|
|
|
Dear Anne,
Thank you for
your interest in innovation-based economic development (IBED) in West
Virginia. We hope you join us in celebrating the state's
technology sector and in working toward a more robust and diverse
economy across the Mountain State.
|
|
|
TechConnectWV and RCBI Announce New Program
To help create new
high-tech manufacturing jobs, TechConnectWV and the Robert C. Byrd
Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) have announced
the launch of a new program, "StartUp WV Manufacturing,"
made possible by a grant through the U.S. Economic Development
Administration (EDA) and funding from the State of West Virginia. The
program will help individuals and entrepreneurs turn ideas for new
products or processes into reality, generating new jobs across the
state.
"This program will
help entrepreneurs and start-up firms find the expertise they need to
get their product or device to market," said Anne Barth,
Executive Director of TechConnect WV.
Charlotte Weber, Director
& CEO at RCBI, said, "Using RCBI's newly-announced Design
Works labs, we will be able to assist in the concept-to-reality
portion, which will help jumpstart the idea, turn it into a prototype
and then move it forward to the production phase.
Registration applications are available online at www.techconnectwv.org or
www.rcbi.org.
For additional information, contact 800.469.RCBI (7224).
|
|
|
|
|
TechConnectWV Hosts Forum on "Creating Jobs in the
Innovation Economy"
TechConnectWV, in conjunction with Industries of the Future - West
Virginia (IOF-WV), hosted a panel forum on January 24 promoting
business innovation, entrepreneurship and job growth in the House
Chamber of the West Virginia Capitol.
Anne Barth, executive director
of TechConnect, explained, "Our panel discussion featured four
West Virginia business leaders who shared their experience and ideas
on how to create jobs in the innovation economy."
The panelists were:
Robert C. Orndorff, Jr., Managing Director, WV and E&P Local Affairs,
Dominion Resources; Derek Gregg, CEO; Vandalia Research, Inc.; John
S. Hooks, Jr., Director, CSC Identity Labs; and Leonard Dolhert, CEO,
Aither Chemicals, LLC.
To view coverage of the event, visit: The
State Journal.
|
|
|
|
2nd
Annual Biosciences Summit Held Jan. 25
|
|
Gov. Tomblin addresses WV Bio Summit
|
The Bioscience
Association of West Virginia hosted the second
annual Biosciences Summit on January 25 in Charleston, drawing more
than 100 people to a day of panel discussions, presentations, and
networking. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who singled out Protea
Biosciences in his January 11 State of the State Address, urged
industry leaders to continue efforts at innovation, noting that
"it all starts in the research lab."
Grady Vanderhoofven, fund manager for Meritus Ventures and the
Southern Appalachian Fund, highlighted the important role of venture
capital in startup company formation and entrepreneurship. He cited
data from Price Waterhouse reports showing the national average of
venture capital is $107/person, while West Virginia's average is just
$4.50/person.
Participants heard from Stephen Turner, CEO of Protea Biosciences;
Dr. Jamie Miller of TRAX BioDiscovery; Derek Gregg, CEO of Vandalia
Research, Dr. Richard Niles of Progenesis Technologies, and Shana
Phares, CEO of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute.
A panel of university researchers explored the wide variety of
research currently underway in the state and its potential for
commercialization.
An overview of the event as reported by the Huntington Herald
Dispatch can be found here.
|
|
|
|
International Year of Chemistry Celebrated
The International Year of
Chemistry was celebrated January 22 at the West Virginia Culture
Center with activities and the opening of a new exhibit featuring the
development of the chemical industry in the Kanawha Valley. Artifacts
and photographs document its origins, from the commercialization of
salt discovered in Malden to the construction of plants along the
Kanawha River. Common household products that were developed in West
Virginia-from antifreeze to trash bags to piping-are also on display,
along with memorabilia from the Union Carbide and DuPont plants.
|
|
L-R: George Keller, Warren Woomer, Kevin DiGregorio,
Mary Jo Hendricks, Chuck Denham, and
|
The event included an industry
panel about West Virginia's chemical industry heritage, an official
dedication of the Culture Center's Chemical Valley Exhibit, and award
presentations to educators, leaders, corporate partners, and
students. The International Year of Chemistry was designed as a
worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its
contributions to the world.
Several organizations
coordinated and cosponsored the event, including the American
Chemistry Council, the Chemical Alliance Zone, the West Virginia
Manufacturers Association, TechConnectWV, Dow Chemical, MATRIC, West
Virginia State University, Marshall University and other partners.
|
|
|
|
NASA--2012 Annual Workshop
on Validation and Verification
The NASA IV&V Program has announced that the 2012 Annual Workshop
on Validation and Verification will be held September 11 - 13, 2012
at the West Virginia University Erickson Alumni Center.
For more information, visit the
website or contact Lisa Downs at Sadie.E.Downs@nasa.gov
or 304-367-8252.
|
|
|
|
|
Touchstone Expands CFOAM®
Production Capacity
|
|
Touchstone's new autoclave en route to their
Triadelphia facility
|
Touchstone
Research Laboratory has received delivery of a
new production autoclave at its research and manufacturing facility
in Triadelphia. The 30-foot long, 8-foot diameter autoclave will
expand Touchstone's production capacity for CFOAM®, a
next-generation, coal-based structural carbon foam currently being
used in a variety of military and aerospace applications.
The autoclave is the only one
of its kind in the world, designed with an advanced heating and
cooling process control system tailored to meet the unique
requirements for CFOAM production. The installation of this equipment
will more than triple Touchstone's current capacity to a
manufacturing level of 35,000 cubic-feet of CFOAM annually.
CFOAM is a lightweight,
fire-resistant, and impact-absorbing structural carbon foam. It can
be fabricated in a variety of shapes, sizes and densities. CFOAM
replaces conventional materials that are heavier and higher in cost
while providing greater structural capability.
This expansion project is being
funded by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Title III
Defense Production Act. Touchstone is one of 27 companies in the
nation - and one of two in West Virginia - selected to take part in
the Title III Program.
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events: Mark Your
Calendars...
|
|
Thursday, Feb., 16, 2012
"The
Compelling Case for Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV)" Fleet Workshop
Charleston, WV
March 21-22, 2012
West Virginia Manufacturers Association's Marcellus to
Manufacturing Ethane Development Conference
Charleston
Civic Center, Charleston, WV
March 27, 2012
Shades of Green Conference
Discover the
Real West Virginia Foundation, Charleston, WV
April 20 & 21, 2012
Star
Symposium 2012: Innovation - Concept to Commercialization
West Virginia State University, Institute, WV
Thursday, May 17, 2012
SBA One
Day Workshop -- details TBA
Robert H.
Mollohan Research Center, Fairmont, WV
May 30-31, 2012
Teaming
to Win
Waterfront
Place Hotel, Morgantown, WV
|
|
|
Want to learn more, get involved, or become a TechConnectWV
sponsor?
Contact ...
Anne Barth
Executive
Director
|
|
|
