The grants, which come from MTI’s Cluster Initiative Program, were given to organizations supporting Maine’s agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and food production cluster and Maine’s composites and advanced materials cluster. The Maine Grain Alliance of Skowhegan received $50,000 for a feasibility study that will inventory existing grain drying and storage infrastructure along convenient trade routes, research technologies, and financing options to improve this infrastructure. FocusMaine, in partnership with Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Maine Aquaculture Association, received $219,600 to develop business development tools and attempt to unlock access to traditional financing for Maine aquaculture companies. The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority in Brunswick received $495,165 to develop TechPlace’s Shared Composites Layup Room and Paint Booth for use by TechPlace tenants and other scale-up composites companies. The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center received $438,046 for the establishment of a Smart Materials Industry Consortium and Smart Materials Lab in Orono. MTI, created by the Maine Legislature in 2000, provides funding to Maine entrepreneurs operating in one of seven target industries: aquaculture and marine technology, biotechnology, composite materials, environmental technologies, forestry and agriculture, precision manufacturing, and information technology. The post Maine Technology Institute provides $1.2M to foster Maine’s industry clusters appeared first on Maine Startups Insider.
