In 2005, the Economic Development Council and its Technology Commercialization Task Force undertook a review of the state of technology and its commercialization in our region. A result of this effort was the release of a comprehensive report, "Defining an Economic Roadmap for the Region to Obtain the Benefits of Technology."

Committed to driving results from the recommendations contained in the report, the EDC and its Task Force has developed a series of programs in 2006 to further the Roadmap initiative. In March of this year, the Task Force conducted a Leadership Workshop, engaging community leaders in discussion of the Roadmap and its implementation.

Following the Leadership Workshop the Technology Commercialization Task Force created a series of technology forums to address the issues discussed and raised.

In May, The Task Force brought in leaders from model technology "clusters" in Cambridge, England, San Diego, and St. Louis to share their insights and advice for Chicago's technology entrepreneurs, as our region explores the potential for establishing a resource organization to provide connectivity, benchmarking, marketing and support for technology commercialization in the region. This May 15, 2006 forum was entitled, "Building a 'CONNECT-like' Organization in Chicago."

In September we will look at technology commercialization as it relates to manufacturing in our region. We will provide a fresh look at the current condition of our small and mid-sized manufacturing industries. From this, we will explore the technological opportunities and resources available for manufacturing; identify the obstacles and barriers restricting collaboration between the supply and demand sides of manufacturing technology; and offer solutions to help break down these barriers, improving accessibility and interaction. This forum will be presented in a panel format with ample time allotted for audience discussion and Q&A. The September 14, 2006 forum is titled, "Manufacturing Technology Commercialization Forum."

On November 14, 2006 we will present, "Commercializing Technology to Drive New Business Formation - The Experience of Entrepreneurs."

While the Chicago area ranked above average in biotechnology research activity, the Brookings Institution found that it was below average in commercialization. The lack of commercialization caused Chicago to fall just short of the 9 top biotechnology centers.

There is a need for the community to develop the consensus on how to support commercialization including providing leadership, investment and support for technology transfer from academic institutions to the commercial sector.

We expect active participation from leaders in the academic, governmental and industrial sectors to participate in these seminars and to help to define an economic development roadmap for the region for obtaining the benefits of technology. We hope to define a series of concrete achievable steps which the community can take to establish clusters and focus on areas of technology where the region has opportunities for excellence.