Evident Technologies of Troy, N.Y., has received a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the US Department of Defense to develop thermoelectric thin films using its quantum dot technology. The award is under the Office of Strategic Defense's "Nanostructure-Enhanced Bulk Thermoelectric Materials" proposal. The US Navy manages the program. Gregory Scholes, a researcher in the department of chemistry at the University of Toronto, will collaborate with Evident to characterize the materials. The company will work to create an advanced thermoelectric nanomaterial that could increase the performance and reduce the cost of a variety of thermoelectric devices that have potential applications in the military and commercial sectors.