Integrated Nanosystems forum explores commercialization and tech transfer issues

Emily M. Smith
ASME NEWS

ASME's conference on Integrated Nanosystems will feature a business session during which panelists discuss the business of nanotechnology as it relates to issues of the commercialization and technology transfer of this evolving science.

The conference, "Integrated Nanosystems 2003: Design, Synthesis and Application," is ASME's second annual meeting on the subject. It will take place Sept. 17-19 in Palo Alto, Calif.

This image indicates a neural prosthetic biochip implant device, with neurons bonding to electrical and mechanical contact sites on the device.

 

 

The first portion of the session will get under way at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 19. It will address the contributions that service providers deliver in the areas of business development, government grants and contracts, market research, market strategy, marketing and team building.

The panel will feature six professionals who will present mission, goals, process and deliverables for third-party services.

Bo Varga, of the Strategic Synergy Group in La Honda, Calif., will give a presentation on building the nano team, including the key element of any job requisition, the performance requirement, and how performance requirements are driven by the business model, as well as building and maintaining the corporate culture, and motivating and retaining key employees.

Varga will lead the panel through the process, timing and costs of building the nano economic team, including the tradeoffs among permanent employees, long-term consultants and project consultants.

Varga can be reached at bvarga@stratsyn.com.

Melody Kean Haller, president of the Antenna Group in San Francisco, will address marketing and focus on building media and analyst relationships to create company momentum through media communication.

Marketing strategies help build nano venture sales, including joint ventures and strategic alliances, and nano venture funding. They also reinforce the identity and corporate culture of the nano venture.

Haller can be reached at melody@antennagroup.com.

Market research will be addressed by Bill Rus, president of Venture Analytics in Novato, Calif. During his presentation, he will discuss the challenges of bringing science into the marketplace and the role of MarketMaps in market research, new product validation, and competitive intelligence for new nano ventures and corporate growth projects.

Rus can be reached at bill.rus@ventureanalytics.com.

Brock Hinzmann, technology navigator, SRI Consulting — Business Intelligence of Menlo Park, Calif., will target market strategy. He will review the explorer research program focused on business opportunities in technology commercialization, from the original June 2001 Nano Technology Map targeted at executives, business development managers, new nano ventures, marketers, researchers and investors to two current studies on Nanoscale Chemicals and Materials and Polymer Nanocomposites.

Hinzmann can be reached at bhinzmann@sric-bi.com.

A presentation on business development will be given by John Barratt, president of Natural Carbon in Seattle. He will focus on the process of building joint ventures and strategic alliances between established companies in the energy sector and nano ventures seeking to establish traction or build business.

In order to contact Barratt, e-mail jbarratt@naturalcarbon.com.

The presenter for the segment on government grants and contracts will be announced at a later date.

For more, visit www.asme.org/nano. For updates on conference content, visit http://www.asmenews.org/latebrk/latebrk.html.

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