| Funding & Research Announcements |
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ARRA Stimulus Funding Opportunities
Department of Energy
DE-FOA-0000058 Smart Grid Investment Program - DOE will provide up to $200 million per award for cost-shared grants to support manufacturing, purchasing and installation of existing smart grid technologies that can be deployed on a commercial scale.
Department of Energy
DE-FOA-00000036 Smart Grid Demonstrations - DOE will provide up to $100 million per award in funding to demonstrate how emerging technologies can be applied in innovative ways within the electric delivery system to provide integrated and economically-feasible solutions.
Final Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) are available at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/
Use the DE-FOA-000000XX reference numbers to search for these opportunities. To subscribe to DOE's announcements on renewable energy, see http://www.eere.energy.gov/.
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Legislative Update
Governor's Bond Bill Passed
At the very end of the legislative session, the Governor's Bond Bill (LD913) passed. It contains the following items of interest to the science and technology community:
Maine Technology Institute (MTAF)
$ 3,000,000
BNAS Redevelopment
$ 8,000,000
Small Enterprise Growth Fund
$ 5,000,000
Maine Marine Wind
Energy Demonstration Site Fund
$ 6,000,000 |
Events
We'll see you at this event:
Speed Venture SummitTM, Crown Plaza Hotel, Nashua, NH, October 28, 2009. This is an opportunity to pitch your venture to many potential investors at once. Apply to be a presenter at: http://www.speedventuresummit.org/.
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ISO
Searching for Maine Technology Entrepreneurs: TOP GUN Accepting Applications
The Maine Center for Enterprise Development (MCED) is recruiting dynamic technology entrepreneurs to participate in its "TOP GUN" program. With the support of the Maine Technology Institute, MCED wants to identify and nurture talented and entrepreneurial Mainers, match them with targeted training and mentors, and provide the resources to succeed. The fee for the three-month long program is $275. For more information, contact Steve Bazinet at: sbazinet@mced.biz. |
Each newsletter will present information relevant to Company News, Funding & Research Announcements, Policy, Research & Resources along with Legislative Updates. Please feel free to contribute news and information relevant to your work. Forward your information to catherine.s.renault@maine.gov.
Maine Office of Innovation | |
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| Maine Office of Innovation
July 2009 Newsletter
Welcome to the July 2009 issue of Mainely Innovations. We encourage you to contribute your news and highlights by submitting information to catherine.s.renault@maine.gov. |
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Director of Office of Innovation
Catherine Renault highlights networking opportunities and underscores
Office of Innovation activities.
The company news items in this edition of Mainely Innovation reveal an important, but undervalued aspect of Maine's science and technology community - the strength of our post-entrepreneurial companies, especially in this economy.
While we celebrate our investments in research and development, and the addition of new R&D capacity in the form of new laboratories and buildings, we need to remember that companies like Flotation Technologies, Inverness Medical Innovations, Know Technology and many, many others in Maine, are quietly growing, expanding their employment and multiplying our investment in R&D.
As we consider our goals for the future, we should remember the importance of helping companies move past the entrepreneurial stage of development to become substantial members of our business community.
Innovation, defined as invention that is brought to the market, in the hands of Maine entrepreneurs, creates vibrant companies with quality jobs for Mainers.
Cathy | |
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Company News |
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Know Technology Wins Prestigious 2009 Microsoft Partner of the Year
Know Technology, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, was chosen as the Partner of the Year Award for Networking Infrastructure Solutions. The award recognizes Know Technology for innovative services-based solutions that have helped midsize customers achieve operational efficiencies and core infrastructure transformation. For more information, see www.knowtechnology.net.
Inverness Medical Innovations Recognized as 2009 Manufacturer of the Year by Maine MEP
Inverness Medical Innovation, a nationally known manufacturer of medical diagnostic tests, was awarded the Manufacturer of the Year Award by Maine MEP on June 25. Inverness undertook a Lean manufacturing training initiative in 2007 that streamlined the production process in its Scarborough manufacturing center. The company realized a 10-fold improvement in efficiency reducing its production cycle from 25 days to 2.5 days. For more information on Inverness, visit www.binx.com.
Flotation Technologies Announces Completion of Facility Expansion
Flotation Technologies, a global leader in deepwater buoyancy systems, recently announced the completion of a significant expansion of its Biddeford facility, designed to meet increased product demand while enhancing customer responsiveness. Over its 30 year history, Flotation Technologies has grown from an entrepreneurial start-up to an industry leader with a global footprint and presence. For more information, see http://www.flotec.com/.
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Policy, Resources & Reports
Check for information on federal resources and research that will impact Maine and could impact your work in science and technology.
SBIR Reauthorization
The saga of the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program continues in Washington, DC. There are several versions of the reauthorization bill. Senate S.1233 was passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship on June 18 and was moved to the full Senate. The House has heard several bills at the House Committee on Small Business, but has not yet voted. The House and Senate versions are still far apart, and observers expect yet another extension of the program to allow time for the difference to be worked out. The most contentious issue is whether or not to allow agencies to make awards to companies that have majority ownership by venture capital (VC) companies. The biotechnology community is generally for this because many biotech companies have VC backing; other small businesses feel that they would lose out if VC-backed companies were allowed to compete for SBIR funds. If you feel strongly about this issue, we urge you to make your feelings known to Maine's congressional delegation. Their contact information is available at: http://directory.usayfoundation.org/ME.html.
USA National Innovation Marketplace
With assistance from Maine Technology Institute, the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and the University of Maine have teamed up to populate the USA National Innovation Marketplace with innovations from Maine. This is a new, online place to post innovations, and for companies seeking new products to seek innovations! This is a pilot program of the MEP nationally and was recently announced by Vice President Biden! http://maineinnovation.planeteureka.org/marketplace/maine/
Provide Input to University of Maine System Task Force
A draft report from the task force convened to look at the structure of the University of Maine System (UMS) was recently released. It includes a number of recommendations such as aligning the state's economic goals with the system's public agenda, and reducing competition and duplication among campuses. Public comment is being solicited. You can read the report and comment at: http://www.maine.edu/chancellor/TaskForce.php?section=12.
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