Asahi Kasei & Crystal IS Contribute to Post-COVID World Through UV Accelerator
- Up to 250k USD investment per company to facilitate the development of products and solutions that utilize UVC LEDs for disinfection and a safer working environment in a post-COVID world
- Accepting applications for funding at www.uvaccelerator.com until March 31, 2021
GREEN ISLAND, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Asahi Kasei and Crystal IS announced today the second round of their UV Accelerator funding initiative for supporting the development of new disinfection products that use Ultraviolet-C (UVC) LEDs. Following the successful funding of two companies in the first round, this endeavor again strives to team up with innovative companies that have exciting ideas for new applications of UVC LEDs in a post-COVID world by providing investments of up to 250k USD per company.
UV Accelerator: The Opportunity
Accepting applicants for new product development ideas regarding the utilization of UVC LEDs until March 31. Up to 250k funding for selected companies.
Led by Dr. Steven Berger, Managing Director at Asahi Kasei America and former CEO of Crystal IS, the UV Accelerator has been established as a proactive measure for developing solutions that can be used to stop the spread of deadly viruses and bacteria and help us provide information to further contribute to the ongoing fight against COVID.
Asahi Kasei, at its sole discretion, will fund successful applicants up to 250k USD per company to support and accelerate product development. Crystal IS will provide engineering expertise for the design and control of the UVC LED light source as necessary. Applications are currently being accepted and screened for organizations with ideas for UVC LED-based disinfection products, and discussions are expected to begin this March. In the first round of the AK UV Accelerator, many creative ideas for UVC-based products were received and as a result, two investment awards were made. In this second round the Accelerator is again looking for creative product ideas but particularly encourages ideas on how UVC-based hardware and software can be safely used to help people, be they employees or customers, become comfortable with returning to offices or commercial buildings. The UV Accelerator is an ongoing project that strives to attract new partnerships from countries around the globe to help create a safer world.
Crystal IS, the world's leading manufacturer of Aluminum Nitride UVC LEDs, through their Klaran product line offers UVC LEDs and modules to disinfect pathogens on surfaces and in water and air. Unlike bulky and fragile traditional UV lamps, many of which contain mercury, UVC LEDs are a more practical and reliable way to disinfect. In a recent study conducted by Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Klaran WD LEDs were found to be able to inactive 99% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just 4 seconds. The UVC wavelength is also effective against H1N1 (influenza), Ebola, E-coli, black mold, legionella pneumophila, and many other recurring pathogens. Asahi Kasei, parent company of Crystal IS, is joining forces to provide funding and team up with the brightest, most creative minds for the fight against the spread of super viruses as we transition to a post-COVID world.
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