WETx Secures $1M SBIR Phase II Grant for Groundbreaking Water Management Solution

Note: This article was written prior to the formation of The Nucleus Institute and the integration of the Utah Innovation Center into Nucleus Grow, one of Nucleus’s core programs focused on supporting early-stage innovators and commercialization efforts across the state.

WETx, a Utah-based company, recently received a Phase II award from the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. 

The $1 million grant titled “R&D for Water Efficiency, Management, and Markets Utilizing Distributed Ledger Technology” will allow WETx to develop a novel solution that addresses existing challenges with Water Asset use and fully leverages the potential of water markets by tokenizing water rights and creating a digital twin of the legal extraction and use of water with telemetry. The company’s innovative approach can enable water banking to become an effective tool for public and private stakeholders to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity by increasing efficient Water Asset use, reducing transaction costs, and increasing transparency and trust by providing insight into Water Asset use. 

This Phase II award follows a Phase I award WETx received from the NSF in 2022. Nucleus Grow assisted WETx with their successful SBIR applications, providing strategic guidance and support. 

“The support and expertise provided by [Nucleus Grow] have been invaluable to our success. Their guidance throughout the SBIR application process has played a crucial role in securing both our Phase I and Phase II awards. We’re thrilled to continue this partnership as we work to revolutionize water asset management,” said Tyler Dow, WETx CEO and founder.

Companies interested in pursuing non-dilutive R&D funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs can contact Nucleus Grow at grow@nucleusutah.org