Raleigh-based NC IDEA (www.ncidea.org/), a nonprofit organization with the mission to create jobs through commercialization of research innovation, has awarded $215,000 in “proof of concept” as part of its bi-annual grant program. The five early-stage companies who received the funding are A-B-Sea, AP Solutions, Beecoz, Cytex and Oncoscope. The next grant application process is planned for the fall of 2007.

A-B-Sea – A Raleigh-based company, it has developed easily deployed “undersea satellites” (“U-lites”) to provide precise GPS-based navigation underwater, long-distance message relay, and oceanographic sensor data relay.