RALEIGH – North Carolina awarded 50 grants totaling $2.49 million to 46 small businesses developing and commercializing new technologies in 13 counties, state officials announced Sept. 3.
The One North Carolina Small Business Program distributed two kinds of state-funded awards during the 2026 fiscal-year round. Eighteen businesses received incentive grants totaling $116,553.37 to help cover the cost of preparing federal Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer proposals. Thirty-two businesses received $2,368,506.63 in matching grants after securing $9.8 million in federal awards.
Matching awards generally equaled half of a company’s federal Phase I SBIR or STTR award, up to $75,000. Companies in counties affected by Hurricane Helene were eligible for an additional $25,000. Six companies in those counties received a combined $313,888.52 through the state program.
The awards cover projects in pharmaceuticals, health care, defense, advanced materials, seafood production and space. The official award list includes cultivated sea bass research by Raleigh-based Atlantic Fish Co., astronaut decompression-sickness monitoring technology from Raleigh-based Clearsens and a handheld burn-imaging device under development by Greenville-based Perfusio Corp.
The Department of Commerce said the program has awarded nearly $45 million to 531 businesses since 2006. Those companies have maintained more than 2,000 jobs and secured more than $8.6 billion in follow-on funding, according to the department. Together, the companies employ more than 4,000 people and pay about $600 million in total wages.
The state expects to release its 2027 fiscal-year solicitations for incentive and matching grants in mid-September.
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