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Keep up with breaking news & funding opportunities between editions of our E-News Update
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Present at
Oregon BEST FEST '12!
SUBMIT NOW
But hurry!
Submission deadline is April 6th. |
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Oregon BEST Commercialization Grants
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Grants totaling $1M in funding for university-industry teams during next 12-18 months.
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March 22
Hear from leading executives about the investment landscape, the prospect for jobs, and the highs and lows of clean-tech startups making their way in Oregon. This event is part of the Sustainable Business Oregon Network of 2012. Portland, OR
April 3
Growing Your Clean-Tech Company in Oregon
Co-hosted by Cleantech Open Pacific Northwest and Oregon BEST, this event serves as the launch for the Cleantech Open's 2012 program and includes a panel discussion with the following panelists: Hiroshi Morihara of HM3 Energy, Sam Pardue of Indow Windows, Chris Ulum of Agilyx, and Ken Vaughn of Oregon BEST. Portland, OR. April 11 Medford, OR April 18 Oregon Angel Conference Oregon and SW Washington's brightest entrepreneurs compete for the launch-stage investment(s) and other awards while Concept Stage companies vie for their own set of prizes. April 23-24 Hood River, OR April 24 Green Product Design Network members are invited to hear about current issues in environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) for building products and materials from Philip White, an ecological design strategist who develops ecologically intelligent products and systems. Co-sponsored by Oregon BEST. Portland, OR April 25-26 Oregon Future Energy Conference Presented by the NW Environmental Business Council (NEBC) and the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), this conference provides a excellent forum for learning, networking, and business development - including members of the energy industry, energy end-users, policy makers, and economic development professionals. Portland, OR May 2-4, 2012 Where the green building movement's leading thinkers and practitioners come together to share their deep expertise and dearest hopes. Oregon BEST's Sustainable Built Environment Program Manager, Johanna Brickman, will be a featured speaker, addressing the green building materials ecosystem as well as ecodistricts. Portland, OR. May 10 Willamette Angel Conference Eugene, OR
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CONTACT US
Oregon BEST
P.O. Box 212
Portland, OR 97207
Tel. 503-725-9849
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Executive Director's Report
Rising to the Challenge
Greetings!
 We're thick in the planning for Oregon BEST FEST '12, which takes place on September 12, 2012 at the historic Leftbank Annex in Portland, with the theme: "Rising to the Challenge."
We selected this theme because Oregon BEST FEST offers optimism and opportunity in the face of recent challenges to clean-tech. and to clean energy in particular.
While the solar industry has been impacted by the Chinese trade dispute, price drops, and the Solyndra bankruptcy, and the wind industry faces expiration of the federal production tax credit, and low natural gas prices make the ROI of deploying new renewable projects harder to pencil out, new technology innovation and product development continue.
Various sectors of clean technology will inevitably face challenges, but there is reason for optimism! Much of which comes from the incredible research, innovation, collaboration, and commercialization happening among Oregon BEST Member Faculty and the clean-tech companies in our region. And Oregon BEST FEST is the premier event in the Northwest where these people gather to inspire and be inspired, to spark new collaborations and fuel existing ones, to connect and be creative in order to "rise to the challenges" of today and tomorrow.
New this year, we've issued a Call for Proposals to present at Oregon BEST FEST '12 to ensure we offer a broad representation of the collaborative innovation happening in our region. We hope you'll submit a proposal, because together we can set a national example of what rising to the challenge looks like regionally.
Thank you for your support,
David Kenney, President & Executive Director
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Storing Energy Like a Dandelion...
Oregon BEST Researcher Shannon Boettcher's solar research
 The rate of energy captured by photosynthesis on Earth is calculated at 100 terawatts at any given moment, which is about six times more than the current rate of power consumption by all human civilization.
Plants have perfected photosynthesis to capture and store solar energy, ultimately feeding all other life forms on Earth, either directly or indirectly.
Oregon BEST Member Faculty and University of Oregon professor of chemistry Shannon Boettcher believes we can and will find a solution to efficient, scalable, and affordable capture and storage of solar energy in his lifetime, "unless we fail completely, or we develop something better." Read the full cover story in Oregon Quarterly.
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Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Added
New executive talent will support clean-tech startups
Oregon BEST has hired two seasoned entrepreneurial executives to help small businesses and university researchers navigate the challenging path from lab prototype to commercialized product. Thanks to an i6 Challenge grant, they join the Oregon BEST team in part-time roles via our Commercialization Program, which offers grant funding to universities and early stage ventures to grow Oregon's clean-tech economy. These new Entrepreneurs-in-Residence expand Oregon BEST's range of support available to clean-tech innovators by providing consulting in business strategy, business development, and raising capital. 
Dennis Powers is a co-founder and co-manager in the private equity firm, VectorPoint Ventures, LLC and is working to develop a Northwest focused growth equity portfolio. He was recently managing partner of Cornerstone Management Resources and has more than 35 years experience in technology ventures. He has held senior leadership positions in the electronics industry, been an officer and/or director in companies that have gone from early formation to successful exits, and is an angel investor and active volunteer in the entrepreneurial community. 
Karl Mundorff has spent the last 10 years in the clean-tech industry as president and CEO of an energy efficient, air pollution control equipment maker. Prior to that, he served in senior leadership roles in the media, financial services, and healthy food industries. In addition to his duties at Oregon BEST, he is the chief marketing officer of a clean-tech equipment finance company, a mentor for the Northwest Cleantech Open, and an adjunct professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Concordia University. |
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Oregon BEST Sustainable Built Environment Research Consortium
Closing the Gap Between Human Behavior and Building Performance
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A Living Science Classroom SKANSKA built for Seattle's Bertschi School, which will be certified as the fifth Living Building Challenge project in the world.
