Tri-Cities Tech Business Update

November 2011 Issue

Tech News and Notes

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grants Hydrovolts the first Federal Licensing Agreement for hydrokinetic turbine installation in canals

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates 50,000 miles of canals in 16 western States, has granted Hydrovolts the first-ever license agreement for the installation of hydrokinetic turbines in canals. The license allows Hydrovolts to install its turbines for testing in the Roza Canal near Yakima. Starting in November, Hydrovolts will install three sizes of its turbines in the canal and operate them for several months, with remote data transmission and real-time web-based monitoring. Hydrovolts is the only company in the U.S. able to provide the Government with hydrokinetic turbines to test under this important memorandum of operation between major Federal agencies.

USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park dedication

Dedication of the USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park in Richland is Thursday, November 10, the anniversary of the Triton's commissioning. The submarine became famous for being the first vessel to circumnavigate the world while submerged. Veterans who served on the Triton are expected to be among the attendees. Volunteers are invited to join American Citizens Encouraging Support (ACES) in a flag line celebrating the dedication. ACES will gather at 10:00 A.M. with the dedication at 11:00 at 3300 Port of Benton Blvd. Please bring an American flag if you have one. If you are interested, please contact Jill Walters at jill.walters@pnnl.gov or 509-371-6883. 

New corporate grant competition planned by LSDF

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) is preparing to launch a new grant competition to help young companies better position themselves for subsequent equity funding. With details to be announced in January 2012, the competition will support proof of concept and prototyping activities in Washington companies developing products to improve health and health care. LSDF anticipates that the outcomes from grant-supported work will lower commercialization risk and enhance the probability of investment funding. Release of the Request for Proposals and a schedule of statewide information sessions regarding the competition are anticipated in early January. For more information, contact LSDF at programs@lsdfa.org.

Tech Opportunities and Resources

Tri-CitiesBusinessBuilder.com is live!

Tri-CitiesBusinessBuilder.com is a web portal where businesses can get information about business plans, permits, incubator space, funding, classes, and more. The portal is easy to use and is designed for all businesses regardless of size, maturity, or industry. A business owner, employee, or someone thinking about starting a business can go to the one-stop portal to learn of people and organizations that are best suited to help with their specific questions or issues. Tri-CitiesBusinessBuilder.com is linking businesses to the right resources at the right time. Check it out at http://www.tri-citiesbusinessbuilder.com/.

Online export assistance portal

The Washington Small Business Development Center has launched an online export assistance portal for Washington small business owners who want to explore and expand their international trade. The no-cost portal includes an export readiness assessment, export resources, an interactive tool defining the trade process, and online training. This comprehensive guide is a great resource for business owners doing some initial exploration, as well as business owners committed to moving forward in international markets. Read more...

Interested in doing business with the Government?

The Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) program helps companies find and successfully achieve contracts for work with the local, state, and federal governments. With the help of the PTAC program, Washington State companies have won millions of dollars in federal, state, and local contracts and subcontracts. Classes are held regularly throughout the state on different aspects of doing business with the Government. Read more...

Tech Dates and Deadlines

Innovation Showcase

November 3. The Innovation Showcase, a program of the Technology Alliance, helps bridge the gap between research and commercialization by highlighting the most promising discoveries and new technologies ready for commercialization in Washington. This quarterly event, attended by a cross-section of our state's startup leaders, promotes the idea sharing and networking that helps turn research into results. Showcase attendees include investors, service providers, serial entrepreneurs, and others in the commercialization field. Showcases feature presentations by three to six innovators hand-selected by Technology Alliance's program manager and screening committee. Read more...

Northwest Solar Summit

November 7 - 8. Northwest SEED is proud to be a sponsor of the 13th Annual Northwest Solar Summit. This year's summit will focus on strategies for deploying distributed solar, community wind power, and zero-energy buildings and remodels. Among the Summit's panels will be a discussion by companies doing 100-megawatt solar energy systems, community solar developers, and residential solar installers. A separate panel on electrification of transport will include car dealers, solar carport installers, and transportation planners. This year's Northwest Solar Summit will be held at Puget Sound Energy, 85 NE 4th Street, Bellevue, WA. Read more...

