Precarn helps tech firms move full speed ahead through gloomy economic currents

Ottawa-based non-profit Precarn Incorporated announced $1.9 million in funding last week to help 12 companies across Canada bring their tech products to market quicker. There's no question that the tech sector has already taken some hits from the economic slowdown in the US, as already reported on Techvibes. Good to see the industry getting some help to help ensure our technology sector keeps humming.

The 12 projects selected from 56 proposals (as detailed on the Precarn website) include:

• 3D Face Recognition Software from Ottawa-based 3D Sherlock Inc.
• Biofusion Multi-Parameter Physiology Patient Monitor from Ottawa-based Biopeak Corp.
• Remote Physiology Monitoring System for healthcare patients from Brytech Inc.
• eUnity Collaborative Platform for medical professionals from Client Outlook Inc.
• CREZ Sport information Capture and Analysis Software from CREZ Basketball Systems Inc.
• Non-Contact Rock Analyzer from Hellocentric Technologies Inc (Interesting. They seem to have developed a Star Trek-style tricorder for mining companies).
• Visual Search Engine for the Web from Incogna Inc. (Ummm... OK. What's wrong with text again?)
• DecisionExpress automatic translation and summarization technology from NLP Technologies Inc.(This appears to translate legalese. Interesting).
• Clean Energy Solution that turns food waste into healthy food products from Nutri-Loc Ingredients Corp. (Super green eco-friendly granola bars? There might just be a market for this in BC...)
• Digital light for safer surgery, from OneLight Corp in Vancouver. (I'm all for giving surgeons better illumination when they're using laser scalpels.)
• New, faster computer security technology from PRATA Technologies Inc. (Much better than slower computer security, I'm sure).
• Portable, scalable biorefinery from SITTM Technologies Inc.

And these were just the projects that made the cut. Very cool stuff happening.