The Newsletter of the MTTC for the Massachusetts
entrepreneur & tech transfer community
March 5, 2014
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Welcome
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Dear All,
MTTC is working on our two signature life sciences events- the 10th Early Stage Life Sciences Conference on April 10, 2014 and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Innovation (MALSI) Day on June 3, 2014. The life sciences continue to be one of the most dynamic clusters in the Commonwealth - and at both of these events you can see the newest inventions that have been made in Massachusetts and the emerging companies that are being created.
MTTC welcomes our new intern Naira Ferreira Bonifacio, who has previously worked as a member of the TTO team of the University of Sao Paulo. Naira came over to MTTC in February 2014 to do a six month internship. Naira will undertake research on funding secured by the companies that have been helped by the MTTC as well as supporting other programs, she will also help develop MTTC's social media strategy.
MTTC team 
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| MTTC Update |
The Early-Stage Life Sciences Technology Conference X
When: Thursday, April 10, 2014 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Merck Research Laboratories, 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115
The Early-Stage Life Sciences Technology Conference X is a showcase for platform life sciences technologies developed at the universities, research institutions, and hospitals of Massachusetts and for recently formed Massachusetts companies. Companies that have presented at our first nine Early Stage Life Sciences Conferences have raised over $250 million in new investments
For more information about the event and to register please visit http://www.mattcenter.org/lsconf2014/home.html If you have any questions regarding presenting or exhibiting please contact Julia Goldberg at [email protected].
Massachusetts Life Sciences Innovation Day 
When: June 3, 2014 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Where: Harvard Club of Boston, 374 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
The 7th Massachusetts Life Sciences Innovation (MALSI) Day is the biggest day for life sciences startups and innovation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This is a high-energy, hands-on event which brings together scientific leaders and business experts to mingle with scientists, post-docs, professors, entrepreneurs, innovators, and venture capitalists.
Can you still be creative? In every lab in every research institution and company, researchers are told that they should be creative. But can researchers still be creative with the organizational and financial demands that are placed on research environments? Do corporations and academics still have the courage to allow their teams to be really creative? If you want to do interesting and exciting science can you still get the funding? How does business and finance leadership view creativity? Our speakers and panelists will discuss the current battle to create innovation friendly environments and its impact on entrepreneurs and young researchers finding jobs.
A limited number of poster presentation slots available for researchers and entrepreneurs with "unfunded" companies to showcase their latest inventions and discoveries. Apply to present.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
International Cancer Cluster Showcase - BIO 2014 When: June 22, 2014, 1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Where: BIO 2014, San Diego
This is a focused partnering event showcasing cutting edge oncology innovations from leading industry clusters.
Massachusetts, Quebec, Chicago, Toulouse, Oslo and the UK Golden Triangle are teaming up for the 3rd time to present their oncology pipelines as a satellite event to BIO 2014. The event is free and registration is now open. For more information and to register please visit the Event website |
| Funding Opportunities |
Funding Available: MassCEC Catalyst Program Awards
Maximum Award: $40,000
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, in partnership with the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center announces that solicitation for MassCEC Catalyst Program Awards is now open.
Any Principal Investigator associated with a Massachusetts research institution or executive from a MA clean energy startup company is encouraged to apply. This award program is open to all public and private research institutions, as well as early stage companies. These awards provide a great opportunity to move inventions closer to commercialization.
We are looking for technologies in all fields of Clean Energy.
Due dates: March 31, 2014 at 5pm is the due date for proposals.
Please visit the updated Grants section of our website http://www.mattcenter.org/events/grants-home.html for proposal guidelines and information.
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If you have any questions, please contact Michele Bernier at [email protected] or (617) 287-4088.
MassChallenge 2014 - MTTC's Refund Code
MassChallenge is the world's largest startup accelerator and the first to support entrepreneurs with no strings attached. Over $1.5 million in cash grants and $10 million of in-kind benefits are awarded annually, with no equity taken.
