More than $300,000 in bioscience innovation grants has been awarded to five North Dakota companies, two of which are based in Grand Forks.
Cotasys Inc. was awarded a $75,000 grant to develop a communications system for small and independent trucking companies, and Krampade LLC was given $61,655 for further development and promotion of its muscle cramp mitigating sports drink. The grants come from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. The 2019 state Legislature set aside $500,000 for the program.
“It’s trucking software,” said Cotasys Inc. founder Jeremy Vrchota, about his start-up company’s product. “It's kind of a next generation transportation management and load management system.”
Cotasys operates out of the Center for Innovation on the UND campus, and the cloud-based software is being beta-tested now.
Krampade LLC is based in Grand Forks in the industrial park. Founder and UND Medical School professor Eric Murphy said the grant is going to help launch his company’s sports drink in single servings.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The major thrust of the grant is to get these out, and then a little marketing,” said Murphy, noting he is super excited about receiving the grant and he is appreciative of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
“It's the people's money and so we’ll be a good steward of that money and get products out, just like we said,” Murphy told the Herald in a phone call. He added that the grant was essential for his company.
On Jan. 16, the company announced it has become an official sponsor of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s 2020 Final Faceoff.
The other companies awarded grants are Fargo-based Inovan Inc. and the National Agricultural Genotyping Center, and Durbin-based NAF Distributing LLC.
Applications for the remainder of the ND Department of Agriculture bioscience innovation grant funds will begin in the spring.
