A National Science Foundation official met with Chattanooga entrepreneurs on Friday to talk about grants to help jump-start their companies, but he also bemoaned a proposed cut in his agency’s budget.
Dr. Rajesh Mehta, an NSF program director, was visiting with a couple of Chattanooga companies, Branch Technology and Coulometrics, which have already received funding from the federal agency.
“I’d like to get (other) entrepreneurial start-ups to know about our program,” he said during a visit to Chattanooga’s INCubator. “We fund companies to take research to the marketplace.”
Mehta said NSF typically funds about 400 start-ups annually. While Chattanooga has a robust startup community, the grants can help stimulate even more startup ventures.
“We want this kind of innovation and entrepreneurism as a way to strengthen the economy – to create new jobs,” he said.