January 10, 2022
Department of Energy awards Phase 1 SBIR Grant for Small Business Research and Development to DataCicada
One of 158 Grants Totaling $35 Million Nationwide to Support Scientific Innovation and Clean Energy Development
CANANDAIGUA, NY, January 10, 2022 - DataCicada, LLC has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the Department of Energy, Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Biological and Environmental Research to build and test Tympana, a scientific machine learning assisted data annotation tool. Tympana will demonstrate the feasibility of scaling domain experts knowledge through data curation and model construction. Tympana’s initial use cases will focus on bioinformatics applications. It is anticipated that researchers from many scientific disciplines will use Tympana to scale their machine learning workflows and advance their research.
Machine learning is increasingly deployed to tackle complex problems across society. While machine learning is readily used for domains with high volumes of data, it has not deeply integrated into the heterogenous data sources of the traditional sciences due to the need for deep domain expertise in both machine learning and the scientific discipline. Subject matter experts who generate and understand scientific data require tools that enable them to more confidently utilize Machine Learning in their research.
Tympana will be built to be a general purpose tool for complex and diverse scientific domains such as materials science, therapeutics and clean energy. These areas are increasingly using artificial intelligence techniques for data analysis. “We are thrilled be able to work with the DOE ASCR office to develop this technology. Highly specialized scientific data carries significant value that can only be unlocked by domain experts deep within their field. Bringing tools that will improve data efficiency to researchers will allow them to accelerate their important research,” said Paul Yacci, Co-founder and CTO of DataCicada.
“Supporting small businesses will ensure we are tapping into all of America’s talent to develop clean energy technologies that will help us tackle the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE’s investments will enable these economic engines to optimize and commercialize their breakthroughs, while developing the next generation of climate leaders and helping to build a sustainable future to benefit all Americans.”
Through the SBIR/STTR program across the federal government, small business powers the U.S. economy and generates thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly, the DOE notes. DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards aim at transforming DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable products and services. The awards also support the development of specialized technologies and instruments that aid in scientific discovery. More information about all the projects announced by DOE today is available at the following link: https://science.osti.gov/sbir
About DataCicada
DataCicada is a women-owned small business founded to address the growing need for machine learning products and services specifically for high technology disciplines. Named after the loudest insect, DataCicada’s mission is to turn noisy data into meaningful results. For more information on DataCicada, visit www.datacicada.com.
Contact: Allison Yacci, CEO
DataCicada, LLC