TECNA NOTES

White House Announces Initiatives to Accelerate Commercialization

White House Announces Initiatives to Accelerate Commercialization

President Obama last week announced several initiatives aimed at spurring technology commercialization following the signing of the America Invents Act, including two new programs to assist biomedical entrepreneurs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The administration also will develop a national plan focused on reforms to speed commercialization and open new markets. A blueprint outlining those efforts is due in January. Following is an overview of new and existing programs focused on accelerating commercialization:

• NIH will offer new license agreements for startup companies to reduce the cost and paperwork associated with obtaining patents related to drugs, vaccines or therapeutics in the NIH/FDA portfolio. Under the short-term Startup Evaluation License Agreement, which can be obtained for $2,000, small companies can apply for any of the available NIH patents and patent applications by submitting a business plan detailing how they propose to use them. Companies that are less than five years old, have fewer than 50 employees and receive investment of less than $5 million are eligible to apply beginning Oct. 1.
• NIH also will establish a new National Center for Advancing Translational Science to help industry shorten the time needed and reduce costs for developing new drugs and diagnostics.
• The United States Patent and Trademark Office, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Small Business Administration will pilot a program to provide comprehensive IP support to 100 NSF SBIR grant recipients and will engage external stakeholders to provide pro bono or low-cost IP services to awardees.
• The Coulter Foundation and NSF launched a competition to identify and promote incentives to adopt best practices that improve university commercialization efforts. The foundation also announced their selection of four universities to participate in a Translational Research Partnership Program where each university will create a $20 million endowment to foster research collaboration between biomedical engineers and clinicians.

In coordination with the bill signing, some of the more than 135 university presidents and chancellors who pledged in April to work with the administration to undertake greater efforts to advance regional and national economic growth reported on their recent activities.   Read the full announcement on whitehouse.gov.

 

Redistributed with permission from State Science & Technology Institute,Westerville, OH, www.SSTI.org

 

Is the “America Invents Act” good for small and medium sized businesses or does it raise greater hurdles for innovation?

On April 14, 2011, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 1249, the “America Invents Act,” by a vote of 32-3. The Bill has already passed in the Senate and is expected to be considered by the entire House either late May or in June.

This is a hot topic for tech councils and their member companies - There will be winners & losers as a result of this. Feel free to add your comments below, and sign up for an informative, interactive session with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office on the status of patent reform legislation in the United States Congress and what it means for the tech SMB.

Several members of the USPTO staff will share pertinent aspects of the legislation as it relates to small and medium sized businesses and entertain questions that you may have.

Free Webinar
Register Online: http://bit.ly/mTyPxC
U.S. Patent Reform and the Tech Small & Medium Sized Businesses
Date & Time Thursday, May 19, 2011, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM

We are pleased to have –

Janet Gongola
Associate Solicitor, Office of the Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, United States Department of Commerce

Rob Clarke
Deputy Director, Unit 1, Office of Patent Legal Administration, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, United States Department of Commerce

Dana Robert Colarulli
Director of the Office of Governmental Affairs, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, United States Department of Commerce

Brought to you by TechVoice, a partnership between CompTIA and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA)

TECNA will be in DC for TechAmerica's Technology & Government Dinner June 15, 2011

TECNA members will converge in DC on June 15, 2011 for a policy meeting early in the day, and go to the dinner in the evening. For more info about TECNA programming in DC that day, contact, Paige Rasid prasid@ct.org  

That evening, TechAmerica Foundation will host its Ninth Annual Technology and Government Dinner. As in past years,TECNA (Technology Council of North America)  members  have attended the sold-out event to hear keynote addresses from top industry leader executives.   The dinner is the premier Washington, DC technology networking event bringing hundreds of tech industry, congressional, and government leaders together at one venue to celebrate the partnership between industry and government.  Full info, click here 

Registration for the Technology & Government Dinner and American Technology Awards, As of 5/10, registration is now open. Fees are:

