Baras, Bhattacharyya Receive MIPS Funding

Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS), an initiative of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) at the University of Maryland, has awarded $3.3 million to 16 teams of Maryland companies and faculty developing commercially promising technology products. Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty were among the teams selected to receive funding.

Worth $3.3 million, the projects combine $1.9 million from participating companies and $1.4 million from MIPS. Funding supports research in the laboratories of participating university faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their products.

"Programs such as MIPS are critical to our 21st-century technology economy in Maryland," says Governor Martin O'Malley. "Blockbuster companies in Maryland like MedImmune, Martek, and Hughes Network Systems have leveraged MIPS to create thousands of jobs in the region, generate $19.5 billion in revenue and develop products that enhance, protect and save lives."

Projects awarded include:

Frederick-based Cerona Networks Corporation and Professor John Baras (ECE/ISR), Lockheed Martin Chair in Systems Engineering, received $161,500 in funding to develop algorithms for Internet via satellite communications to improve upload speeds from users to the Internet, support more subscribers per satellite and enable communications on the move.

Takoma Park-based CoolCAD Electronics LLC and Professor Shuvra Bhattacharyya (ECE/UMIACS) received $150,000 in funding to develop a cost- and power-consumption-optimized wireless sensor network for monitoring energy use in residential and commercial buildings.

For more information, visit the MIPS website.

Published August 16, 2010