FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --

Oregon BEST Launches New Phase of Successful Commercialization Grant Program
Expanded program includes $1M in Commercialization Grants and acceleration support services to fuel growth of cleantech industry in Oregon

Media Contact: Gregg Kleiner, 541-740-9654
Sources: Ken Vaughn, ken.vaughn (at) oregonbest.org, 503-725-9801; David Kenney, 503-894-9351, Ext. 101

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) has launched a new phase of its successful Commercialization Program, including more than $1 million in Oregon BEST Commercialization Grants the center expects to fund during the next 12-18 months.

The Oregon BEST Commercialization Program accelerates the commercialization of technologies developed collaboratively by universities and small businesses in Oregon. It assists researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs in early-stage development activities that help ready innovations for private investment. The goal of the program is to keep Oregon on the leading edge of cleantech innovation, expand cleantech research at Oregon universities and grow jobs for Oregonians in the cleantech sector, which is expected to experience significant growth for decades to come.

“We’re building on a successful program that Oregon BEST introduced last year,” said Ken Vaughn, the new Program Manager of Oregon BEST’s Commercialization Program. “Our aim is to provide targeted support in the form of grant funds and commercialization support services that help move the best innovations to the stage where they are viable business enterprises. We look for opportunities where a modest investment can stimulate follow-on investments by other funding sources and private industry and result in the formation of high quality jobs in a growing sector of our economy.”

The Commercialization Program connects innovators to resources such as the Oregon BEST network of shared-user research facilities and individuals with expertise in laboratory research, entrepreneurship and the unique challenges of the cleantech industry, Vaughn said.

Oregon BEST continues to see a steady stream of innovations with commercialization potential from researchers and entrepreneurs, including four collaborations that were awarded Oregon BEST Commercialization Grants last year:

• INDOW WINDOWS, has received a growing number of awards and accolades from angel investors and the green building industry, including being one of two runners up in the National Finals of the Clean Tech Open competition. Collaboration with the Green Building Research Laboratory, an Oregon BEST signature research facility at Portland State University, provided testing and proof of performance benefits of the company’s products, helping fuel growth and distribution.
• GREEN LITE MOTORS is collaborating with the Oregon Institute of Technology in the development of a 100-mpg gas-electric hybrid vehicle and has attracted a follow-on grant from the Oregon Transportation Research & Education Consortium.
• TRILLIUM FIBERFUELS, collaborating with Oregon State University researchers to develop a cost effective process for making fuel-grade ethanol from feedstocks such as straw from ryegrass and wheat, was recently awarded two Small Business Innovation Research grants.
• CORVALLIS TOOL COMPANY, working with the Green Building Materials Laboratory, an Oregon BEST signature research facility at Oregon State University, has designed a commercial scale facility for densifying softwood so it can be used as sustainable building products ranging from flooring to beams.

“Last year’s Commercialization Grant recipients were from a variety of segments within the cleantech industry and from different stages on the development continuum,” said Oregon BEST Executive Director David Kenney. “We are optimistic about their ongoing progress and plan to make grants to a larger group of recipients in 2012. We are happy to be able to offer an expanded program in support of cleantech innovation and economic development in Oregon.”

The new application process is now open and uses rolling deadlines. The first awards will be announced in the first quarter of 2012.

The grants are awarded to collaborations between small businesses and Oregon BEST member faculty at partner universities: Portland State University, Oregon State University, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Technology. Oregon BEST can help form the collaborating teams for researchers or startup companies who do not have existing partnerships in place.

Projects are selected based on an evaluation of technical merit, commercial viability, strength of the proposing team and job creation potential. Interested applicants should visit http://oregonbest.org/commercialization to download the Program Guidelines and application forms. For further information, contact Ken Vaughn via email or 530-320-3935.

About Oregon BEST: The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) brings together Oregon’s significant R&D strengths in the key innovation clusters of renewable energy and sustainable built environment products and services, with the goal of increasing research and accelerating public/private partnerships to transform that research into on-the-ground business opportunities and Oregon jobs. Since being established by the Oregon Legislature in 2007, Oregon BEST’s 200+ member faculty have generated more than $47 million in research revenue from federal, industry and foundation sources to Oregon. At its four partner universities (Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, and University of Oregon), Oregon BEST has established a network of seven shared-user research facilities that specialize in research ranging from solar and wind energy to high-tech building insulation, windows, architecture, eco-districts, and more. http://oregonbest.org