A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY to become more competitive in the international arena is being offered to a limited number of small- and medium-sized Western and Central New York companies facing critical overseas competition.

From now until Sept. 30, companies that fit specific criteria may apply for grants to bolster their competitiveness that will be awarded through the UB Greater Regional Industrial Technology Program, or UB GRIT. Individual grants are expected to be in the $75,000-$100,000 range. A total of $1 million is available through the program, funded by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA).

UB is the lead institution in the program, a consortium that also includes Syracuse University, University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. Faculty, graduate and advanced undergraduate students from these universities in engineering and related fields will help selected manufacturers, particularly those with existing or prospective export markets, incorporate the latest technology into their products.

Created as a demonstration project funded by the SBA upon the initiative of Rep. John J. LaFalce, UB GRIT is expected to serve as a model for small-business product development and job creation and preservation. It is the only program of its kind in the U.S.

To survive in intense international competition, small businesses must continuously develop and improve their products or risk losing not only export opportunities, but domestic markets, and, ultimately, American jobs. But for most small firms, the cost of maintaining research-and-development operations in-house is prohibitive. UB GRIT will help those firms improve their current products, as well as develop new ones.

The program is directed by George Lee, director of the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at UB who initiated the project in 1994 while serving as dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

"GRIT is looking for companies that manufacture good, technologically advanced products, but that may not have the knowledge base to sustain their growth," said Lee. "With GRIT, we want to provide those companies with the momentum and expertise they need to upgrade their products in order to make them competitive in the world market."

At the same time, he said, the program will give engineering students at all the partner institutions the opportunity to participate in new-product development.

"This is the type of technical service activity UB should offer to the region and the state, as advocated by President William R. Greiner," Lee added.

During the course of the two-year project, between seven and 15 product-improvement projects will be conducted by the consortium, with the assistance of The Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE) at UB.

Projects will involve, but not be limited to, product-focused, multidisciplinary teams of faculty-led graduate students and advanced undergraduates.

Companies' eligibility for a grant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

They must have no more than 500 employees. They must be located in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Seneca, Wayne or Wyoming counties. They must have an existing, successful product that requires technological updating, including redesign and/or process improvements. The product must have a significant share of the market and have significant international competition. The product must account for a substantial proportion of total company business. The project must be able to be completed in a year or less. The company must be financially stable and willing to share in the cost of the project.

Proposals also will be judged on the basis of the match of university expertise to product technologies and on overall economic benefit and importance to the region.

For more information on applying for a GRIT grant, companies should contact The Center for Industrial Effectiveness at 636-2568.