Nanotechnology Now

Home > News > Old Company Press Releases > Nano-Network News

Purdue University to Help Organize NANO Week Event

Organizers of the first International Nanotechnology Business Idea Competition, in which researchers from around the world will compete for more than $75,000 in prize money, today announced the addition of Purdue University to their team. The organizers also announced an extension of the competition’s deadline for submission of business ideas to September 27. The competition is being held in conjunction with NANO Week, October 25-29.

Purdue University is recognized globally as a leader and promoter of nanotechnology research and entrepreneurship. Its Birck Nanotechnology Center, due to open on the Lafayette, Indiana, campus next summer, and its Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, named for the late Cleveland entrepreneur, are indicative of the University’s commitment to the still-evolving science.

“Purdue’s involvement in the competition demonstrates its commitment to accelerating commercial activity surrounding nanotechnology,” said Mark Brandt, co-founder of the Nano-Network, a consortium of Northeast Ohio-based scientists, entrepreneurs and supporting agencies that share an interest in nanotechnology. “Their willingness to lend their talents and expertise to this competition is very exciting for us.”

“We are pleased to join the Nano-Network and Case Western Reserve University in encouraging researchers from around the globe to pursue the commercial applications their work makes possible,” said Don Blewett, associate director of the Morgan Center.

Organizers extended the original September 1 deadline to give researchers additional time to enter the competition.

Awards will be presented in several categories, including best overall business idea. The first, second and third place winners will receive cash prizes of $50,000, $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. All three top winners will receive assistance in writing a business plan. And Scott Rickert, chief executive officer of Nanofilm LLC, a leading nanotechnology company, has agreed to serve on the advisory board of the team that takes the top prize.

Each of the 25 finalists will be invited to present their idea to a panel of judges representing the entrepreneurship, business, financial, and academic communities here during NANO Week. The judges will select the winners based on the business idea’s ability to fill a need and be commercialized.

There is a fee of $100 for each entry a team submits, and there is no limit to the number of submissions a team may enter. More information and detailed rules about the competition can be found at the Nano-Network’s Web site at www.nano-network.org.

The organizers of the competition will welcome the finalists at a dinner reception October 28 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. The dinner will present networking opportunities not only for the finalists, but for venture capitalists, executives of nanotechnology companies and government officials as well. Winners of the competition will be announced at an awards luncheon the following day.

The other organizers of the competition are InTICE: the Institute for Technology Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship at Case Western Reserve University and the Nano-Network.

Sponsors of the competition include Forest City Enterprises, Nanofilm LLC, the Maple Fund, STERIS Corp. and NorTech.

To purchase tickets for the October 28 dinner reception and the October 29 awards luncheon, please contact Colette Taylor of the Nano-Network at 216-592-2323. For additional information, direct queries to info@nano-network.org.

About NANO Week

The International Nanotechnology Business Idea Competition is the culminating event of the first NANO Week which begins October 25 with The Cleveland Clinic NanoMedicine Summit 2004, a two-day scientific meeting devoted to exploring clinical opportunities for nanotechnology, held at the InterContinental Hotel & Conference Center. Following the summit is the Nanoparticles Conference organized by the Boston-based Center for Business Intelligence, which will address commercialization strategies, regulatory issues and leading research involving nanotechnology and pharmaceuticals. A third event, The National Cancer Institute’s Nanotech Symposium Series, will feature presentations by leading scientists in nanotechnology and cancer research whose common goal is to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.

About the Nano-Network

The Nano-Network was formed by scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to improve and expand the nanotechnology research and commercialization activities and capacities in Northeast Ohio and throughout the nation.

For further information, please contact:

Chris Thompson, Vice President
Edward Howard & Co.
Phone: (216) 781-2400
Fax: (216) 781-8810
Email: ccthompson@edwardhoward.com

Brian Edelstein, Account Executive
Edward Howard & Co.
Phone: (216) 781-2400
Fax: (216) 781-8810
Email: bedelstein@edwardhoward.com

Copyright Nano-Network.org. Reprinted with premission.

If you have a comment, please us.