Purdue News

March 19, 1999 Conference encourages small-business development WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Small businesses, entrepreneurs and university researchers can find out how to tap into $1.2 billion worth of federal funding at an upcoming conference at Purdue. The free conference, "Funding Technology-Based Businesses in Indiana," will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, in Loeb Playhouse at Purdue University. It is sponsored by Purdue, its Office of Industry Research and Technology Programs, and 20 other economic development organizations and universities throughout the state. Representatives from 10 federal agencies will outline their grant processes and offer tips on how to get Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) awards. The awards are available to U.S. companies, with 500 or fewer employees, to help defray start-up and business development costs. Participating agencies are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Education and Transportation. Other sessions will include one-on-one talks with the agency representatives, lectures by past award winners, and tips about marketing a product or idea to the government. Participants also can tour the Purdue Research Park and learn more about the business development resources at Purdue. Don K. Gentry, dean of the School of Technology and Purdue President Steven C. Beering's special assistant for economic development, said it's important for Indiana entrepreneurs, faculty and students to know the resources available for commercializing their ideas and inventions. "Purdue is actively promoting the creation of high-technology businesses in the state to provide more professional jobs and to ensure a strong economy," Gentry said. "SBIR and STTR grants are an excellent source of free capital for those types of businesses." The conference is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is recommended. Call the Purdue Business and Industrial Development Center at (765) 494-5858 or (800) 787-2432, register on-line, or e-mail your name, address and phone number to kbutz@purdue.edu. Source: Jeff Gunsher, associate director, Purdue Office of Industry Research and Technology Programs,(765) 496-3723; jgunsher@purdue.edu Writer: Kate Walker, (765) 494-2073; kate_walker@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page