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"The Consortium provides us an efficient and cost effective way to invest in and gain exposure to research we might not otherwise have access to," says Nathan Gibson, Vice President of Business Development at SKANSKA, a founding member of the Oregon BEST Sustainable Built Environment Research Consortium. A project development and construction company, SKANSKA creates progressive sustainable solutions that change how communities interact with the built environment. To learn more about how the company is using research to improve their projects, including closing the gap between human behavior and building performance, read SKANSKA's Consortium member profile. |
Sen. Merkley Visits Green Lite Motors
Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant recipient moving forward  U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley paid a visit to electric vehicle maker Green Lite Motors to see how an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant and a growing list of other investments are helping the Portland startup commercialize its hybrid gas-electric vehicle prototype.
Green Lite Motors received an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant last year to advance development of its 100-mpg, fully-enclosed, 3-wheel, 2-passenger vehicle designed for commuters in metropolitan areas. The company is collaborating with researchers at the Oregon Institute of Technology to refine its hybrid gas-electric technology, and the Oregon BEST grant has leveraged additional funding from the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium and other sources. Read more.
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Lab to Play Role in Iraq Rebuilding
Oregon BEST lab to help Iraqis pursue green building materials  The Green Building Materials Laboratory, a signature facility of Oregon BEST, is playing a role in a $100 million partnership between Iraq and Oregon State University that is slated to bring hundreds of engineers to Oregon and possibly send Oregon contractors to work on major projects in the Middle East.
The partnership includes a plan to build as many as 11 green building research labs throughout Iraq, according to Scott Ashford, Oregon BEST researcher and interim dean of the OSU College of Engineering. The "Oregon Invest in Iraq" part of the program will focus on designing and constructing materials testing labs to green standards.
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Ashford
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Mater
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"We already know that several key engineering, architecture, and construction companies will want to be part of the team that does the work in Iraq," says Catherine Mater, director of sustainability programs for the OSU College of Engineering and an Oregon BEST researcher. Read full story.
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Innovation for Hire How the Oregon Sustainability Center process led to good things  The recent decision by the Oregon State Legislature not to fund the Oregon Sustainability Center (OSC) means the project will not move forward as originally envisioned, and the research slated to take place throughout the building might have to take a new shape. At least for now.
However, Johanna Brickman, Manager of the Oregon BEST Sustainable Built Environment Program, is optimistic about what the results of the multi-year, collaborative effort mean for Oregon and our reputation as an international leader in Sustainable Built Environment innovation. The process brought together a remarkable array of talented people representing a broad range of regional expertise, and many good things came (and will come) from that unique collaboration, including the Oregon BEST Sustainable Built Environment Research Consortium.
Read Brickman's blog post on this topic in Metropolis magazine and the feature story on her work and the OSC in Oregon State University's research magazine, Terra.
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From birds and biofuels, to solar energy and green chemistry ...
Oregon BEST Researchers IN THE NEWS...
··· Oregon BEST researchers BELINDA BATTEN and ROBERT SURYAN, both professors at Oregon State University and affiliated with the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, have been awarded a $600,000 grant to study the impacts of offshore wind on birds and bats. Read more.
 ··· University of Oregon chemistry professor JIM HUTCHISON is using high-precision microscopy and X-ray scattering techniques to gain new insights into the process of applying green chemistry to nanotechnology that improves efficiency and dramatically reduces waste and potential negative exposure to human health or the environment. Read more.
 ··· Oregon State University professor of chemistry and associate dean of the OSU College of Science, VINCE REMCHO has been named interim dean of the College of Science. Remcho founded Trillium FiberFuels, a cellulosic ethanol startup company that received an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant last year to further develop a novel enzyme to convert xylose into a sugar that is fermentable. Read more.
 ··· University of Oregon architecture  professors G.Z. "CHARLIE" BROWN and IHAB ELZEYADI, have won two of the four Upjohn Research Initiative grants awarded nationally by the AIA. Brown directs the Energy Studies in Buildings Lab, and Elzeyadi directs the HIgh Performance Environments Lab, all of which are Oregon BEST signature research facilities. Read more.
··· SCOTT ASHFORD, Oregon State University's interim dean of the College of Engineering, was part of the first international research team on the ground following the massive earthquake in Japan last year. He recently returned to study the impacts of the quake and how the Pacific Northwest can prepare for a similar event. Listen to the OPB radio story.
  ··· Oregon BEST researchers GREG HERMAN and CHIH-HUNG CHANG, who direct the Oregon Process Innovation Center for Solar Cell Manufacturing (an Oregon BEST signature research facility at Oregon State University), continue to see growing interest from industry in the lab's solar energy innovations. Read more.
 ··· DesignIntelligence has named University of Oregon landscape architecture professor DAVID HULSE to its list of the 25 Most Admired Educators of 2012. Hulse is a founding member of the UO's Institute for a Sustainable Environment and has expertise in geographic information systems and computer-based tools for land/water use planning and natural resource decision-making. Read more.
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The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) connects businesses with our growing shared-user network of university research facilities to transform renewable energy and sustainable built environment research into on-the-ground products, services, and jobs that power Oregon's green economy. Oregon BEST's founding partner universities include Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.
Oregon BEST · PO Box 212 · Portland, OR 97207-0212Tel. 503-725-9849 · On the web: oregonbest.org |
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