Additional benefits of the four-month program include world-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, legal advice, media attention, and more. Applications are due by April 2 - Apply at masschallenge.org/apply. The Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center refund code for MassChallenge 2014 Accelerator Program: Umass010. Use this refund code to reduce your application fee: ($10.00 off):
Up to $1M for technology collaborations between Israel and MASS
If you are working with a company in Israel or looking to partner with one, know that there are funding opportunities for up to $1M from the BIRD-F.
Submission deadline for the Executive Summaries - March 10, 2014
Submission deadline for the Final Proposal - April 10, 2014
To learn more about the BIRD foundation and how to apply click HERE.
Meet with Breakout Labs
When: April 10, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM (EDT)
Where: Catalyst Restaurant, 300 Technology Square , Cambridge, MA
Hear from Dr. Hemai Parthasarathy, Scientific Director at Breakout Labs, on how Breakout Labs, the Thiel Foundation's newest program, funds early-stage companies pushing the boundaries of science and technology. Awards up to $350,000 help these breakthrough companies achieve specific scientific and technical milestones - e.g. proof-of-concept, prototype, and animal studies - bridging a critical funding gap in their early development. Dr. Hemai Parthasarathy will also discuss tips on preparing a competitive application, proper stage of development, and other factors that Breakout Labs is looking for when reviewing applications.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
MassVentures: START program Currently in its third year, START is an important state initiative intended to help high-growth companies that have previously been awarded SBIR/STTR Phase II grants to receive state funds to help accelerate commercialization. START grants do not have any of the restrictions that SBIR grants place on using funds for commercialization activities. The program has funded more than 20 companies in Massachusetts and delivered more than $3M to these companies. If you or any of your clients are an SBIR/STTR funded company, we encourage you to learn more and take advantage of this opportunity. For more details on the program and eligibility requirements, please visit www.mass-ventures.com/start
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Spin-off and Start-up News
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Syntha, a presenter at the MTTC's Clean Energy Conferences and a Catalyst Awardee, has completed development and testing of Syntha D/S Forecasting. A major Michigan utility is currently using the software in an early release/pilot. Syntha's patented method enable utilities to reduce operating costs by tens of millions of dollars annually by reducing fuel consumption (and emissions), mitigating risk and maximizing capacity across their portfolio of generating units. Syntha's team expects to raise a Series A investment for full product launch later this year. www.syntha.com
Nemucore, a presenter at the MTTC's Early-Stage Life Sciences Conference, was featured on WBZ 5pm news February 10, 2014. Nemucore is the 2nd 1/2 of the clip and Elias gushes to his co-anchor about Nemucore after the pre-taped clip is finished. See the news
UMass Med School technology licensed to Voyager Therapeutics which received a $45 million Series A round of equity financing from Third Rock. Voyager will be pursuing a big effort: to use gene therapy, and to a certain extent, micro RNA tools, to try to either cure, or significantly reverse the effects of a wide range of serious central nervous system disorders like Lou Gehrig's Disease, Friedreich's Ataxia, and Parkinson's. The UMass Med School inventors include Guangping Gao, the director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Gene Therapy Center and Phillip Zamore, one of the founders of Alnylam and the co-director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Read more
Cadenza: has already raised over $14,000 on Kickstarter. Sonation is bringing Cadenza to iPhone and iPad so musicians of all ages can play concertos, sonatas and chamber music accompanied by real musicians that follow your every move. Cadenza is a unique app that listens to you, anticipates how you're going to play, and adapts to you in real time. The algorithm used in the app was developed at UMass Amherst. The goals of the Kickstarter campaign are twofold: to bring Cadenza to iOS, and to add more music.
Two Massachusetts Institute of Technology projects have been awarded a total of $4 million in federal grants to develop advanced solar technologies.
The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program: - Full-Spectrum Stacked Solar-Thermal and PV Receiver, awarded $3.4 million to develop a hybrid solar converter that integrates a thermal absorber and a solar cell into a layered stack.
- Low-Cost Hetero-Epitaxial Solar Cell for Hybrid Converter, awarded $594,000 to develop a high-efficiency solar cell grown on a low-cost silicon wafer incorporating a custom reflective filter.
