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September 19, 2024

DECD provides $800K to FORGE for product development grants

PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Paul Lavoie, chief manufacturing officer for Connecticut.
By David Krechevsky

The state is providing more than $800,000 to a New Haven nonprofit that will use the money for a grant program to promote manufacturing innovation and product development.

The program was announced Wednesday by FORGE, a nonprofit that connects startups creating products with product development, manufacturing, and supply chain resources. It will receive $811,800 from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Manufacturing Innovation Fund (MIF), a state spokesperson said.

FORGE said it will use the funding to bridge a gap for startups by offering product development grants ranging between $30,000 and $100,000, while continuing to offer manufacturing readiness education and “facilitating right-fit connections” to local manufacturers. 

FORGE said it intends to use the grants to drive innovation, create new opportunities to engage with innovation for Connecticut suppliers, and increase advanced product development in the state.

The nonprofit, which launched in February 2023, has provided services to local startups with physical products in sectors that include cleantech and medical devices. It has served more than 100 Connecticut startups to date, it said.

FORGE said it has opened the application process for its first $30,000 grant, which will be awarded on Nov. 21st at the Innovations Nights CT event in Stamford. Click here for information and to register.

Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect a change in the name and date of the innovations event in Stamford.

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