The Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Central Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (CenTex RCIC) announced that the state of Texas has chosen Ironbridge Technologies, Inc. (IBT) as the recipient of a pre-seed award funded through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The Central Texas company will receive a $250,000 pre-seed project award to improve the technology and develop working prototypes of Self-Heating Food Packaging (SHFP) products.

Ironbridge Technologies, Inc. is developing a novel energy storage technology for commercial markets based on a low-cost, food-safe solid-state fuel. With ETF funding, Ironbridge intends to demonstrate a SHFP system with the right performance, safety, and cost characteristics for widespread use in prepared foods.

“Imagine the hot food or beverage of your choice, anywhere, anytime with no stove or microwave oven; our self-heating food packaging technology will enable consumers to safely heat prepared foods in their containers to the optimum serving temperature in minutes.,” said Dr. Brendan Coffey, President and CTO Ironbridge Technologies, Inc. “The seed funding by the ETF will enable the breakthrough research to establish Austin and Texas as a leading innovator in convenient and environmentally friendly food packaging technologies."

The IBT SHFP technology is designed to heat prepared foods in their containers simply, safely and efficiently with a flameless, thermal reaction. The technology is novel in the way in which the fuel composite is formulated to give high specific energy, high conversion efficiency, and high heat transfer efficiency at a controlled heating rate. IBT will use ETF funds to expand its R&D facility in Austin to foster SHFP development activities.

Ironbridge Technologies, Inc. was selected by the CenTex RCIC after an extensive due diligence process based on multiple criteria including a stringent analyses of the market and financial opportunity, technology potential, management team and economic impact to Texas. The company is collaborating with experts in nano-materials at two Texas universities: Professor Keith Stevenson at The University of Texas at Austin and Professor Michelle Pantoya at Texas Tech University.

“This award from the Emerging Technology Fund will promote collaboration between The University of Texas at Austin and Ironbridge Technologies to accelerate the development of a safe solid-state fuel,” said Dr. Juan Sanchez, UT Austin Vice President for Research. “The advancement of this technology will expand Austin’s base in the important commercial sector of packaged foods.”

The CenTex RCIC is a virtual center that operates out of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and serves as a catalyst for emerging technology research, development, commercialization and start-up incubation. In an effort to keep Texas globally competitive, the CenTex RCIC focuses on integrating technology development and commercialization in a 15-county region.

The CenTex RCIC works closely with the Chamber’s AusTech Alliance, a group of technology businesses and organizations working to consolidate efforts that strengthen the regional technology sector and to keep Texas globally competitive. The Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), which aims to assist local entrepreneurs with investment opportunities, also works with the CenTex RCIC, ETF and the universities to identify capital for start-ups.