$350 – Industry: $350
$200 – Non-profit & Academia

 

 

 

 

CompTIA and TECNA Launch TechVoice

Online Public Advocacy Tool Connects IT Businesses with Policymakers, Advances IT Industry’s Priorities in Washington

February 28, 2011 -- DOWNERS GROVE, IL and WASHINGTON, DC – Today CompTIA and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) launched TechVoice, an online public advocacy platform.  The new grassroots tool creates a digital community representing the interests of the information technology industry, particularly small and medium-sized businesses working to create jobs and boost the nation’s economy.  TechVoice serves as a hub for stakeholders in the technology industry as well as a resource for policymakers and members of the media.

“So many of the critical issues being debated in Washington, DC impact and are impacted by the information technology industry – job creation, workforce development, innovation,” said Todd Thibodeaux, President of CompTIA.  "The launch of TechVoice by CompTIA and our TECNA partners could not come at a better time.  This center of legislative action, policy advocacy and information will be an integral tool in our advocacy arsenal.”

TechVoice enables users to connect directly with policy makers in their district, stay on top of the latest legislative activities and learn more about elected officials and their platforms as they relate to CompTIA and TECNA’s membership.  As a resource for the IT industry at large, TechVoice will contain information on broad issues pertaining to smart and secure technology, innovation and competitiveness and workforce education, as well as more specific topics including workforce development, small business concerns, healthcare IT, green IT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data breach and privacy.

“Although the TechVoice community consists primarily of CompTIA and TECNA’s member companies, it is also geared towards anyone with a vested interest in technology policy,” said Matthew Nemerson, President & CEO of TECNA. “At a time when our nation is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, TechVoice is a valuable resource for anyone in the business or public policy realm.”

Beyond the IT industry, TechVoice will be a source for the latest news, research and information for members of the media as well as policymakers and thought leaders. The TechVoice blog contains updates from around the web and beyond, including articles by CompTIA executives and other thought leaders within the information technology industry. In addition to the website, users can access the latest research, legislative priorities and up to the minute news on the technology issues of the day on Twitter @Tech_Voice and access updates and alerts through the TechVoice Facebook page.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptiaAbout TECNA

TECNA serves its members and the industry through its strong peer-to-peer network and its regional initiatives to raise the visibility and viability of the technology industry. TECNA represents almost 40 IT and Technology trade organizations who, in turn, represent more than 16,000 technology-related companies in the North America.

For Immediate Release                                                                                  
Media Contact:
Jennifer Spector jennifer.spector@harbourgrp.com (202) 295-8790
Matthew Nemerson, mnemerson@CT.org, 860 289-0878 x333

 

Understanding the Innovation Coalition, supporting the key elements of the continuum for commercialization and job creation.

The Innovation Coalition is a collaborative group of innovation-based associations supporting the key elements of the continuum for commercialization and job creation.  Below is a Presentation by TECNA President, Matthew Nemerson at the Fly In to Wash. DC:

 

2011 Innovation Coalition Legislative Fly-in

View more presentations from CTTech.

The

• Angel Capital Association
• Association of University Research Parks
• Technology Councils of North America
• National Business Incubation Association
• National Association of Seed and Venture Funds
• State Science and Technology Institute

Joined forces for the Washington DC Fly-In.  Lawmakers and their staffs were briefed about the innovation process and why innovation is so important in creating a thriving economy. The afternoon was spent in individual meetings with legislative representatives and their staffs.

The Technology Industry Goes To Washington

On June 16th, TECNA WILL ENGAGE ON THE ISSUES FACING THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY A tech policy roundtable will be held on June 16th with TECNA President Matthew Nemerson, Mark Muro, a fellow and director of policy for the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, who manages the program's public policy analysis and leads key policy research projects. For more information on the Federal FLY-IN please contact Paige Rasid at (860) 289-0878 or prasid@ct.org