GTEC Startup Sinmat, Inc. To Receive the 2009 Governor’s Innovation Award on September 15th

Florida Governor Charlie Crist will recognize Sinmat, Inc. with the 2009 Governor’s Innovation Award on September 15 at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee during the annual Florida Industry Appreciation Week celebration.  The Governor’s Business Diversification Awards is a statewide program that recognizes Florida companies in emerging and technology industries for their contributions to Florida’s economic growth annually during Industry Appreciation Week.

“It’s truly an honor to have been selected for this high-profile award,” said Deepika Singh, President and CEO of Sinmat, Inc.  “Sinmat is proud to be a part of the Florida business community and to be recognized for our ongoing work in the development of innovative new products and processes that are key components in clean technology applications such as solar power and LEDs.”

“We are excited that Sinmat, Inc. has been chosen for this prestigious award,” said Brent Christensen, President and CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Economic Outreach.  “Sinmat is a recent graduate of our technology incubator program the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center, a program dedicated to growing tech companies and creating high-wage/high-skill jobs in our community, which is a cornerstone of the overall Gainesville/Alachua County economic development strategy to build a thriving innovation economy.”

Sinmat has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception.  Founded in 2000 by Drs. Deepika and Rajiv Singh, Sinmat has received four R&D 100 Awards (2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009)—also known as the “Oscars of Innovation and Invention.”  For 47 years, the prestigious R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market.  Many of these have become household names, helping shape everyday life.  Sinmat is primarily focused on developing innovative, value-driven semiconductor solutions, and in 2002, the company started its commercial operations in Gainesville, Florida.  The company leverages its unique strength in materials and planarization-based innovations with strategic corporate partnerships and licensing agreements to rapidly introduce and commercialize revolutionary new semiconductor products.

Earlier this year, President Obama featured Sinmat President and CEO Deepika Singh, Ph.D. at the “Investing In Our Clean Energy Future” press briefing.  In 2007, Sinmat won the Advance Technology Program Award (ATP) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the development of a Digital Chemical Planarization/Polishing process.  The ATP award was for $2.6 million and was presented for high-risk, high-reward innovative projects.  Sinmat has also received various federal awards and government contracts from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense.