Archive for May, 2010

2010 NIST Technology Innovation Program Opportunities for the Nanotechnology Community

Posted on May 28th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The National Institute of Standards and Technology www.nist.gov asked me to make sure that NanoBusiness Alliance members are aware of an important funding opportunity. Through July 15th, NIST is accepting proposals for the 2010 Technology Innovation Program.

The TIP program is designed to address societal challenges by supporting technology innovation in areas of critical national need. Individual companies can receive up to $3M over 3 years, which can support up to 50% of the direct costs of an R&D project. Joint ventures involving two or more companies, universities, or research laboratories are eligible for even larger awards, up to a maximum of $9M over 5 years (again with a minimum 50% of cost sharing).

Last year, NanoBusiness Alliance members and other nanotechnology companies responded enthusiastically to the TIP program call for advanced manufacturing concepts. They were rewarded with 6 funded projects in the application area Process Scale Up, Integration and Design – Nanomaterials.

NIST expects to give out approximately $25M in new awards in the 2010 TIP competition. The overall theme is Manufacturing and Biomanufacturing: Materials Advances and Critical Processes. There are three subtopics:
1) Process scale-up, integration, and design for materials advances
2) Predictive modeling for materials advances and materials processing
3) Critical process advances related to the manufacturability of materials and the manufacture of both new and existing products
Nanomaterials are called out as an area of interest in all three areas (along with superalloy and smart materials, composites, ceramics, and glasses).

For more detailed information on the 2010 NIST call for TIP proposals, all of which are available on the TIP website, see the following:

White paper http://www.nist.gov/tip/cur_comp/upload/manufacturing_biomanufacturing_matls_adv_crit_proc_04_2010_wp.pdf

PowerPoint presentation by TIP managers http://www.nist.gov/tip/upload/2010_pc_slides_final_gburgweb.pdf

Formal call for proposals http://www.nist.gov/tip/cur_comp/upload/2010_ffo_competition_0410.pdf

NanoBusiness Alliance members may want to discuss another recently announced federal funding opportunity with fellow technology innovators in their state or region. The Department of Commerce, through the Economic Development Agency, is teaming up with the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health in a new program called the i6 Challenge http://www.eda.gov/i6FAQs in order to encourage groundbreaking approaches to innovation and entrepreneurship. EDA will provide up to $1M in funding to 6 regional teams. Eligible NSF or NIH SBIR awardees http://www.eda.gov/i6sbir (Phase II or Fast Track) participating in a team can receive an additional $100,000 – each of the 6 winning teams could potentially receive $2M. A minimum $500,000 non-federal match is required. This program also has a July 15th deadline, but letters of intent are required by June 15th so read the full program announcement http://www.eda.gov/PDF/i6%20Challenge%20FFO%20FINAL%204-30-10.pdf and talk to your potential teammates ASAP.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “It’s Green, It’s Clean, It’s Never Seen – That’s Nanotechnology”
www.vincentcaprio.org
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Alliance
203-733-1949
vincentcaprio@nynanobusiness.org

Save the Angels Conference Call, Mon 5/17, 2PM EST – Dayton Water Conference Review

Posted on May 18th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mark Modzelewski and I have returned from our successful www.daytonwaterconference.org 1st Annual Dayton Water Conference. Here are a couple of articles from the event:

Water protection a hot topic at first Dayton Water Conference
http://m.daytondailynews.com/dayton/pm_20555/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=0CB1A8269239608C68A5A58A7986876C?contentguid=NYXZRam7

Water Attracts Business To Miami Valley
http://www.whiotv.com/money/23521325/detail.html

This week at our Dayton Water Conference the subject of capital formation for emerging water technology companies was discussed. Paul R. Stimers, Associate with K&L Gates and Public Policy Advisor for the Water Innovations Alliance would like to share with our Water Community the following information:

“Good morning; we have heard from many of our technology and investing clients that they are deeply concerned about provisions in Senator Dodd’s Wall Street Reform Bill (S. 3217). As VentureBeat reported <http://venturebeat.com/2010/03/26/angel-investing-chris-dodd/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Venturebeat+%28VentureBeat%29>, the bill would severely harm startup companies and angel investors:

‘First, Dodd’s bill would require startups raising funding to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and then wait 120 days for the SEC to review their filing. A second provision raises the wealth requirements for an “accredited investor” who can invest in startups – if the bill passes, investors would need assets of more than $2.3 million (up from $1 million) or income of more than $450,000 (up from $250,000). The third restriction removes the federal pre-emption allowing angel and venture financing in the United States to follow federal regulations, rather than face different rules between states.’

