The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved assistance for two innovation companies located in Coralville and Iowa City.

Coralville’s Pani Clean, Inc. is focused on removing nitrates at the source, converting them to useful products and making clean water more affordable and accessible. Their product is a modular, containerized unit designed for plug-and-play installation connected to a customer’s waste stream, where it uses an electrochemical process to convert nitrate into nitrogen gas or green ammonia to be reused on site. The company was awarded a $50,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) loan for IP development and evaluation, proof of concept work and key personnel.

Halide Biologics, Inc., based in Iowa City, leverages the potential of chemical biology to enhance the pharmacological properties of protein therapeutics. The company designs novel halogenated protein drugs of increased stability to treat a growing number of medical diseases and conditions. This work seeks to overcome the weaknesses of existing protein drugs currently in clinical use. The company was awarded a $50,000 POCR loan for IP development and evaluation, proof of concept work, product refinement and key personnel.

Award recommendations for these funds are made by the Technology Commercialization Committee to the IEDA Board for approval.