Hopefully everyone was able to see our very own Lesa Mitchell talk about the iBridge Network on CNBC, if not check out the homepage of the iBridge Network! Lesa and I were both in Detroit for the New Economy Initiative, the goal is to build 400 companies in the next 3 years, if you do the math that is a new company every 2.7 days! The iBridge Network is a huge part of this opportunity and is the base for a lot of the programs taking place in Michigan! We were in front of 500 emerging entrepreneurs that are very excited to use the Network as a source for finding new innovation and collaborators!

Yes, we have finally done it. Click here to find more information about the partnership and how you can take advantage of this great effort.

We have just announced our collaboration with the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC), an organization that promotes the efficient and effective transfer of knowledge and technology developed at academic institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

We are very excited to have a partnership with a group of some of the leading academic researchers and universities in the country. They include:

Baystate Health, Inc., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Biomedical Research Institute, Boston College, Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Inc., Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, McLean Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Tufts University, Tufts-New England Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, University of Massachusetts-  Amherst, University of Massachusetts-  Boston, University of Massachusetts-  Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts-  Lowell.

We are excited to continue partnerships of this kind, if you are interested please contact me at Katie@iBridgeNetwork.org.

Recently AUTM released numbers that are no guarantee, but seem to lead to the conclusion that TTOs will continue to do well in spite of the recession. As Abi Barrow, director of MATTO (an iBridge member), points out in The Journal of New England Technology, we must wait and see. The President’s stimulus package may make an impact, particularly in the areas of life sciences and cleantech.One thing that can help universities is marketing of the technologies that they have, making it easier for third-parties to find what they are looking for…something the iBridge Network has, and continues, to emphasize!

We are so excited to be working with Ben Franklin Technology Partners who is sponsoring seven research universities to use the iBridge Network to find collaboration partners, and to distribute and license items including software, research tools, databases, teaching materials, and patent-protected technologies. While several of the universities are all just getting started on the Network, the seven universities (with links to their profile pages) include:

• Drexel University
• Duquesne Unviersity
• Lehigh University
• Northeast Pennsylvania Technology Institute
• Pennsylvania State University
• Temple University
• University of Pennsylvania

Be sure to check back to see the new things that they have posted, or simply “follow” these universities on the iBridge Network with the iBNewsfeed to get personalized e-mails when these universities have posted new information.

To follow the universities simply click the iBNewsfeed link on any of their pages. The link looks like this:

To learn more about this relationship, be sure to check out our recent press release on the subject!

Latest headlines say Girls can do math! I knew it! Studies from the University of Wisconsin show the huge gap that once stood between boys and girls in math is gone. That is crazy exciting news for schools, universities, companies, well, anyone. There is a particular program taking place at one of our member schools, New Jersey Institute of Technology focusing on girls in areas of math and science. The program called Femme is open to 150 female students and five classes for girls in fourth through eighth grade. The once before statistic of girls falling 50 points behind boys in math has disappeared partially because of technology, such as texting and downloading. Teachers are jumping on the opportunity to ride the wave and show youngsters that math and science is the way to even more technology.

Interested in early stage innovation and entrepreneurship? We thought so! The Larta Institute is hosting the 14th Life Sciences Venture Forum on May 30 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

The Venture Forum is the largest - and longest running - showcase of early stage innovation and entrepreneurship. We hear that it is the must-attend event for those seeking access to the best quality deals from around the world. As Larta Institute’s landmark annual investment and partnering event, it is expected to showcase the most promising seed & early stage life science opportunities.

As one of the iBridge Network’s members, we know how robust Larta’s pipeline is, ranging from research funded by the National Institutes of Health to some of the most promising university spinouts from across the US. At the Venture Forum, the companies are carefully selected by a panel of leading investors and subject matter experts to ensure that each presenting company offers a solid and profitable business opportunity.

Sound good? You can receive a 30% discount off the registration fee, until May 16, 2008. Register now at http://theventureforum.com/registration.asp and use coupon code IBVF08 to take advantage of this special offer.

I just returned from beautiful, sunny Palm Springs, CA and DEMO 08. It’s been a year since we re-launched the iBridge Network there, and it was great to be back! As part of the Kauffman Foundation’s sponsorship, we had a booth and a panel of faculty. Dr. Steven Barlow, from the University of Kansas and Dr. Yannis Papakonstantinou, from the University of California, San Diego, gave their insights on the research and turning ideas into innovations. In addition to our outstanding panel, I want to give many congratulations to all the DEMO God winners for 2008. There were so many outstanding innovations and products, it was really amazing to see all of them in action during the demonstrations. I loved the Pulse Smartpen and Livescribe Paper, it is a computer in a pen that records and links audio to the paper! I know pretty amazing, if only I had that in college. The other product that really caught my eye was Flypaper. Flypaper allows the regular Joe to create multimedia communication without having to figure out Flash. I can’t wait until they are all available to the public, so I can put them to good use!

We also had many questions for the iBridge Network, and many people who have heard about us through the grapevine. We were able to demonstrate the functionality of the Web site and show many of the exciting innovations that you all have posted.

Pat Jones, Director of the University of Arizona Office of Technology Transfer, a charter iBridge Network school, was named the 2007 Technology Transfer Fellow by the University’s McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship. This recognition honors Pat’s work on the economic development of Arizona.

As a fellow, we know that Pat will fulfill his roll as a role models, teacher, and mentor, just as he and the University of Arizona have done for the iBridge Network.

Congrats from the entire iBridge Network community, Pat!

For those interested in learning more about the iBridge Network and how it works, note below our refreshed schedule of upcoming Information Sessions.

These sessions, held via WebEx-based conference calls, each last about one hour. Laura Paglione, iBridge Network director, leads these sessions about iBridge in a fully interactive manner with all attendees.

So here is our schedule of Information Sessions for April through May 2007:

• Friday, April 27, 3:00 PM Central
• Monday, April 30, 10:00 AM Central
• Monday, May 14, 3:00 PM Central
• Thursday, May 31, 10:00 AM Central

Signing up is easy, and we welcome your participation. Just click here and select the Information Session date that works for you. Once you do this, you’ll receive a confirmation email with all of the relevant information and with easy instructions to log into the session.

Any questions, send us an email at info@iBridgeNetwork.org. We look forward to talking with you in the weeks ahead.