The bill is moving fast: only about two weeks remain before the Senate votes on it. After that, we would have one final opportunity to change its provisions in the conference between the House (which has already passed a version without these provisions) and the Senate.

We believe that an ad hoc coalition composed of a wide range of technology and angel investment groups can fix these provisions – but we must act quickly to set up the coalition and reach out to the Hill. To that end, we are organizing a telephone conference for representatives of technology organizations and angel investor groups (and individual investors) to form a “Save the Angels” coalition and develop an action plan.”

You are invited to participate in this initial telephone conference, which will be held Monday, May 17, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Call-in information is as follows:

Dial 877-336-1280
Access code 4612397

Please pass this invitation on to others who would be interested. With your help, we can protect startups and angels from these devastating restrictions.

I would like to thank all the speakers, sponsors and attendees who made our 1st Annual www.daytonwaterconference.org Dayton Water Conference a great success. I look forward to your participation on the call.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio
Chief Operating Officer
Water Innovations Alliance
203-733-1949
vince@waterinnovations.org

Save the Angels Conference Call, Mon 5/17, 2PM EST – NRES, May 24-25th, Denver

Posted on May 18th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Our Nano Renewable Energy Summit www.nanoenergysummit.org is only 10 days away and I will be discussing capital formation for startup emerging technology companies. Paul R. Stimers, Associate with K&L Gates and Public Policy Advisor for the NanoBusiness Alliance would like to share with our Nanotechnology Community the following information:

“Good morning; we have heard from many of our technology and investing clients that they are deeply concerned about provisions in Senator Dodd’s Wall Street Reform Bill (S. 3217). As VentureBeat reported <http://venturebeat.com/2010/03/26/angel-investing-chris-dodd/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Venturebeat+%28VentureBeat%29>, the bill would severely harm startup companies and angel investors:

‘First, Dodd’s bill would require startups raising funding to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and then wait 120 days for the SEC to review their filing. A second provision raises the wealth requirements for an “accredited investor” who can invest in startups – if the bill passes, investors would need assets of more than $2.3 million (up from $1 million) or income of more than $450,000 (up from $250,000). The third restriction removes the federal pre-emption allowing angel and venture financing in the United States to follow federal regulations, rather than face different rules between states.’

The bill is moving fast: only about two weeks remain before the Senate votes on it. After that, we would have one final opportunity to change its provisions in the conference between the House (which has already passed a version without these provisions) and the Senate.

We believe that an ad hoc coalition composed of a wide range of technology and angel investment groups can fix these provisions – but we must act quickly to set up the coalition and reach out to the Hill. To that end, we are organizing a telephone conference for representatives of technology organizations and angel investor groups (and individual investors) to form a “Save the Angels” coalition and develop an action plan.”

You are invited to participate in this initial telephone conference, which will be held Monday, May 17, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Call-in information is as follows:

Dial 877-336-1280
Access code 4612397

Please pass this invitation on to others who would be interested. With your help, we can protect startups and angels from these devastating restrictions.

I look forward to your participation on the call and hope to see you in Denver www.nanoenergysummit.org May 24th-25th.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “It’s Green, It’s Clean, It’s Never Seen – That’s Nanotechnology”
www.vincentcaprio.org
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Alliance
203-733-1949
vincentcaprio@nynanobusiness.org

Nano Renewable Energy Summit, May 24-25, Denver – VIP Tour of NREL

Posted on May 12th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Our 3rd Annual Nano Renewable Energy Summit www.nanoenergysummit.org is only 20 days away. Please reserve space today vincentcaprio@nanoenergysummit.org for our VIP Tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden, CO. The fee for the Conference is $200 for non-members and complimentary for NanoBusiness Alliance Members.

Our Agenda http://www.nanoenergysummit.org/program.php will be focused on battery and solar technologies.

Speaking of batteries, I would like to share with you an article written by Jim Motavalli titled, “Nanotechnology is Quietly Transforming Electric Car Batteries.”

“Nanotechnology” has been a brave new world buzzword for a decade, but its many applications in clean technology – from solar panels to EV batteries – are just now emerging. A new report from Lux Research sees a $29 billion clean tech nanotech market in 2015.

