The Ohio Third Frontier Commission has awarded a $3 million grant to a cooperative effort to develop and commercialize products made from Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy with powerful shape-memory and super-elastic properties. The project supports smart materials usage in the development of an AFO for drop-foot patients, as well as medical devices including an adjustable tube for heart assist devices, adaptive pedicle screws for spine repair, and a suture clip to replace time-consuming hand stitches.
The recipient group included the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, headquartered in Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Norman Noble Inc., Highland Heights, Ohio; the University of Toledo, Ohio; Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents Eric Fingerhut, and Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Development, announced the award, along with approximately $21 million in other grants from the Ohio Third Frontier project.
“Ohio Third Frontier strengthens our state’s ability to exceed the demands of the new energy economy and continue to produce the cutting-edge applications that create the opportunity for sustainable and meaningful economic expansion,” Fingerhut said.
“Ohio’s universities and research institutions have a long history of producing innovative and new technologies,” Patt-McDaniel said. “Today’s awards demonstrate a continued commitment to developing our advanced energy industry and improving the lives of Ohioans.”
