8th Annual Biz Fair! Egan Center, May 2, 2008.
Come hear  key note speaker Sam Richter, president of the James J. Hill Reference Library. He is a nationally sought after speaker on topics ranging from online searching to effective selling to value-based leadership. He is a published author and has been featured in hundreds of publications, television programs, and radio shows.

Additionally, the Small Business Development Center is  offering  business seminars for making your companies more successful!  See www.aksbdc.org for more details and to register or call 274-7232.

The Wall Street Journal reports that this week "Eureka Ranch Technology Ltd. of Cincinnati plans to unveil the USA National Innovation Marketplace -- an online registry where researchers and inventors can post ideas they've developed. Businesses can then browse through those ideas by category, much like searching through résumés at a job-hunting site. If the companies see something they like, they can contact the inventor to buy the idea or collaborate on it." 

The Proposal: A new online marketplace will let small businesses find researchers with ideas to sell -- and pitch their own work to big companies.

To paraphrase an old automobile ad campaign, the SBIR program reauthorized for two years by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday is not your father’s SBIR program as it was created and sustained for the past 25 years. Nor would it be the same, smaller STTR program if the bill becomes law.
 
H.R. 5819 means bigger awards, but fewer awards. It means more flexibility as to when research projects can enter the SBIR/STTR process. It clarifies and expands eligibility to include companies owned by venture capital firms. It opens up significant subcontracting opportunities. It has, for the first time, requirements to give preferences in SBIR/STTR awards to companies based on geographic and demographic considerations.
 
Also reauthorized in the bill is a dramatically changed Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST). FAST would make two-year matching grants of up to $250,000 to support state SBIR/STTR outreach and proposal assistance. An amendment introduced by Rep Carney (R-PA) that was passed by voice vote, requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to give preference in making FAST awards to proposals involving Small Business Development Centers that are certified by the SBA to assist technology companies (SBTDCs).
 
Whether or not the program is improved or impaired by all of the proposed changes is a matter of debate among members of Congress, the broader SBIR community, and other entities serving as champions and opponents on specific elements of the bill. Whether it means more innovation or less remains to be seen over the two years of its authorization.
 

The NBC news crew, led by weekend anchor Lester Holt, arrived to a fresh layer of snow when they landed in Anchorage last week. Holt, who spent a few years of his childhood in Anchorage, taped an interview with UAA's Vice Provost for Research, Douglas Causey, on global warming and the melting of glaciers in Alaska.Recorded at the face of Spencer Glacier, this segment will air on the "Today Show", 5-7 a.m., NBC (KTUU Channel 2) and NBC Nightly News, 5:30 p.m., NBC (KTUU Channel 2) on April 26 and April 27. Holt also traveled to Fairbanks to do a piece on the Chena Hot Springs.

A new study issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA) asks and answers the question, “Are Male and Female Entrepreneurs Really That Different?” Their paper reveals more similarities than dissimilarities; however, the differences may be instructive to those who study ventures between genders.

Motivation: Women are more interested in achieving work-family balance, and in seeking work that is personally fulfilling.

• Effort: Female entrepreneurs invest less time in their businesses.
• Identifying opportunity: Women utilize different sources of information about opportunities.
• Type of business: Women are less likely to be in manufacturing and high-tech businesses.
• Venture size: Women’s start-up businesses are smaller.
• Expectations for performance: Women have less confidence in their entrepreneurial abilities and form smaller businesses.
• Start-up problems: Women entrepreneurs face more problems.

The 61-page report contains plenty of data and should stimulate discussion. Download it at www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs309tot.pdf.

Many of America’s leading innovative companies utilize the popular research and development tax credit, but unfortunately, the process for using the credits has become much too complicated and cumbersome. A new legislative plan from Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA) seeks to remedy this situation. His bill, the Innovation Tax Credit Act (H.R. 5681) would address these challenges by making the R&D tax credit permanent. At present, the credit is temporary and requires regular renewal by Congress. This process has the effect of increasing uncertainty about the credit’s future existence. Computing the credit is also quite complicated. HR 5681 would simplify the process by consolidating the current batch of five related credits into one simplified tax credit that will ultimately provide a credit for up to twenty percent of the cost of qualified R&D expenditures. Learn more about HR 5681, the Innovation Tax Credit Act of 2008.

The declining value of the U.S. dollar and other business cost considerations are giving the U.S. a favorable cost advantage compared to other industrialized nations in Europe, Japan and Australia, according to a new biennial report from KPMG. The 2008 Edition of KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives collects data over a range of industries, such as precision manufacturing and biomedical R&D, to compare 136 metro areas in 10 countries. When looking at aggregate national business costs across various sectors, Japan and Germany are 14.3 percent and 16.8 percent higher, respectively, than the U.S. Canada’s overall business costs are 0.6 percent lower than the U.S., and Mexico’s costs are 20.5 percent lower than those of the U.S.
 

“Succeeding in Business Against the Odds"  Panel members discuss how they found success for their business ideas through competitive SBIR funding, surprising Alaskan alliances, and being committed to their dreams and values.”

This inspiring and motivational forum will have you asking if you’re doing enough for your business to ensure its success. Join us and learn how Lyn Freeman and Joan Herrmann, with the help of Carolyn Pratt, found funding for their business ideas, discovered unusual and surprisingly approachable alliances and partners in Alaska, and learned that despite their progress they must have the fortitude and determination everyday to achieve greater heights of success.  $20 in advance, $25 at the door.  Breakfast will be a plated Chef's choice.  Egan Center.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks recently launched the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, a new research unit to investigate energy options for the state.

“The time is right for an organization like the Alaska Center for Energy and Power to address a variety of state needs for applied energy research,” said Dan White, director of the UAF’s Institute of Northern Engineering, which will house the center.

ACEP organizational director Gwen Holdmann said the center will research both renewable energy resources and how energy fits into the state’s economic development picture. Its focus will be applied research and it will form partnerships with businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the state.

The center’s interdisciplinary research will focus on three areas, Holdmann said. Researchers will look for ways to reduce energy costs in rural Alaska, she said, and will also investigate large-scale energy resources to power energy-intensive industries. The center’s third focus will be on fossil fuels and new developments in things like heavy oils, gas hydrates and carbon sequestration. Holdmann also said the center could offer training and educational opportunities to businesses and the public, such as seminars on energy and energy technology.

An interesting new initiative from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development is seeking to generate and disseminate new ideas for sustainable development. The Eco-Patent Commons is an on-line database of existing patents that corporations and individuals have made available, without royalties, to anyone with an interest in using the new technologies in ways that benefit the environment. The website contains a searchable database of eco-friendly patents that are available for public use. Learn more about World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Eco-Patent Commons program.