Much of the reporting on nanotech to date has focused on its use in such everyday products as extra-tough tennis rackets, Eddie Bauer’s Nano-Care comfort-waist corduroy pants, sunscreen and high-tech sunglasses. And it’s also zeroed in on the dangers of nanotech run amok. Reporters famously raised the possibility of minuscule self-replicating machines turning the planet into “grey goo,” but that idea http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/indepth/19648 has been dismissed even by the guy who raised it in the first place.

“Most of the lower-quality, me-too ventures have exited stage left,” said Peter Hébert, co-founder and managing partner of Lux Capital, which invests in energy technology (Lux Research is a spinoff, founded in 2003). “A handful of segment leaders have consolidated their positions (both large corporations and start-ups). Throughout this winnowing process, we’ve seen great leaps forward in the commercialization of nanoscale science and technology.”

“Nano” just means small (as in the $2,500 Tata Nano microcar sold in India), and nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. Why work with such tiny things? Because many common substances have different and useful properties when reduced in size. Nanoparticles are in sunscreen, for instance, because on the nanoscale its active ingredient is clear instead of white – no more white noses. In clean-tech applications such as electric car batteries, nano can optimize chemical reactions to offer more range and energy density.

Here’s a database of nanotech products now on the market.
http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/

Nano-enabled solar cells from companies like Gratzel PV, Solarmer Energy and Konarka hold promise, Lux says. In the auto space, there are opportunities in batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors.

One company that is making some headway with nano batteries, says Lux, is A123, which went public successfully last year and is the supplier not only to Fisker Automotive for its high-performance Karma plug-in hybrid but also to Better Place in its ongoing switchable battery demonstration for taxis in Tokyo.

The nanotech breakthrough http://www.a123systems.com/a123/products in A123 batteries, developed at MIT, http://thinkorthwim.com/index.php?tag=electric-cars changes the lattice structure of iron phosphate atoms to improve the conductivity of the company’s relatively inexpensive iron phosphate cathode, enabling more charge cycles.

Nanotech-now.com called A123 http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=227 “a ‘perfect storm’ company – nanotech, global warming, energy storage, batteries, green, high fuel prices, pressure for electric and hybrid car energy storage improvements, electrical grid storage…manufacture in China – all make A123 the right company in all the hot investible spaces.”

Nanotech helps companies cut production costs. According to Vincent Caprio, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance, “Much of the success A123 will enjoy in the future will be linked to how well the company executes on the manufacturing side. The relatively high cost of li-ion technology is an impediment to mass-market penetration.”

It’s a growth industry. “There will be huge opportunities in energy storage – both for batteries and ultracapacitors,” says Hébert. “There are a number of venture-backed start-ups dramatically changing the industry’s economics. We’ve definitely moved beyond Dockers stain-proof pants and nano-enabled suntan lotion.”

Hebert also cites http://www.vincentcaprio.org/nanobusinessnyc-april-20th-nba-interview-peter-hebert-co-foundermanaging-partner-lux-capital Nanosys, which developed a proprietary additive for lithium-ion batteries (reportedly increasing capacity 30 percent), Electrovaya (nano-enhanced battery technology, developed in partnership with Exxon) and Contour Energy Systems.

A conference on nanotech applications in renewable energy takes place in Denver May 24-24. Here are the details www.nanoenergysummit.org.

NANO NEWS

Global Regulation of Nanotechnologies Conference
May 7-8, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA
http://www.northeastern.edu/law/academics/conferences/nano-conference/

Rewards and Risks of “Green:” Where Innovation Is Meeting Investment
Green Energy webinar series beginning on Tuesday, May 11th
http://www.foley.com/news/event_detail.aspx?eventid=3287

MIT researchers print solar cell on paper
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20004170-54.html?tag=nl.e703

QD Vision’s Quantum Light(TM) Optic Wins Silver at Edison Best New Products Awards
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/qd-visions-quantum-lighttm-optic-wins-silver-at-edison-best-new-products-awards-2010-05-03?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Nanoscience may help cancer researchers
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/05/03/Nanoscience-may-help-cancer-researchers/UPI-89121272910653/

I look forward to seeing you in Denver.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “It’s Green, It’s Clean, It’s Never Seen – That’s Nanotechnology”
www.vincentcaprio.org
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Alliance
203-733-1949
vincentcaprio@nynanobusiness.org

