Innovation and technology officials to lead workshops on research and commercialization strategies
MADISON, Wis. — More than 600 entrepreneurs and innovation leaders from around the nation are expected at the Spring 2011 National Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Conference, to be held April 11-13 at Monona Terrace in Madison.
The event connects university researchers, private sector scientists and startup company managers with business resources, technical expertise and funding opportunities available through participating federal agencies. Highlights of the event include lectures and panel presentations by leaders from the U.S. Small Business Administration, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Academy of Sciences, Kauffman Foundation and more.
Attendees will meet one-on-one with federal program managers, learn to submit competitive research proposals and get the latest on grants from defense, agriculture, energy, health and other federal program areas. The event also will feature tours of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory and the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, a new public-private interdisciplinary research facility designed to accelerate knowledge to improve human health and well-being.
“The conference will bring leaders of many of the most promising technology startups in the country together with the expertise and funding sources necessary to move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace,” said Sangtae “Sang” Kim, co-chair of the national conference and executive director of the Morgridge Institute for Research, a private, nonprofit biomedical research organization. The Morgridge Institute for Research shares the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, a public research institute that is part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Graduate School, and the Town Center, a public space for gathering, sharing ideas and celebrating science.
“By attending the conference, participants can expect to build momentum for their own businesses and in the process, accelerate the benefits of innovation for society,” Kim said.
Conference registration is available on-site at Monona Terrace, beginning Sunday, April 10, 2:30 p.m.
Members of the news media are welcome to attend and cover conference events. Speaker highlights as well as a link to a complete program are included below. To schedule advance interviews with program organizers or any of the speakers, please contact Gayle Kugler, UW-Extension, at (414) 254-3641 or gayle.kugler@uwex.edu.
WHAT: Spring 2011 National SBIR Conference, April 11-13 at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis.
WHO: Speaker highlights include:
Monday 4/11—8:15 to 9 a.m., Dr. Sujai Shivakumar, program director of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, The National Academies, overview of SBIR/STTR programs
—9 to 9:30 a.m., Roger Beachy, USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture
—12:30 p.m., Wisconsin Commerce Secretary Paul Jadin, followed by Ahson Wardak, Small Business Administration, keynote on SBIR 2.0
—5 p.m., University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly, reception keynote
Tuesday 4/12—8 to 9 a.m., Sandy Miller, director of advancing innovation, Kauffman Foundation, keynote on advancing innovation through public-private partnerships
—3:30-4:30 p.m. Sean Greene, associate administrator for investment and senior adviser for innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration, keynote on early stage innovation financing
Wednesday 4/13—8-8:45 a.m. Video message from House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves and in-person participation from the offices of U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin
—Noon to 1:30 p.m., Small Business Administration panel with Eric Ness, SBA Wisconsin district director; Marianne Markowitz, SBA Region V administrator; Edsel Brown Jr., assistant director, U.S. Small Business Administration; Winslow Sargeant, chief counsel for advocacy
The event is being sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, DEED, Small Business Development Centers, Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. For more, visit http://conferencing.uwex.edu/conferences/sbir2011/speakers.cfm.
Contacts: Gayle Kugler, SBDC State Director
Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network
(414) 254-3641
gayle.kugler@uwex.edu
Laura E. Strong, Ph.D, COO of Quintessence BioSciences
National SBIR Conference Co-chair
(608) 441-2950
LauraS@Quintbio.com
