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| Recently at TTO |
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CU
Announces Second Round of Renewable Energy Commercialization Grants
The University of Colorado
has selected three projects for funding in the second round of a grant program
designed to bring the projects closer to becoming commercial products. Earlier
in 2009, the CU Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and the CU-Boulder Energy
Initiative (EI) formed a partnership to award these grants, known as 'proof of
concept' grants, to support commercialization of promising energy and cleantech
technologies. The projects were selected for funding by the TTO and EI using a
competitive internal application process. The winning grant proposals were:
· David
Denkenberger and John Zhai, for a demonstration of an improved micro-channel
heat management device for power plants, energy-efficient vehicles and
buildings, and other industrial applications.
· Conrad
Stoldt and Se-Hee Lee, for work on improved performance of lithium-ion (Li+)
batteries via solid-state nanostructuring.
· Robert
Erickson, for a project on 'smart' power electronics for photovoltaic panels
that maximize the energy captured by each panel. This proposal was funded as a
$50,000 proof of concept investment to Phobos
Energy, a University
of Colorado startup
company based on technology from Dr. Erickson's CU-Boulder lab.
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| Job Corner |
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TTO Seeks
Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Licensing Associate
TTO is seeking a Chemistry or
Chemical Engineering Licensing Associate for its Boulder office. The Licensing Associate
identifies, solicits, and evaluates invention disclosures for patent and market
potential; markets technologies to commercial partners; and tracks and develops
a portfolio of associated intellectual property. Please review full
requirements and apply online at www.jobsatcu.com (posting #807021).
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CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News |
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Mentor Launches Educational
Tools
Mentor
InterActive Inc., a Boulder-based company spawned from the University of
Colorado at Boulder, partnered with Troy, N.Y.-based 1st Playable Productions
LLC to the new My Virtual Tutor Reading Adventures, a software series designed
to help teach pre-kindergarten through second-grade children how to read. It's
scheduled to launch for Nintendo DS on Aug. 18, Nintendo Wii in spring 2010 and
other platforms after that.
CU
Awarded US Patent for Cancer Rx; Viral Genetics Holds Option to Technology
CU licensee Viral
Genetics said last month that the University
of Colorado was recently issued what
it believes to be the first US
patent related to a new treatment for drug-resistant cancer known as metabolic
disruption. Viral Genetics, based in San Marino, CA, holds an exclusive
option to acquire the rights to the intellectual property, which adds to a
portfolio of IP the company had previously licensed from CU.
ARCA Drug Not
Approved; FDA Requests Additional Studies
The Food and Drug Administration wants CU licensee ARCA biopharma, Inc. to run more
clinical tests on its heart failure drug candidate Gencaro before it will
consider approving the product, ARCA said in June. The FDA asked for additional
studies to prove Gencaro is effective in preventing death from chronic heart
failure, and to get more information on how the medicine interacts with other
drugs. It also asked for additional non-clinical studies.
With
DisplayTech Acquisition, Micron Enters Market for Tiny Display Screens
In late May, Memory chipmaker Micron Technology announced
that it has acquired the DisplayTech technology, which makes small display
screens used as viewfinders in digital cameras and other products, for an
undisclosed amount. DisplayTech, Inc.
was founded in 1985 around technology from the University
of Colorado at Boulder.
ImmuRx
lands $250K in Seed Funding
ImmuRx Inc., a New
Hampshire-based vaccine developer for cancer and chronic infections and a CU
licensee, has pulled in $250,000 in seed funding from Allyon Capital Partners
LLC, adding additional funding to the $329,000 SBIR grant from the National
Institutes of Health that ImmuRx received in April.
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TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection
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Boulder Summer Interns
Daniel Cromer, an undergraduate
student at CU-Boulder, joined the TTO team in May. Daniel will assess the
patentability of new technologies and aid prosecution of CU's intellectual
property portfolio. Prior to joining the TTO, he worked as a student researcher
with positions in the Department of Anesthesiology at the UC Denver Anschutz
Medical Campus and in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at
CU-Boulder. Daniel is pursuing dual degrees in chemical engineering and
economics and is expected to graduate in 2010.
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| People |
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Podcast:
Dr. Hubert Yin, CU-Boulder New Inventor of the Year
W3W3 radio
talked with CU-Boulder's Hubert
Yin about his work identifying potential treatments for pain which avoiding
the side effects of morphine and other opioid drugs.
CU-Boulder
Names Interim Vice Chancellor For Research and Interim Graduate Dean
In early
June CU-Boulder Interim Provost Stein Sture named
Russell Moore interim vice chancellor for research and John Stevenson interim
dean of the Graduate
School. The two posts
were united into one position under Sture, whom CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil
DiStefano named CU's interim provost on May 15.
$1.2M
Grant to CU-Boulder Team Supports Promising Cellular Research
Scientists
at the University of Colorado at Boulder
led by Natalie Ahn may
get a step closer to identifying all proteins present in a single cell type,
thanks to a $1.2M grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. The grant could better
enable researchers to understand the complex changes within a cell that are
triggered by disease, food or other means, accelerating the development of
targeted therapies for cancer, heart disease and other diseases.
CU-Boulder
Team Brings High Efficiency Stove Models to Africa
The
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) combined with the
support of the Lemelson Foundation provides $1.5M to student and faculty
programs and ventures annually, including a
project by the CU-Boulder Engineers Without Borders Team - a more
efficient stove design that will fix many of the problems associated with the
stove designs currently being used in Rwanda.
Do you know of a recent
award, new position or transition of interest to the CU tech community? Please
send information to TTOnews@cu.edu..
