Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

January 2013 Issue

• Vorbeck Materials Awarded $1.5M ARPA-E Grant
  Congratulations to Vorbeck Materials Corp. on being awarded a two-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. more...
• BURN Design Lab Awarded $120K Grant from the Washington Global Health Fund
  The Washington Global Health Fund (WGHF) awarded a $120,000 grant to Washington-based BURN Design Lab (BDL), manufacturer of customized biomass stove solutions to meet the cooking needs of the developing world. more...
• The "First-Inventor-to-File" Patent System
  Under the provisions of the America Invests Act (AIA), signed into law in September 2011, the longstanding first-to-invent patent system will be replaced with what is often called a "first-inventor-to-file" system for patent applications, effective March 16, 2013 or later. more...
• Basic Connections are Important for Entrepreneurs
  Software pioneer Ray Ozzie emphasizes the importance of basic connections -- financial and otherwise -- that are forged among entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors in the startup community through programs such as TechStars. more...
• Washington State Tops Study on Tech Jobs
  Washington State has the greatest concentration of technology jobs in the U.S. A whopping 11.4 percent of jobs in Washington State are tied to the tech economy, more than double the national average. more...
• DOE Looks at Industrial Development on Hanford Land
  The U.S. Department of Energy is starting an environmental assessment on 4,400 acres of land on the Hanford nuclear reservation with the goal of transferring that land to the community for industrial development purposes. more...

• LSDF Accepting Pre-Proposals
  The Life Science Discovery Fund is currently accepting pre-proposals from Washington for-profit and non-profit organizations for both Proof of Concept and Opportunity grants. more...
• Apps for Vehicles Challenge
  The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Apps for Vehicles Challenge, which is looking for the best business plans, app ideas, and product designs that use open vehicle data to help vehicle owners save fuel, save money, and stay safe. more...
• Innovate Washington Launches SBIR/STTR Funding Program
  Innovate Washington, the statewide public-private partnership that is the catalyst for economic growth in Washington's innovation economy, has launched its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant-writing program. more...
• ExportWashington.com Offers Exporters a Portal to Support Services
  The Washington State Department of Commerce has launched a new site, ExportWashington.com, to help the State's small- and medium-sized businesses find local, state, and federal resources to support their export strategies. more...
• Free Online Courses to Improve Software Skills
  Computer software training is available for free to Washington residents through the Employment Security Department. more...

• New Routes for U.S.-Japan Collaboration / Ambassadorial Outreach Tour
  January 7. U.S. Ambassador to Japan, John Roos, will kick off his "New Routes for U.S.-Japan Collaboration" Outreach Tour in Seattle at "The Future of U.S.-Japan Technology Collaboration," a seminar designed to showcase the U.S.-Japan trade and investment relationships and new opportunities in the information technology, aviation, energy efficiency, materials science, logistics and retail sectors. more...
• Venture Investment and Partnering Forum
  January 10 - 11. Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical's Venture Investment and Partnering (VIP) Forums present a unique opportunity for local life science entrepreneurs, companies and researchers to meet with quality investors and strategic partners. more...
• Women in Business Conference
  January 23. The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce will host the second annual Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference, presented by Washington River Protection Solutions, at the TRAC Center in Pasco. more...
• Economic Outlook Summit
  January 24. The 14th Annual Tri-Cities Economic Outlook will be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. more...
• PTAC Class: Developing Your Capability Statement
  January 29. A capability statement is like a resume, only you use it for Government contracting. It provides potential clients with a concise overview of your company's qualifications and experience. more...

• PNNL Recognized for Transferring Innovations to the Marketplace
  PNNL has been recognized for creating technologies or processes that can store large amounts of renewable energy until it's needed, fight cancer, and detect explosives, and then moving the innovations to the marketplace. more...
• PNNL Part of Winning Team for Energy Storage Hub
  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is part of a team led by Argonne National Laboratory that will receive $120 million from the Department of Energy to establish a new batteries and energy storage research hub called the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, or JCESR. more...
• Strike a Balance with Flexible Working Arrangements
  Teleworking is not a brand new concept, but is certainly gaining steam as employers and employees alike try to find ways to meet a variety of wants and needs. more...

We invite your contributions! We will consider items that fit the mission of this publication, including your tech-related news, awards, and notices of upcoming events. Please send text to Andrea McMakin or call (509) 372-6013.

Tri-Cities Tech Business Update is published by the Economic Development Office at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Each month, we send you an e-mail message, giving you the link of news, tips, awards, upcoming events, and other information about local technology-based businesses and organizations that support them. With business and community partners, our goal is to build and diversify the Tri-Cities economy—adding skilled jobs in primary-sector industries that bring in outside dollars. Currently, more than 1,100 tech-related businesses, investors, and economic development stakeholders subscribe to the newsletter, mostly in the Mid-Columbia area and the rest of the Pacific Northwest. This newsletter (RL-P00-009) supports PNSO's vision for the future of the Hanford Site and surrounding area through the creation of research opportunities, new industries, and new business clusters.