TREN Event: 3 Key Elements of Operational Success

November 8. The Three Rivers Entrepreneur Network presents its November seminar: 3 Key Elements of Operational Success. In today's competitive market, how does a company differentiate itself from competitors? For many companies, achieving competitive advantage requires a renewed focus on operational excellence. This presentation and interactive discussion will focus on three key elements for achieving operational success for any organization: Leadership, Execution, and Accountability. Read more...

The Washington State Ocean Energy Conference

November 8 - 9. Washington has great ocean energy resources. Tidal power is already being developed in Puget Sound. Vast wave and offshore wind potential lie off the Pacific coast. This first Washington State Ocean Energy Conference, sponsored in part by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory along with Cleantech West Sound, will bring together ocean energy leaders, policy experts, and key stakeholders from across the entire spectrum of interests to share examples and information about the current state of ocean energy and to discuss the opportunities and issues associated with responsible development of those resources. Read more...

Innovation Engineering Leadership Retreat

November 14 - 16. The Innovation Engineering Leadership Retreat, being held at the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine WA, is based on a first-of-its-kind program at the University of Maine that teaches students how to successfully lead innovation. Developed and taught by Doug Hall, founder and CEO of Eureka! Ranch, the Innovation Engineering Leadership Retreat is hosted by Innovation Engineering Management System, and will teach you and your team how to create, communicate and commercialize meaningfully unique ideas for more profitable products and services for you and your business. Read more...

Governor's Life Sciences Summit and Annual Meeting

November 18. The Governor's Life Sciences Summit will reveal and review Washington's most crucial legislative and economic priorities; yield acute perspectives from leading biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and global health executives; and facilitate a discussion of the industry's current challenges and coming opportunities locally, nationally, and globally. Learn more about the sector's bright economic impact on Washington State in Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association's 2011 Annual Report and the 2011 Life Science Economic Impact Report, distributed at the meeting. Read more...

Economic Leadership Forum

November 17 - 19. The Economic Leadership Forum provides an opportunity for local, state, and provincial leaders in both the public and private sectors to carry out in-depth, focused discussions on key subjects identified by the Executive Committee at the Annual Summit. Hosted by Pacific Northwest Economic Region, the afternoon of Thursday, November 17 will kick-off the Economic Leadership forum sessions in Victoria, B.C. with a joint session on cross-border policy discussion with the Legislative Leadership Academy. Friday, November 18 will feature sessions on Innovation, Energy Storage, and a continuation of the Legislative Transportation Institute. Read more...

PNNL This Month

Battelle and PNNL win EPA contract

Battelle, with assistance from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which it manages, won options on what could be a five-year, $14-million contract with the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention. Battelle and PNNL will help the agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening program in developing and validating toxicological and eco-toxicological assays for environmental contaminants that may have effects on humans. Read more...

PNNL Lab Homes Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, along with its research partners, will use two identical 1,500 square-foot homes for experiments focused on reducing energy use and peak demand. Research and demonstration on the Lab Homes project will focus primarily on retrofit technologies, and the homes will offer a unique, side-by-side ability to test and compare new ideas and approaches that are applicable to site-built as well as manufactured homes in the region. The ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the Lab homes will be November 15 beginning at 10:00 am at 6^th Street and Q Avenue. Please R.S.V.P. to rsvp@pnnl.gov or (509) 372-6888. Read more...

EDO on Facebook

Are you visiting us on Facebook? Daily posts provide real-time information on news and events, opportunities and resources, and other information about and for Washington technology businesses and entrepreneurs. Check it out and ‘like' the page so PNNL Economic Development Office postings show on your Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/PNNL.EconomicDevelopment

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 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 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