Technology Evaluation

A private firm was investigating the use of photochemistry for the "green chemistry" manufacture of a common bactericide.. This was a government funded industrial research project.  The company involved had missed the completion deadline and was requesting both an extension and additional funding. On behalf of  the granting agency a thorough evaluation of the progress report and future research plans was carried out. Flaws in the research to date and future plans were identified and potential solutions proposed. A cost-benefit analysis of the project (missing in the original proposal) was completed. Based on our assessment of potential regulatory problems facing the target product (it is currently an FDA  prohibited ingredient in certain applications) and the poor economics (the proposed raw material was not commercially available at the time and hence substantially more expensive than the target), it was recommended that the project be terminated without additional funding.