NbA Nanotech News – Nano Renewable Energy Summit, May 24-25, Denver, CO

Posted on May 5th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The safety of engineered nanomaterials continues to be in the news. Clayton Teague, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, wrote an Op-ed in response to a three-part AOL Special Report, “The Nanotech Gamble: Bold Science. Big Money. Growing Risk.” The report, by Senior Public Health Correspondent Andrew Schneider www.aolnews.com/category/nanotech/, and Teague’s response http://www.aolnews.com/nanotech/article/opinion-aol-news-paints-a-misleading-portrait-of-nanotechnology/19446823 can be viewed at these links. Teague calls the series misleading and notes that Schneider ignored any substantive discussion of the $254 million the NNI spent directly on environmental, health, and safety research in the last five years or the additional $200M slated for this year and next. He notes that the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, in their recent review of the entire NNI (http://bit.ly/PC_NNI), commended the EHS efforts so far and called them proactive. But Schneider isn’t impressed with the PCAST report either, as he made clear in an additional column last week.

Meanwhile, as we heard at our NanoBusiness Alliance DC Roundtable http://www.vincentcaprio.org/nanobusiness-dc-roundtable-agency-ehs-day-summary-march-17th, individual agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration continue to address nanomaterials on a case by case basis using their existing regulatory authorities. They urge companies to work directly with them to ensure product safety. The NNI also continues to develop its adaptive overall strategy for EHS research. The last in a series of five EHS workshops called for in the 2007 NNI strategic plan was held on March 30th and 31st. The second meeting in the National Academies’ 4-year EPA-sponsored study is scheduled for May 3rd and 4th. (Contact Orin Luke, oluke@nas.edu, if you are interested in attending or see http://bit.ly/bIPRME for more information.)

EPA has another way for companies to get involved in nano safety. Through May 11th, the agency is accepting Small Business Innovation Research proposals relevant to nanoEHS. They’re looking at both sides of the benefit/risk equation, seeking better ways to detect, quantify and control nanoparticles or ways to apply nanotechnology for pollution prevention, monitoring and control. According to the SBIR solicitation available in full at http://bit.ly/acL5oQ

Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)- and nanotechnology-based sensors for rapid and precise process control and environmental monitoring. Areas of particular interest include remote, in-situ, real-time and continuous measurement of species at trace (ppt) concentrations. Sensors that utilize lab-on-a-chip technology are also of interest.
  • New nanoporous filters for removal of gaseous pollutants and particulates from contaminated air streams
  • Nanoparticulate catalysts for utilization in VOC treatment devices and related applications
  • High surface area nanomaterials for new coatings and environmental applications
  • New, lightweight portable instruments to detect and quantify nanoparticles
  • Technologies that minimize the release of nanomaterials into the environment

Our 3rd Annual Nano Renewable Energy Summit www.nanoenergysummit.org is being held May 24-25th in Denver, CO. On Tuesday, May 25th at 10:45am, Jim Hussey, CEO of NanoInk http://www.nanoenergysummit.org/speakers.php#hussey, will be delivering a Keynote Speech titled, “EHS Issues and Cell Growth.” Immediately following, for the first time at any nano conference, we will have a panel titled, “Nanotechnology Executive and EHS Professionals: Open discussion in regard to 2010 Regulatory Environment.” The panel participants are as follows:

Moderators: Don Ewert, IH, EH&S Manager, OSO BioPharmaceuticals Manufacturing, Chairman of the AIHA Nanotechnology Working Group & Vincent Caprio, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Alliance

Panelists: Mark Hoover, PhD, CHP, CIH, Health Physicist & Industrial Hygienist; Michael J. Kosnett, MD, MPH, Occupational Physician & Professional Toxicologist; Ryan M. Richards, Nanoscience Chair, American Chemical Society

NANO NEWS

Lockheed Martin Unit to Honor Superlative Employees in New Jersey and Georgia
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-unit-to-honor-superlative-employees-in-new-jersey-and-georgia-2010-04-29?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Safe, secure nuclear energy must be part of climate change solution
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2011648613_guest20dickerson.html

Quantum Sphere, Monthly Newsletter, April 2010, Edition 60
http://www.qsinano.com/news/newsletters/2010_04/2010_04.php

Lux Research: Is Nissan losing money on every Leaf it sells?
http://www.luxresearchinc.com/blog/2010/04/is-nissan-losing-money-on-every-leaf-it-sells/

Hope to see you in Denver to discuss renewable energy.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “It’s Green, It’s Clean, It’s Never Seen – That’s Nanotechnology”
www.vincentcaprio.org
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Alliance
203-733-1949
vincentcaprio@nynanobusiness.org