Read more |
Events of Interest
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The Capital Network Events:
Get Your (Financial) House in Order
When: March 6, 2014 11:45am - 2:00pm
Where: IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers St, 2nd Floor,, Cambridge, MA
Early stage entrepreneurs often need help understanding complex accounting, payroll, and insurance issues - especially those that affect the ability to raise capital. These are the day-to-day tasks that often get pushed aside but are vital when it comes to raising capital. This compact, in-depth session, led by some of the Boston area's premier experts, helps entrepreneurs navigate potential roadblocks to fundraising.
Build and Keep an Investable Team
When:March 20, 2014 11:45 am - 2:00 pm
Where: Bingham McCutchen, 1 Federal St, Boston
One of the toughest challenges for startups is attracting and compensating top-notch talent, while still keeping an early stage company afloat. The meeting will uncover hidden traps, mistakes, and other hiring and compensation issues.
From Zero to Sixty: The One-Minute Pitch Practice
When: March 25, 2014
Where: Bingham McCutchen, 1 Federal St, Boston
Often, there are only sixty seconds or less to make a good impression on a potential investor. One of the hardest things to do is to talk about what you're doing in a concise and compelling way. TCN assembled a room full of investors, serial entrepreneurs, and experts to help nail down a sixty-second pitch.
For more information about those events and to register please visit the TCN's events page
Regulatory pathways and incentives for sustainable antibiotics- European Initiatives
When: Friday, March 7 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Where: Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center - Auditorium
Presented by Timo Minssen, Associate Professor of Intellectual Property & Innovation Law at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and guest scholar at the Petrie-Flom Center for
Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethcs at Harvard Law School
The presentation will be followed by a discussion moderated by US patent attorney, Melissa Hunter-Ensor, Partner at Saul Ewing, Boston.
Space is limited to please register here.
Cleantech Open Northeast Kickoff Party
When: March 11th, 2014 - 5:30pm-8:30pm
Where: District Hall, 75 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210
A great opportunity to learn about the Cleantech Open Accelerator or reconnect with the cleantech community! Whether you are an entrepreneur, student, savvy technologist, investor, or anyone interested, join us for some stellar networking, featuring speaker Alicia Barton from the MassCEC.
*Use the registration code WelcometoCTONE for 50% off.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
Clinical Business and Technology (ClinTech) Congress 2014 When: March 11 - March 13, 2014
Where: Hyatt Regency Cambridge, 575 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139 ClinTech, CBI's Clinical Business and Technology Congress, is the most comprehensive forum on optimizing business systems to accelerate clinical R&D. This forum is a must-attend event to ensure your clinical technology strategy achieves organizational initiatives for 2014 and beyond by utilizing clinical systems to enable strategic partnering with CROs by improving data sharing and information exchange; realize benefits of big data to support R&D and overall corporate initiatives; ensure completeness of documentation and evidence of trial conduct; and much more. For more information and to register please visit the Event website
The Bioscience Network: What's in it for (23and) me
When: March 13, 2014 5:30-9:00PM
Where: The Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA
On November 22, the FDA informed 23andMe that the agency believed that the company was, "marketing the 23andMe Saliva Collection Kit and Personal Genome Service without marketing clearance or approval in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Has the FDA overstepped its regulatory purview? Is 23andMe the tip of the iceberg? Should individuals have the right to their own medical information? Is the role of government to protect us from potentially harmful medical information? Myriad questions arise from this recent FDA action. Join TBN at The Broad Institute to hear a stellar panel debate the issue in a highly interactive setting!
