In 2005, the Economic Development Council and its Technology Commercialization Task Force (TCTF) undertook a review of the state of technology commercialization in this region. In a series of programs and study groups the Technology Commercialization Task Force brought together over 100 individuals from the public, private, academic and other sectors. Following a review of existing material on the matter and discussion of new ideas and concerns, the results were compiled in, "Defining an Economic Development Roadmap for the Region to Obtain the Benefits of Technology".

Since this report was published, the Task Force has continued to sponsor programs aimed at carrying out the recommendations contained in the Roadmap. In September of 2006, the EDC held a forum at UIC that provided a fresh look at the then-current condition of small and mid-sized manufacturing industries in our region. We then explored the technological opportunities and resources available for manufacturing and identified some of the obstacles and barriers restricting collaboration between the supply and demand sides of manufacturing technology. Solutions were offered by our panel to help break down these barriers, improving accessibility and interaction.

The Task Force now invites you to join us as we look at examples of technology access and transfer within our region's manufacturing industry. This breakfast forum will be presented in a "tag-team" format, with presentations from both the source and the receiving side of successful tech transfer efforts. Members of the manufacturing community will share their experiences, as they sought and obtained technology from local resources including Argonne National Laboratory, Bradley University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Purdue University and the University of Illinois. Representatives from these research institutions will then provide information on their tech transfer initiatives and explain how manufacturers can access available resources and assistance from them.

Attendees of this forum will receive useful information on how their peers identify technology needs, how they access local resources for tech transfer and development and how they utilize these resources to help improve their performance and grow their businesses. An aggressive agenda will provide a high volume of valuable information with time allotted for Q&A with the panel at the conclusion of the program.

Presentations from the forum:

How Can a Manufacturer Access Technology?
EDC Mission Statement

“Diamond Machines”
Neil Kane, President, Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc.

“Overview of Technology Access at Argonne”
Steve Ban, Director, Office of Technology Transfer, Argonne National Laboratory

“Winzeler Gear”
John Winzeler, President, Winzeler Gear and Mike Cassata, Engineer, Winzeler Gear

“A Commitment to Collaborate and Partner with Industry”
Steve Shade, Managing Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Purdue University

“Technology Transfer”
JB Mann, Research Engineer, Purdue University and CEO, M4 Sciences Corporation

“The Role of Small Business and Student/Faculty Entrepreneurship in Technology Transfer”
Charles J. Kuehmann, President/CEO, QuesTek Innovations, LLC

“Materials by Design: Computational Materials Engineering”
G.B. Olson, Northwestern University and QuesTek Innovations, LLC

“The Interprofessional Projects Program”
Thomas M. Jacobius, Director
Interprofessional Studies and Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO), Illinois Institute of Technology

“The Challenge to Find External Value Adding Resource Partners L & L and NCSA: A Success Story”
Jon Riley, Engineering and Development Manager, L & L Products, Inc.

“Anatomy of NCSA”
Merle E. Giles, Director, Private Sector Program/Economic Development
National Center for Supercomputing Applications, UIUC