Ann: $1.5M Funding Awarded for New APAS Instrument, page-2

Interesting positive development.
So paid quarterly, over 2 years and has to be matched by LBT.

I would have thought the first phase would be greatly assisted by input from Thermo Fisher who would well know what demand and requirements should be from smaller labs. I am not sure this will be too arduous a task. And relatively speaking I would have thought anything that can save smaller labs resources/funds would be welcomed by that market segment

Never knock free money to support development, especially when it appears as if this could be a bigger market for sales.