STTR in practice · NSF · Phase I
A small, low-cost camera that sees colour in detail
Public award record. INSTAR Lab was not involved. This is a federal award made to another organisation. INSTAR Lab did not apply for it, take part in it or contribute to it, and nothing here says otherwise.
A small optics company set out to make a compact spectrometer, an instrument that splits light into its colours, for hyperspectral imaging. The key step was a way to manufacture curved gratings that match the design. The abstract says the starting designs came from work with astronomers at a university and an observatory.
The problem
The record says today’s spectrometers are too costly, large or heavy for uses such as agriculture and defence imaging, and that making the curved grating is the main hurdle.
Partners and roles
Roles are summarised from the record’s own description. Work shares are not given unless noted.
Syzygy Optics LLC
Small business
The awardee. It develops the spectrometer and its curved gratings.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Named collaborator
The abstract says the early designs were invented in collaboration with astronomers there, together with the Southern African Large Telescope. It does not describe the university as the formal STTR research partner.
What the record does not say
- Which organisation is the STTR research institution for this award.
- The share of work each partner carried.
Phase and timeline
- Starts
- July 15, 2023
- Ends
- June 30, 2025
- Length
- About 24 months
- Agency
- National Science Foundation, Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP)
- Award number
- 2233096
- Amount
- $275,000. Funds obligated, fiscal year 2023, per the NSF award record.
- Dates
- July 15, 2023 to June 30, 2025, as the record lists them
Outcome
The company’s own project outcomes report, posted on the NSF record, says Phase I produced a compact working prototype and a manufacturing process for the curved gratings with a yield above 90 percent.
Stated in: NSF project outcomes report (the record’s “Project Outcomes” section, last modified 2025-07-17).
Source
Official record: NSF Award Search record 2233096(official title: STTR Phase I: Curved Volume Phase Holographic Gratings: Efficient and High-Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging). Checked October 23, 2026. Details can change after that date; the official record is the authority.
INSTAR Lab has not yet held an STTR award. This page describes how another organisation’s award is set out in public records. It does not suggest INSTAR Lab took part, or that it would be eligible for or win similar funding.