Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

October 2010 Issue

Tech News and Notes

InnovaTek Inc. and Infinia, winners of multi-million dollar AARA funding

Tri-Cities-based companies, InnovaTek Inc. and Infinia, were selected as two of 33 projects awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to accelerate commercialization of clean energy technologies, increase American competitiveness, and create jobs. InnovaTek was awarded $2.2 million to support work on power generation from an integrated biomass reformer and solid oxide fuel cell. Infinia was awarded $1.5 million for its work on developing an innovative high-efficiency maintenance-free cryocooler to support high temperature superconductor (HTS) commercialization. Read more. 

Richland a great choice for second career

Richland was named among the best places in America to launch a second career in a recent U.S. News and World Report article. Magazine staff looked at places with below-average unemployment, a solid record of job creation over the last decade, and industries known to hire older workers. Read more.

Local businesses team to promote manufacturing as career to young women

TRIDEC, InnovaTek Inc, and SIGN have partnered together to get women in high school to think about the manufacturing business. The event called GLAM, which stands for Girls Learning About Manufacturing, is sponsored in large part by AREVA and Cascade Natural Gas. Some manufacturing businesses say the Tri-Cities is in need of more manufacturers. Younger generations aren't as interested in manufacturing careers, and older generations in those jobs are getting ready to retire. Read more.

Former local company, InEnTec, wins Wall Street Journal Innovation Award

PNNL spinoff InEnTec was named a winner in the energy category of the Wall Street Journal's annual Innovation Awards for technology advancements. InEnTec LLC, headquartered in Bend, Oregon, with manufacturing in Richland, Washington, won in the energy category for a process that uses high-temperature plasma gasification to produce synthetic fuel from municipal and industrial waste. The technology offers a cleaner alternative to using incinerators to burn garbage. Read the article.

Impact Washington to create state's first manufacturing report

Impact Washington, formerly Washington Manufacturing Services, has announced that it will this fall conduct a survey of the state's 7,500 manufacturers in order to create the first comprehensive "Manufacturing in Washington State Report." The survey will be designed to collect measurable data about the opportunities, challenges, health, and job creation abilities of Washington State manufacturers. This report will help educate key decision-makers on the critical needs-by sector, size, and region-for Washington manufacturing companies to succeed. Read more or contact John Vicklund at (425) 438-1146.

PNNL EDO on Facebook

The Economic Development Office at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is now on Facebook. The EDO page provides frequent updates and information about economic development activities and opportunities to help businesses start, grow, or revitalize. The Office helps businesses connect with technology experts, facilities, and other resources available at the Laboratory, many at no cost. Link to EDO Facebook page

Tech Opportunities and Resources

Call for applications: Funding available for feasibility studies for renewable energy systems for agriculture producers and rural small businesses

Deadline - October 5. Under this application, the United States Department of Agriculture is making $3 million available to conduct feasibility studies. Grants are limited to $50,000 per study and the application deadline is October 5, 2010. Eligible feasibility studies for renewable energy systems include projects that will produce energy from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro power, and hydrogen-based sources. The energy to be produced includes heat, electricity, or fuel. For all projects, the system must be located in a rural area, must be technically feasible, and must be owned by the applicant. Apply online.

Call for applications: Sirti announces $1.5 million Energy Innovation Fund

Deadline - October 20. Sirti announced the Energy Innovation Fund which is intended to serve a broad base of clean energy technologies or services from early-stage companies, as well as established companies with demonstration projects of new clean energy technologies or service models. The new $1.5 million energy innovation fund is now available for competitive distribution to qualified clean energy innovation projects located throughout Washington State. The fund is designed to accelerate technology-based companies in their endeavors to create high quality jobs by bringing innovative solutions to commercial markets in the general categories of energy savings, renewable generation, and environmentally beneficial technologies. Apply online.

Resources online

The column "Tri-Cities an ideal environment for biofuels research," was published in the Tri-City Herald on September 5. The article discusses how scientists at the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory on Washington State University's Richland campus are conducting innovative research on the conversion of biomass to fuels and value-added products that are traditionally derived from petroleum. Read the article.

Tech Dates and Deadlines

Cleantech Open Final Awards and Venture Expo in Seattle

October 4. This is a showcase of the cleantech entrepreneurial talent that exists in our region. It will feature the 2009 and 2010 semifinalists and their technologies "expo-style" and also conclude with the announcement of the three 2010 regional finalists that will move on to the national finals in November. Register online.

Tri-Cities Livable Sustainable Communities Forum

October 7. This workshop's goal is to raise awareness among developers, policy-makers, planners, and all related professionals about sustainable development practice and how it benefits human, health, and economic development for communities. Register online.

Washington Future Energy Conference

November 9-10. Presented by Washington state and the Northwest Environmental Business Council, this event offers a forum to connect those developing strategies for energy security and economic development with the businesses making it happen. The content will cover energy policy & economic development, the business side of renewable electricity & fuels, and energy efficiency. Register online.

Certified Enterprise Risk Manager Workshop

Quality + Engineering and the Seattle section are offering the Certified Enterprise Risk Manager® (CERM) certificate programs in Seattle. The solution to managing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity is enterprise risk management (ERM), and the courses below are designed to provide integrated training in these four areas:

• Project Risk ManagementTM | October 28, 29
• Enterprise Risk ManagementTM | November 11, 12
• Supply Risk ManagementTM | December 9, 10

Register online or contact Greg Hutchins at 503-233-1012

WBBA's Governors Life Sciences Summit

October 22. The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) is combining the Governor's Summit and its annual meeting for this year's Life Sciences Summit. More than 800 leaders of Washington's life sciences community are expected to attend the event to be held in Bellevue, WA. This program will celebrate successes, as well as address current challenges and coming opportunities in life sciences locally, nationally, and globally. Register online.

MIT Enterprise Forum - Bringing Intelligence to the Electric Grid

October 13. Presented by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta, this forum will discuss the demands of cost, reliability, efficiency, safety, conservation, and decentralization are challenging the nation's electrical grid, which has changed very little since its development more than a century ago. For more information, visit the MIT Enterprise Forum website or register here.

PNNL This Month

Hazardous waste tracking tool puts PNNL atop business tech list

A software tool that tracks hazardous chemical, biological and radiological materials used in scientific research throughout their lifecycle, as well as general property, has earned Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) a spot high on the prestigious InformationWeek 500 list of most innovative users of business information technology. PNNL was recognized for its Asset Screening Information and Stewardship Tracking tool (ASIST), which was developed to aid with the move out of 700,000 square feet of Cold War era laboratory and office space into seven new and two remodeled buildings. ASIST is expected to save PNNL more than $11 million over five years. Read more.

Got News?

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 and photos to Diane Kahler or call (509) 372-4133.

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 DOE-Richland's vision for the future of the Hanford Site and surrounding area through the creation of research opportunities, new industries, and new business clusters