New Rutgers Saliva Test for Coronavirus Gets FDA Approval The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics and its collaborators for a new collection approach that utilizes saliva as the primary test biomaterial for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the first such approval granted by the federal agency.
New Technology Framework Facilitates Access to Innovations in Fight against COVID-19 A new set of technology transfer strategies designed to incentivize rapid utilization of available technologies that may be useful for preventing, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 infection during the pandemic has been established by a group including Stanford and Harvard universities and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
With an NSF RAPID Grant, NJIT Engineers Build a New Model to Track COVID-19 A team of environmental engineers at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is developing a new way to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, by combining advanced statistical methods with models that incorporate environmental conditions, such as wind speed, temperature and social distancing.
Pre-Apprenticeship Programs Boost Career Readiness, Increase Skills According to Konni Lorenz of SSTI, “In early April the Department of Labor announced a $42.5 million grant opportunity for the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant Program. The program is to support the development of new or expanding registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) for youth, including quality pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to a RAP.
COVID-19 and the Cybersecurity Challenges Organizations Currently Face As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and more companies are placing greater reliance on digital systems, corporate cybersecurity systems are being put under pressure like never before. Companies have shifted to remote operations, disruption and increased attacks from opportunistic threat actors are mounting, and supply chains have been impacted on a global scale.
Addressing Barriers for Women is Crucial to STEMM Success According to SSTI, “A report released earlier this month by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, addresses the barrier of inequality that women, , experience in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), despite making up more than 50% of the population.”
How the Bayh-Dole Act Facilitates Development of Coronavirus Therapies According to Stephen Ezell, “As the urgency of finding a treatment and vaccine for the coronavirus accelerates, dozens of American biomedical companies, startups and universities are rushing to develop COVID-19 therapeutics. There’s a good chance the Bayh-Dole Act will play a critical behind-the-scenes role in facilitating these efforts.”
$10 Million NJEDA Program to Support 6 CDFIs Providing Low-Cost Financing for Small Businesses and Nonprofits Impacted by COVID-19 The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has announced partnerships with six Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). These partnerships will leverage New Jersey-based CDFIs to provide between $20 million and $30 million in low-cost financing to small and microbusinesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
