Great ideas get their day:
The Missouri Technology Expo premiers in October

Great ideas are only great if there is a way to turn them into reality.

And doing that takes support, patience and money.

Missouri innovators can start taking the steps to put the right pieces together on Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center when the Missouri Technology Expo premiers on the MU campus.

"The goal of the Expo is to create a bridge uniting innovators with those whose resources can advance research as well as develop and commercialize technologies," says Jim Gann, Director of Technology Business Development for the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers in Columbia, and a member of the Expo planning committee. "The Expo will foster relationships between the MU academic community and industry partners and thus serve as a catalyst for economic development."

The vision for the Expo is "Technology today, propelling the innovations of tomorrow." In addition to providing a unique educational experience for participants, the planning committee hopes the Expo will create an awareness of ongoing research in Missouri, help innovators establish key relationships with potential commercial partners and market their technologies for licensing or research collaborations and stimulate investment in critical technologies.

The Expo will feature several different types of sessions, including Elevator Pitch Presentations, 9-10 minute presentations of featured technologies. In addition, the planning committee is accepting abstracts for poster submissions. The Expo is open to all industry sectors; however, priority will be given to companies or institutions seeking capital within industries known to attract venture capital or acquisition or licensing partners. Favored sectors include advanced materials, energy, life science, nanotechnology, software, semiconductors and chemical and manufacturing innovations.

Sponsors of the Missouri Technology Expo include the University of Missouri Office of Research, the University of Missouri Office of Technology Management and Industry Relations, the MU Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Center and Regional Economic Development, Inc., of Columbia.

The registration fee for the Expo is $30. Exhibitors will need to pay a $100 fee to have a booth space. More information on how to register, specifications for the Elevator Pitch Presentations and guidelines for the poster submissions can be found at muconf.missouri.edu/MTE2010.

This story was featured in the Aug. 2010 newsletter