NASA Awards UbiQD Contract for Greenhouse Films

UbiQD Inc., a New Mexico-based nanotechnology development company, has been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Phase I contract by NASA. The contract will provide funding for UbiQD's collaborative research and development with the University of Arizona to explore using quantum dots (QDs) to tailor the spectrum of sunlight for optimized crop growth in space and planetary exploration missions. UbiQD has been developing its QD agriculture films after receiving funding from Breakout Labs in 2017 to explore the concept. The company aims to launch a retrofit version of its film product in late 2018 under the UbiGro brand. The UbiGro Film is designed to promote vegetable production and accelerate plant growth. UbiQD manufactures high-performance cadmium-free quantum dots and composite materials. The company focuses on applications that utilize its nanomaterials to manipulate sunlight, enabling solar windows and spectrum-controlled greenhouses.