infrastructure, and even the integrity of democratic systems. Decentralized zero-trust infrastructure has the potential to fill many of these gaps by presenting a new paradigm for securing critical information systems in a way that offers both a higher level of protection to defend against sophisticated, novel threats, as well as the increased flexibility of a software-based solution that can meet the needs of a wide market of users.

“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”

“Our goal with this project is to present a new approach to designing security solutions for our nation's critical infrastructure and information systems. This award from NSF is a validation of that mission, as well as the hard work, passion, and ingenuity of our team,” said James Charles, Founder/CEO of Curuvar and Principal Investigator for this Phase I research. “This is an important milestone in our journey towards commercialization.”

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $256,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.

Startups or entrepreneurs who submit a three-page Project Pitch will know within one month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve a level of technical risk. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/

About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.