Empallo Awarded Competitive Grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation

September 2023 – Empallo, Inc. (“Empallo”) has been awarded a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $275K to conduct research and development (R&D) work on machine learning algorithms that predict clinical trajectories for heart failure (HF) patients shortly after admission. The R&D funding will accelerate the translation of results to impact.

Empallo develops explainable and generalizable multimodal AI models that predict clinical trajectories for patients with HF and other cardiovascular syndromes and diseases, with a goal of optimizing treatment plans to improve outcomes. In this Phase I project, Empallo will explore applications of its technology shortly after a HF admission. A broader impact of the innovation is to integrate otherwise-siloed data into actionable algorithms to shift the paradigm of HF management from reactive to proactive.

Empallo plans to subaward part of its SBIR Phase I funding to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Empallo began collaborating with the VA through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) in April of 2022, and is pleased to grow its partnership with the VA to better serve Veterans.

“NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. “We take great pride in funding deep-technology startups and small businesses that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow.”

All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. Once a small business is awarded a Phase I grant, it becomes eligible to apply for Phase II funding and additional supplements totaling up to $2 million. To get started, startups or entrepreneurs submit a written Project Pitch to see if their technology idea could be a good fit for the program. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/

About the U.S. National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs

America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards more than $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development, helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.