Background Material: Purpose of ICAT

Up Links

ARB Programs
- Business Assistance Resources
  - Grant Programs
- Research Program
  - ICAT Program Home

Local Links

This page last reviewed February 12, 2008

Funding for basic research, such as development and proof of a concept, is often available from federal programs and other sources, both public and private. However, when basic research has been completed, funding for deploying prototypes and field demonstrations is often hard to obtain. If such funding is somehow obtained and the value of a new technology is demonstrated, venture capital then becomes available to move the technology into commercialization. The difficulty of finding funds for the steps intermediate to research and commercialization is shown schematically, below, as the "valley of death."

Capital Availability
1.	Idea Development
2.	Proof of Concept
3.	Pilot
4.	Prototype
5.	Demonstration
6.	Commercial Sales

The Innovative Clean Air Technologies (ICAT) funds are used to help businesses bridge this funding deficit for steps 3, 4 or 5. A successful ICAT project should help an innovator to obtain funds for commercial introduction of a new technology.

ICAT funds technically solid projects that can demonstrate the commercial utility in California of technical innovations that will improve emission prevention or control. ICAT assists technologies that can help reduce emissions while promoting new industries and jobs in California, improve industrial productivity and reduce control costs.

Here is what a previous ICAT contractor had to say:

"... when we proposed to ICAT to develop a technology that we had, we had proven the concept on a very small scale in the laboratories ... but we didn´t have the funding necessary to take the next step to build a prototype device. ICAT offered that possibility to us and they were willing to share those costs."

Mr. Charlie Carlisle
Manager of Research and Development
CHA Corporation

ICAT logo

If you have any questions or comments about the content of the ICAT web pages,
please contact Steve Church by email at schurch@arb.ca.gov or Steve Mara by email at smara@arb.ca.gov.

Innovative Clean Air Technologies