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  • CUTEC

    09 May 2011
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  • Table of contents:

    1. ONE MONTH TO GO: CUTEC's 8th Annual Technology Ventures Conference - 9 June 2011
    2. Technology Start-up Showcase & Competition
    3. Ideas Economy workshops - new addition to the Technology Ventures Conference
    4. News from CfEL
    5. Follow us!

  • 1. ONE MONTH TO GO: CUTEC's 8th Annual Technology Ventures Conference - 9 June 2011

    It is only one month to go until this year’s Technology Ventures Conference (TVC, http://tvc2011.cutec.org) which will address the importance of the Ideas Economy and its impact on high-tech clusters.

    To be held on 9th June 2011 at the Cambridge Union Society, we are delighted to have an impressive range of speakers confirmed, including the CEO of Virgin Galactic (George Whitesides), Global Business Development at P&G (Mike Addison) and the BBC Technology Correspondent (Rory Cellan-Jones), a full line up of speakers is listed below. It has been recently featured in the Business Weekly news. (http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/hi-tech/11717-cambridge-s...)

    In addition, there will be a:
    • Cambridge Diamond Exhibition - which includes well-established companies such as ARM, MedImmune, Redgate, Plastic Logic
    • Technology start-up showcase & competition - an exhibition of technology start-ups, where selected finalists will get the opportunity to pitch to an Investors' Panel. We are currently still accepting applications for this showcase/competition (see next item for further details)
    • Ideas Economy Workshops - Healthcare workshop organised by GSK, Open Innovation by Mozilla and Cleantech by Shell Springboard. (For further details see the article on TVC workshops)
    • An interactive smart phone application along with on-line streaming, which will enhance interactions and networking for the pre and post conference.

    Registration is now open. Please register at: http://tvc2011.eventbrite.com/

    We look forward to seeing you there!

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    CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

    George Whitesides (CEO of Virgin Galactic)
    Dick Powell (Co-founder of Seymourpowell)
    Pamela Hartigan (Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford)
    Roland Harwood (Co-Founder and Networks Partner at 100%Open)
    Ted Shelton (CEO of Open-First)
    Mike Addison (Global Business Development, Procter and Gamble)
    Peter Boyd (COO, Carbon War Room)
    Walter De Brouwer (CEO, One Laptop Per Child Europe)
    Darren Westlake (DIrector, Crowdcube)
    Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen (CEO, Vestergaard Frandsen)
    Vinay Gupta and Tom Wright (Founders, Whipcar)

    MODERATORS:
    David Rowan (Editor, WIRED magazine)
    Rory Cellan-Jones (Technology Correspondent, BBC)

    WORKSHOPS:
    Shell Springboard (Cleantech)
    Mozilla (Open Innovation)
    Healthcare (GSK)

  • 2. Technology Start-up Showcase & Competition

    As part of the Technology Ventures Conference this year, CUTEC will be hosting a technology start-up showcase and competition.

    We are looking to select 18 start-ups to exhibit their technology/service on the day of the conference. The companies will be given the opportunity to provide a one minute video pitch, to be advertised on our website and throughout the conference. Five start-ups will be selected by the delegates using our conference smart phone application, and the finalists will take part in the Investors Panel finale. All 5 finalists will be given business advice from industry experts such as BDO and Keltie, and the winning company will receive the grand prize similar to last year, which was a 3 month placement at the Plug and Play Tech Centre in Silicon Valley, USA.

    The first stage is to register your interest online via the website (http://tvc2011.cutec.org/?page_id=272) - this is free and there is no obligation at this point. We will then invite the selected companies to register on eventbrite.

    If you have any questions please contact Liz Williams (eglw2 at cam.ac.uk)

  • 3. Ideas Economy workshops - new addition to the Technology Ventures Conference

    The Technology Ventures Conference 2011 focuses on engaging and connecting ideas and delegates at the conference will be able to experience 'Ideas Economy' through one of the interactive workshops:

    - Healthcare led by GlaxoSmithKline (more information to be released closer to date)
    - Clean-tech led by Shell Springboard (information below)
    - Open innovation led by Mozilla (information below)

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    Mozilla workshop

    Mozilla is a global, non-profit organization dedicated to making the Web better. We emphasize principle over profit, and believe that the Web is a shared public resource to be cared for, not a commodity to be sold. We work with a worldwide community to create free, open source products like Firefox, and to innovate for the benefit of the individual and the betterment of the Web. The result is great products built by passionate people and better choices for everyone. For more information, visit http://www.mozilla.org

    Creativity Game: Design The Box
    In this session we’re going to play a creativity game called ‘design the box’. This game helps bring stakeholders together to make and document important decisions about project vision without dropping into a meeting coma. This technique can be applied at all stages of the product development lifecycle to almost any product or service you can imagine (especially those that don’t actually fit into boxes!) You will learn how to play and facilitate the game for use in your own projects.

    --------------
    Shell Springboard workshop

    This workshop will provide the attendees with an opportunity to perceive actual ideas about how small/medium businesses in cleantech, specifically low carbon market in the UK, are like. The guest moderator of the workshop is Ms Jennifer Marsden, Social Investment Programme Manager of Shell Springboard. Shell Springboard is a programme that provides a financial boost to innovative, low carbon business ideas from across the UK. It was launched in 2005, and has awarded £1.92 million to 53 businesses among over 900 applications from small business owners throughout the UK. The programme has also commissioned research, which explores the attitudes of small businesses to climate change and the business opportunity in the UK and global low carbon markets. Businesses supported by Shell Springboard then embark on a journey to further develop their ideas, bring new products to market, increase their profit margins but most importantly, help to reduce greenhouse gases.

    In this workshop, the attendees will brainstorm and discuss solutions for the problems such businesses are facing.

    The agenda will be as follows:
    • Brainstorm
    - Issues that small/medium enterprises face when trying to find funding
    - Main barriers to start-ups in the low carbon business in the UK
    • Find solutions
    - Potential ways to improve offering to small/medium enterprises in the UK through Springboard Prize
    • Feedback
    - Findings throughout Jennifer Marsden’s work with the start-ups.

    Jennifer will bring the past challenge winners of the programme to the workshop, so the attendees of this workshop will have chances to see the hands-on experiences, consider realistic problems, and discuss practical solutions.

  • 4. News from CfEL

    10 FREE places available for EPSRC funded students from the University of Cambridge on Ignite, 3rd to 8th July 2011

    Do you have a technology business idea or innovation? Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to develop your idea.

    This unique, intensive programme offered by the University of Cambridge every year aims to fast track technology and innovation ideas to commercial reality. The blend of practical teaching sessions, one to one and group clinics, mentors’ sessions and expert advice from leading entrepreneurs and innovators will give participants the tools, contacts and confidence to transform their idea or innovation into a successful business project or venture.

    Who is it for?
    Ignite is open to individual students, graduates or academics considering their own venture; as well as solo scientists or technologists seeking to commercialise a new product or service. It is also open to corporate entrepreneurs and innovators. Since 1999, over 400 people from 25 countries have attended Ignite leading to approximately 120 business ventures, start ups and spin outs. Funding via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is supporting a limited number of places for University of Cambridge students.

    Interested in applying? Contact the CfEL team by email: ignite@jbs.cam.ac.uk

    http://www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk

  • 5. Follow us!

    As CUTEC's Technology Ventures Conference draws near, don't forget to follow us for the latest information regarding speakers, sponsors, technology showcase & competition, diamond exhibition and many more on:

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/CUTEC

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambridge-University-Techno...

    Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=42349

    CUTEC website: http://www.cutec.org

    TVC website: http://tvc2011.cutec.org

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