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
Life Science Nation: Redefining Early Stage Investments conference When: March 24, 2014 Where: The State Room, Boston, MA Redefining Early Stage Investments is a quarterly, ongoing conference series that will be establishing a global circuit for early stage life sciences companies to source investors, create relationships, and eventually, get funding. These events will give early stage life science companies the chance to start, resume or close conversations with relevant investors, creating a global dialogue to bring products to market at a faster pace.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
M2D2 Showcase Event
When: March 26, 2014, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: M2D2 Innovation Hub, 600 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor, Lowell, MA
This event will feature presentations and posters by the Medical Device start-up companies and inventors featuring new medical device design inventions that have been submitted to the 2014 M2D2 New Venture Competition. The presenting finalists will compete for a chance to win a total of $50,000 in services. A networking session will follow.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
Boston University Cleantech Expo
When: April 2, 2014 11:30am - 6:00pm
Where: Boston University School of Management, 595 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA
ACTION and Boston University's Feld Career Center are pleased to announce the Boston University Cleantech Expo, featuring two informative panel discussions, and a showcase of companies in the clean energy industry and related fields. The "Cleantech Careers Panel" will highlight how students can access internship opportunities at companies active in clean energy. The "Incubator Success Story Panel" will spotlight the story of a startup company innovating technologies at the nexus of clean energy and clean water, that partnered with a cleantech incubator and has successfully developed the company to implement their technology systems.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
Sustainable Communities and Campuses ConferenceWhen: April 17, 2014 Where: UMass Lowell Conference Center, UMass Lowell Conference Center, 50 Warren Street, MA
The annual Sustainable Communities and Campuses Conference connects stakeholders from municipalities, college campuses, government, businesses and nonprofits. Everyone wanting to learn more about best practices, current trends, and resources will find this conference timely, practical and valuable.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
Facility Optimization and Process Improvement: The MAB at UMass Dartmouth
When: April 17, 2014, 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing (The MAB), Fall River, MA
Biological products are expanding rapidly from classic mAbs to therapeutic proteins, conjugates, cell therapies and even tissues. Production technologies are evolving and changes offer process improvement opportunities not previously possible. Optimizing a production facility to simultaneously support a range of products and technologies, under an open access management approach, to support industry, research and education required many disciplines and compromises at every stage.
You will tour the new Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing (The MAB) and hear from the design, construction, university and industry team that developed the concept as well as the building.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
MassMEDIC 18th Annual Conference When: May 7, 2014 Where: UMass-Boston's Campus Center, 100 William T Morrissey Boulevard At this event MedTech community members will learn:
- How leading MedTech executives view the future of our industry;
- What changes in data requirements and clinical trial management will affect your company's product pipeline;
- What the health care system will expect from medical device sector and how to deliver; and
- How MedTech companies are coping with the medical device tax, payment reform preparations; and product review delays at the FDA.
For more information and to register please visit the Event website
5th Annual Auto-ID & Sensing Solutions Expo When: May 7, 2014 4:00 - 9:00pm Where: MIT Media Lab, 6th Floor, 75 Amherst Street Cambridge, MA 02139
The 5th Annual Auto-ID & Sensing Solutions Expo hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, presents today's outstanding products, companies and thought leaders in RFID, NFC and other "contactless" technologies. It features dozens of exhibits plus panel discussions with some of the industry's most widely followed authorities.
Annual Expo attracts a diverse crowd - people interested in the business benefits of Auto-ID, implementers, developers, investors, research analysts, end users, consultants, educators, integrators, students, hardware and software providers. For more information, to exhibit and to register please visit the Event website
Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Dinner When: May 8, 2014 Where: Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (ILC) will hold the Third Annual Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Dinner to honor four outstanding immigrants who founded businesses in Massachusetts. The categories are outstanding business growth, neighborhood business, life science business and high-tech business.
Nominations are being accepted now through March 14, 2014, and can be self-nominations or come from friends, customers or business associates. All nominees will be recognized on The ILC website, in press releases and at the Awards Dinner. Both the winner and nominator in each category will be offered a free ticket to the Awards Dinner.
Complete information as well as nomination forms are available on the ILC website
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MTTC is based at UMass and facilitates technology transfer from all research institutions, public and private, in the Commonwealth. The Center is financially supported by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and MTDC. www.mattcenter.org
MATTO is the Massachusetts Association of Technology Transfer Offices www.masstechtransfer.org
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