National SBIR conference – Reno/Sparks – Nov 2-5, 2009
Save the Date – Nov. 2 – 5, 2009 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget
The national SBIR conference will be held for the first time ever in Nevada, November 2 – 5, 2009. The conference will bring together federal program administrators from all of the SBIR participating agencies (DOD, Health and Human Services, DOE, Dept. of Commerce, Dept. of Education, Dept. of Transportation, NASA, NSF, EPA, SBA, Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept. of Agriculture), venture capital and angel investors, large companies, secondary market and traditional lenders, university and federal laboratory representatives and other experts 
who provide assistance or are interested in doing business with early-stage ventures. Participants will also hear presentations by SBIR award winners who have successfully commercialized their research. Participants will also learn about opportunities while networking with peers involved in innovation.
Nevada’s 2009 conference, hosted by the Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC) and the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization (NIREC) and co-sponsored by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) will highlight energy – renewable and energy efficiency technologies. While the rest of the economy stumbles, the energy industry is thriving as federal agencies and investors seek out technologies and opportunities with promising futures. In the coming decades, the five pillars of clean energy – solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass are intended to form the cornerstone of many U.S. economies, including Nevada’s. Federal agencies need inventive entrepreneurs to help with research and development, including R&D related to energy.
