2009 Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference Closing Plenary Panel

 “The Changing Face of Technology Transfer and Early Stage Venture Funding”

The 2009 Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference, co-hosted by the Washington Technology Center and Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute and presented by Hewlett-Packard Co. and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory announces the panelists for its closing plenary panel and reception. MNBC 2009 will be addressing head-on the challenging environment for early stage funding with an outstanding panel of tech transfer and early stage investment experts, addressing such topics as:

• If recessions are when great opportunities are born, how exactly does one take advantage of that?
• Is the VC model as we know it dead? 
• If so, what will replace it?
• What first steps must the technology entrepreneur get right?

The panelists are:

Dr. Fiona Wills, Director of Technology Licensing, UW TechTransfer

Cheryl Cejka, Director of Technology Commercialization, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Jim Torina, President and CEO of The University Funds, LLC.

Rick LeFaivre, Ph.D , Partner, OVP Venture Partners

Michael Hochberg Ph.D, EE professor (and entrepreneur), University of Washington

Lewis Lee, co-founder of Lee & Hayes PLLC

Chris Hurley, co-founder and Principal at Beacon Law Advisors

Panel Moderator:  Pat Murphy, COO, The University Funds, LLC

And for the first time, MNBC will accept conference participants’ questions for the panelists in advance.  Questions may be submitted (attributed or anonymous) at:

https://surveys.bus.oregonstate.edu/BsgSurvey2_0/main.aspx?SurveyID=3210

More about MNBC 2009

The MNBC, now in its 6th year, is widely regarded as the best regional “small tech” event in the nation, and expects to attract over 300 professionals from the Pacific Northwest and around the world.

The peer-reviewed conference presentation program, posted at
http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/MNBC/MNBC09_Program.pdf features:

Technical Sessions

• Advanced Nanomaterials for Energy Storage
• Sensor Systems
• Microtechnology for Energy Applications
• Nanotechnologies for Proteomics
• Electron and Ion Beam Nanofabrication
• Bioconjugation at the Nanoscale
• Microfabrication and MEMS Devices
• Nanotechnology for Disease Detection and Drug Delivery
• Photonics
• High Performance, Greener Nanomaterials and Applications

…a full-day symposium on Solar Energy Materials

• Industry growth, materials overview and focus on thin film materials science breakthroughs

…three half-day short courses

• Nanotechnology 101: What Technology and Business Professionals Should Know
• Nanotechnology Commercialization: Intellectual Property and Patent Reform
• Pacific Northwest Micro and Nanoscale Engineering Workshop

…a combined research poster session and company exhibition

…and an outstanding slate of keynote speakers addressing nanotechnology for renewable energy, environmental and medical applications

The advance registration rate of $195 and deeply discounted hotel block rate of $116 are available until August 31, 2009.  See www.micronbc.org.

For further information, please visit www.micronbc.org or contact the conference manager:

Skip Rung
President and Executive Director
ONAMI
skip@onami.us
541.231.4883