The grant is issued through the city’s Research Award Match Program, or RAMP, a program designed to attract and retain high tech research and development in the city. JP Analytical is the second company to receive the grant.
The detail
JP Analytical, which focuses on surface science, ion irradiation and nanotechnology research and development, received a $1.25 million grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which made them eligible for the RAMP grant.
The company will use the funds to either expand or relocate its current facility and potentially incorporate a particle accelerator into its research operations. Additionally, the company plans to grow its team and create 40 jobs over the next five years, according to the release.
“The RAMP incentive will support our relocation efforts to expand our cleanroom facility and enable us to acquire new analytical equipment,” JP Analytical President Khairun Nahar Jolly said in the release. “This will fuel our continued growth in the community as we continue to work towards bringing our innovative technologies from the research phase to commercialization.”
The background
RAMP grants are offered to companies that receive the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer grants. The program intends to foster research, innovation and growth within the city’s local business communities by offering additional funding if companies move into or expand in Richardson.
It was first established in January 2024 and in May 2024, FirstThen, a technology company specializing in nonmedical treatments for pediatric Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, was the first company to receive the grant.
The grant is broken into two phases with Phase 1 eligible companies able to qualify for up to $50,000 and Phase 2 companies able to qualify for up to $100,000. To be eligible for Phase 1, companies must be either headquartered in Richardson or agree to relocate, have 40 or more employees and be a privately-owned business. To be eligible for Phase 2, companies must meet the requirements for Phase 1 and they must not have received any additional funding from the city, other than Phase 1 RAMP grants.
What else?
City Manager Don Magner said he wants to attract companies that research funding from the federal government to Richardson.
“They got through a vigorous vetting process at the federal level,” Magner said. “If they are able to achieve those federal grants then we feel strongly that their research and project development is something we’re supporting.”
The grant helps to create a connection to Richardson, Magner said, adding that as companies that receive this money grow, they will have a loyalty to the city.
“Oftentimes, these companies are at a really critical stage and to really expand their operations and their research, they need to acquire new equipment...so these dollars are critical,” Magner said. “It’s very exciting to know we can help them.”
