Next Generation Of High-Tech Innovators Seeking Corporate Partners At Sbir/Sttr Workshop

September 7, 2001-- On Sept. 12-13, in Charlottesville, scientists and inventors will mingle with high-tech company reps, seeking research partners and federal funding to move their innovative ideas off the lab bench and into product development.

"We hope that bringing together researchers and business people will foster the formation of partnerships that will develop new products to improve our quality of life, while helping to strengthen young, high-tech companies in Virginia," said Gene Block, U.Va. provost. "The University of Virginia is pleased to support this effort."

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & Development Workshop at the University of Virginia’s Boar’s Head Inn offers an exciting opportunity to meet with the next generation of Virginia’s high-tech entrepreneurs, who will be seeking support for research in fields ranging from defense and space, to health, energy, transportation, commerce, and agriculture. The nuts-and-bolts workshop will cover three federal funding programs — Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and the Advanced Technology Program (ATP).

The sold-out event — 400 participants have signed up — illustrates the health of the American research enterprise and the vibrancy of its entrepreneurial spirit, according to conference organizers, the Office of the Secretary of Technology and the University of Virginia. Another 40 companies and institutions are co-sponsoring the workshop.

Local and state dignitaries who will address the group include Donald W. Upson, secretary of technology, and state Reps. Joe T. May, R-Leesburg, and Willam W. "Ted" Bennett Jr., D-Halifax, both of whom serve on the House science and technology committee.

Three talks during the two-day conference should be of particular interest:

• Richard W. Carroll, chairman of the Small Business Technology Coalition and chief executive officer of Digital Systems Resources Inc., a small high-tech company in Fairfax, who will discuss the competitive impact of small, high-tech businesses. He will be the luncheon speaker on Sept. 12.
• Richard E. Swaja, senior science advisor for the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health, who will discuss potential applications of biomedical research. He also will speak on Sept. 12 from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
• Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen, who as chief of the Office of Naval Research in Arlington manages the science and technology programs of the Navy and Marine Corps, will discuss the Navy’s "Swamp Works" program, a low-budget program to fund innovative, high-risk-potentially-high-payoff projects that address some of the Navy’s most pressing technological needs. He will speak at the Sept. 13 luncheon.

 

Contact: Charlotte Crystal, (434) 924-6858

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact the Office of University Relations at (804) 924-7116. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.
SOURCE: U.Va. News Services

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