POTSDAM -- FuzeHub, a not-for-profit organization responsible for assisting small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in New York State, recently announced the seven winners of their 2021 Commercialization Competition during the New York State Innovation Summit, held earlier this month at the Turning Stone Resort. The was the fifth annual competition, part of FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.

Twelve entrepreneurs from across the state pitched their ideas to judges and a live audience. The start-ups won $325,000 in prizes, among the winners is Çetin Çetinkaya, professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Clarkson, and Michael '78 and Janet Jesanis Endowed Chair. He directs the Photo-Acoustic Research Laboratory and co-directs the Center for Metamaterials at Clarkson.

Çetinkaya is a renowned expert in process monitoring with ultrasound for additive and pharmaceutical manufacturing and his start-up is Pharmacoustics Technologies, LLC. Pharmacoustics is an ultrasonic characterization/evaluation device startup developing instruments and equipment for assuring and increasing quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The compressed tablet is the most popular pharmaceutical dosage form in use worldwide. Issues in its design and manufacturing have the potential to make significant medical and financial impacts as failures in quality may result in harm to patients, product recalls, and medicine shortages.

Çetinkaya was awarded $50,000 to further develop his prototype as he continues to move from new product/production methods to the marketplace.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Pharmacoustics to get one step closer to commercialization of our prototypes for continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing,” Çetinkaya said.

The Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, consisting of $1 million annually, supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York State. FuzeHub is administering this fund as part of its role as the Empire State Development (ESD)-designated statewide MEP center. For more information about the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, contact Patty Rechberger, Program Specialist at patty@fuzehub.com or visit Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.