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| Upcoming Events |
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Researcher
Commercialization Course Webinar Series
Webinar series
This
unique course will deal with successfully commercializing any type of research
activity, whether focused on engineering, physical sciences or life-sciences.
The course will discuss the practical business and legal issues that
researchers need to understand to commercialize their research. Free webinar
series; registration required.
Nano Renewable Energy Summit
June 22-23, University of Denver
The Nano Renewable Energy Summit is
a gathering of world-renowned experts at the intersection of solar energy and
nanotechnology, with a specific focus on the business, commercialization, and
economic development potential of emerging technologies in the renewable energy
and sustainability sectors.
Scaling
UP: Access to SBIR/STTR Grants
June 23, Chamber of Commerce, Boulder
Navigate through the world of
government Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR) grants.
Designed for pre-start-up through early stage entrepreneurs with
potentially innovative products at various stages of development who are
seeking government funding through SBIR and STTR grants. Free for businesses in
the bioscience, IT, aerospace, and clean energy industries; registration
required.
Colorado
Companies to Watch
June
25, Denver
Center for the Performing Arts
Attend
the official festivities honoring the 2009 Colorado Companies to Watch, recognizing
second-stage companies that are developing valuable products and services,
creating quality jobs, enriching communities, and creating new industries
throughout the state. Presented by the Colorado
Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Boulder/Denver New Technology Meetup Group
July 7, CU- Boulder
This ongoing event provides a forum for technologists and entrepreneurs to
showcase the new (especially web-based) technology developing in Boulder/Denver
tech community. Five companies have five minutes each to demonstrate their new technology, followed by five
minutes for Q&A from the audience.
Colorado Green Tech Meetup
July
9, CU-Boulder
An ongoing event to support
eco-entrepreneurs and others people involved and/or interested in green tech:
energy generation, transportation, construction, and efficiency technologies.
Businesses and researchers present new technologies, and attendees may announce
business news, job openings, fundings, etc.
RETool:
Renewable Energy Technologies Workshop
July 9-11, CU-Boulder
This two-day training workshop led
by CU-Boulder faculty will tell you what you need to know about renewables -
where are the opportunities, what are the current key challenges, and how to
break into the renewables industry.
Call for Applications: NREL
Industry Growth Forum
July 31
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory is pleased to invite you to apply to the upcoming 22nd NREL
Industry Growth Forum in Denver.
Join the ranks of sustainable energy companies who have gleaned windfall
funding and focused expertise from within the catalytic atmosphere of the Forum
- to learn more and to access
the application process, please visit the website.
To have your event featured here, please send an
email to TTOnews@cu.edu.
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| Innovation in the News |
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Colorado
in Top 5 Regions Targeting Biotech
In May, FierceBiotech released a report compiling
the top 5 regions in the U.S.
targeting biotech, and Colorado made the cut:
"$26.5 million [provided by HB
08-1001] can't compare to the kind of money that California,
Massachusetts, Florida and others have already spent
fostering biotech. But it is a cleverly designed program that has real
potential to help emerging biotech companies -- as well as state researchers
and institutions -- when they need it the most. Combined with a few more
scientific recruiting coups, Colorado
could start to realize its latent potential." Read
the full report.
Tech Transfer Focuses on Green
The
executive director of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory (link) said the
commercialization of technology created through research at universities is on
the rise. David Hiller said the main goal of the collaboratory is to create
commercialized renewable energy technologies, use renewable energies to support
economic growth, and work with and educate researchers in the field of renewable
green technologies.
Colorado
Clean Tech Goes to Washington
The
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $61.3 billion for clean energy
initiatives, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, updating the
electrical grid and energy research projects plus billions more in tax
incentives. You can bet the state where President Barack Obama flew in to sign
the stimulus plan in February is lining up to secure some of that capital.
Boulder
Innovation Center Metrics Report Points to Entrepreneurial Renaissance
TTO
partner Boulder Innovation Center (BIC) today released its Metrics Report for 2008, indicating strong economic growth
within Boulder's
entrepreneurial ecosystem. In 2008, the BIC was instrumental in forming four
new start-up companies commercializing technology from the University of
Colorado: 3QMatrix, Line Rate Systems, ION Engineering and Tusaar.
Roundup: University,
Community, State, National and International Initiatives
Kansas
Bioscience Authority OKs $11M in Life Sciences Investments
In May, the
Kansas Bioscience Authority approved roughly $11.1M in investments as part of
its strategy to boost the state's life sciences industry.
Senate Offers
Compromise Bill to Keep SBIR Alive
On June 18,
the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will markup S.
1233, a bill to reauthorize and expand the Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Both programs
are within weeks of expiring on July 30. The House and
Senate were unable to craft a compromise bill before adjourning last year.
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| External Resources |
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SBIR
Phase I Awards, Proposals by State - FY 2008
Compiling SBIR Phase I award and proposal statistics by state for fiscal
year 2008, Colorado ranked 5th among all states, with 182 awards
made in FY 2008. View
the full table.
Blog
Resource: Joseph Ansanelli on Startups
Excellent source of both high-level commentary and nuts-and-bolts
demystification on startups.
Web
Resource: ipHandbook
This resource offers an overview
of technology licensing as related to global health and agriculture. Also
provides links to external resources related to IP, licensing, partnering, etc.
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| Parting Quote |
"Most creativity is a transition from one
context into another where things are more surprising. There's an element of
surprise, and especially in science, there is often laughter that goes along
with the "Aha." Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there
are more contexts than the one that we're in-the one that we think is reality."
Alan Kay, American computer scientist and
inventor
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