CSIT Recipients to be Honored by Research & Development Council of New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (September 30, 2026) – The New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology (CSIT) today applauded the multiple CSIT awardees that will be honored by the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. Three CSIT recipients will be honored with Edison Patent Awards, while Kathryn Carpenter, the Founder & CEO of Cecilia Materials, will receive the Emerging Tech Award.

This year’s theme, ‘Revolution Through Innovation,’ pays tribute to New Jersey inventor Thomas Edison and celebrates the inventors and entrepreneurs who continue his legacy. The 47^th Annual Edison Patent Awards Ceremony will take place on November 19, 2026, at Bell Works in Holmdel.

“CSIT is proud to position New Jersey as a leader in startup creation and entrepreneurial growth, advancing emerging technologies and strengthening the State’s innovation ecosystem,” said CSIT Executive Director Judith Sheft. “This year’s recipients demonstrates the progress that CSIT has made in expanding access to capital and strategic resources for New Jersey entrepreneurs, leading to meaningful discoveries and life-changing work across the state.”

“Through its funding, CSIT empowers early-stage companies by equipping them with essential resources to turn innovative discoveries into practical solutions,” said Debbie Hart, Chair of CSIT and President and CEO of BioNJ. “The recognition these awards bring underscores the significant role CSIT plays in supporting entrepreneurs, demonstrating how well-designed programs can expand opportunities for business owners and reinforce New Jersey’s innovation-driven economy.”

Kathryn Carpenter, Founder & CEO of Cecilia Materials will be presented with the Emerging Tech Award. This award is presented to a New Jersey individual, team, or organization whose early-stage innovation shows exceptional potential to make a significant impact on the marketplace. Cecilia Materials’ technology transforms industrial plastic waste into high-value advanced carbons. Headquartered in Newark, Cecilia Materials is a recipient of the Clean Tech Seed Research & Development (R&D) Grant, the Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program, SBIR/STTR Bridge Grant Program, and is a two-time recipient of the Clean Tech (R&D) Voucher Pilot Program.

“To be honored alongside the legacy of Thomas Edison is a humbling milestone for the team,” said Kathryn Carpenter, Founder & CEO of Cecilia Materials. “Innovation has been an existential reality for our society throughout history, and it’s never an easy road to implementing step-change technologies. We are proud to be a part of an ecosystem that supports pushing these boundaries.”

13 Mari Ltd., Chiral Photonics, Inc., and Innerstill will receive Edison Patent Awards. Winning patents were selected by a team of Council board members who evaluated patents for the significance of the problem it solves, its utility and socio-economic value, its novelty, and its commercial impact. Every winning patent must have at least part of its technical or scientific work completed in New Jersey.

13 Mari Ltd., located in Kearny, is a recipient of the Clean Tech Seed Grant Round 2 Program. Chiral Photonics, based in Montville, received matching funding through the SBIR/STTR Bridge Grant Program and the NJEDA’s Manufacturing Voucher Program. Innerstill, headquartered in Hopewell, received a Catalyst R&D Voucher and a Maternal and Infant Health R&D Seed grant.

“Receiving the Edison Award is a tremendous honor. More than acknowledging a specific innovation, it celebrates the dedication of our entire team at Chiral Photonics,” said Dan Neugroschl, President of Chiral Photonics. “Their unwavering commitment and collaborative spirit are essential for bringing our products to market and helping to establish multicore fiber as the next generation of optical infrastructure now sweeping the globe.”

“Transformational technologies require more than a big idea – they require an ecosystem willing to help bring that idea to life,” said Ellyn Ito, Co-Founder and CEO of Innerstill. “CSIT provided critical support as we advanced our technology here in New Jersey. To see that work now recognized with an Edison Patent Award is incredibly meaningful and proof that world-class neurotechnology can be built by lean, start-up innovators in New Jersey for a global market.” 

“The Edison Award is a great recognition for the work done at 13 Mari, as the working novel passive boundary control we develop goes against the common wisdom and will likely lead to not only practical applications, but theoretical breakthroughs,” said Krassi Fotev, Founder, CEO & Chief Scientist of 13 Mari. “In our company’s history, there were a few critical moments. One of them was securing funds for initial experimental investigation, which we got going thanks to the CSIT grant program.”

According to its 2025 Annual Report, CSIT approved 120 awards totaling $5.1 million in 2025.

Earlier this year, CSIT released findings from an economic impact assessment of its programs. Since 2020, CSIT-supported companies have issued approximately 600 grants, totaling $34 million. Companies that have reported data have created nearly 1,800 jobs and raised $524.5 million in additional capital – more than 20 times the amount awarded through CSIT programs.

CSIT currently offers the following programs:

• Catalyst CSIT R&D Voucher Program
  • The goal of the Catalyst R&D Voucher Pilot Program is to support New Jersey-based early-stage company efforts to accelerate development and innovation of technologies to transform new discoveries from research stage into commercially viable technologies, leading to industry and investor interest.
    • In 2025, the Catalyst R&D Voucher Program awarded 49 vouchers, totaling $1.9 million.
• Clean Tech CSIT R&D Voucher Program
  • Round 2 of the Clean Tech R&D Voucher Program is intended to support early-stage clean tech and clean energy companies in New Jersey to access core facilities, equipment, and makerspaces for clean energy and clean technological research and development.
    • In 2025, the Clean Tech R&D Voucher Program awarded 21 vouchers totaling over $782,000.
• SBIR/STTR Technical Assistance Through the Rutgers Small Business Development Centers and the Institute for Life Sciences Entrepreneurship at Kean University.

About CSIT

In 2018, the Commission of Science, Innovation, and Technology (CSIT) was established. Comprised of representatives from the public and private sectors, as well as academia, CSIT is tasked with leading the way in promoting the State as a home for academic and technological research, development, and commercialization. For more information on CSIT, visit www.njcsit.gov.