With a $17.02 billion economic impact since 1984, 7,203 job creation impact, and 235 Maryland companies engaged in 2007 alone, the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute supports the State's technology economy by creating new ventures, educating entrepreneurial technologists and leveraging University resources to enhance Maryland companies.

• MTECH Cumulative Impact
  • Venture Creation
  • Company Partnerships
  • Job Creation
  • Company Outreach
  • Entrepreneurship Education
• MIPS Impact Data
• TAP Impact Data
• MTES Impact Data
• 2007 Significant Accomplishments in Brief

TOTAL: $17.02 billion economic impact on the State of Maryland (1984-2007)

Performance of the Top Products MIPS Research Has Contributed to:

* Total reported sales of Synagis since 1998, including three quarters of 2007
** Total revenue for Martek from 1993-2007, dominated by infant formula additive sales
*** Total available reported Network Systems revenue of the DirecTV Group since 2001, dominated by DIRECWAY sales, plus revenue reported for Hughes Communications in 2006 and the first three quarters of 2007. 2005 data is not available, as the company was being acquired.
**** Total Power Tools and Accessories Sales was $30.4 billion from 2001 through the first three quarters of 2007. The company does not provide sales figures for individual products.

2007 MIPS Job Creation

• In 2007, MIPS supported 32 university-based jobs and 46 company-based jobs to conduct the projects.

• Average salary of industry personnel supporting MIPS projects: $103,249 (data from 2006 projects)

• Future new job projections for 2007 participating companies are 1,381

• The MIPS budget of $2.05 M is projected to create a proposed 1,381 new jobs

• MIPS $ expended/job created $2.05M/1,381 = $1,481

• Economic development agencies’ accepted incentive-based job creation average is $10,000/job

• Future sales projections for commercial products created by 2007-funded projects are $2.5 billion

NOTE: TAP portfolio companies have raised $20 million in financing since 2004.

Additional Data

• Jobs created by TAP companies since 1987: 2,000

• TAP graduate Martek Biosciences (NASDAQ: MATK) has a market capitalization of $934 million.

• Total number of companies that have graduated from TAP: 60

• Awards and Rankings
  
• New Faces
• New Initiatives
• Program Highlights

Awards and Rankings

Excellence in Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Award
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships program received a national Excellence in Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Award in the Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industry category from the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI). The award recognizes initiatives expanding the innovation capacity of existing companies or industries to develop new leading edge products or services or significantly enhance the competitiveness of their existing operations. More»

Connolly Named One of 50 Influential Marylanders for 2007
Dr. Martha Connolly, director of MTECH Partnerships and director of the Clark School's Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) Program, was named one of 50 Influential Marylanders for 2007 by The Daily Record during a ceremony at the Baltimore Museum of Art on April 25. Connolly was selected in the area of technology.

MTECH, Hinman CEOs Cited in Fortune Small Business Magazine’s Top Programs for Undergrad Entrepreneurs
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH), as well as its Hinman CEOs Program and University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, were cited in the September issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine in its rankings of America's Best College for Entrepreneurs. Fortune Small Business lists the top 25 programs for undergraduates, in alphabetical order, after "seven months of interviews with hundreds of entrepreneurs, professors, students, alumni, university administrators, and venture capitalists," according to the magazine. Issue»

MIPS Companies Sweep Greater Baltimore Committee 2007 Baltimore Region Bioscience Awards
Four former Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) Program funding partners swept the Greater Baltimore Committee's 2007 Baltimore Region Bioscience Awards. Winners included: Lentigen Corporation, for Best New Product or Process; Blake M. Paterson, co-founder and CEO, Alba Therapeutics Corporation, for Leadership in Bioscience; Profectus Biosciences Inc., for Best Academic/Industry Collaboration; and Shira Kramer, president and founder, Sterilex Corporation, for Entrepreneurial Spirit. Winners were selected by a panel of judges from among 25 nominees submitted by businesses, bioscience advocates, higher education institutions and government agencies.

MTECH’s Hinman CEOs and Hillman Entrepreneurs programs cited in The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 50 Entrepreneurial Colleges for 2007
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute’s Hinman CEOs and Hillman Entrepreneur programs were cited in The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 50 Entrepreneurial Colleges for 2007. Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review surveyed more than 900 undergraduate and graduate schools about their offerings in entrepreneurship. The questions used in the ranking covered three basic areas: Academics & Requirements, Students & Faculty and Outside the Classroom. Issue»

New Faces

Dean Chang Named Director of MTECH Ventures
Dr. Dean Chang, who brings 15 years of combined experience in Silicon Valley, as well as degrees from MIT, Stanford, and Wharton, joined the Clark School on May 1 as director of MTECH Ventures. Chang previously held the dual roles of chief technology officer and vice president of gaming business at Immersion Corporation, a company he helped guide over ten years from a four-person, venture-backed, Silicon Valley startup to a $200M publicly traded technology leader (NASDAQ: IMMR). Dean was a Pi Tau Sigma graduate from MIT; he holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, as well as both an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA with honors, and received the highest distinction of Palmer Scholar, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Chang holds 30 U.S. and international patents in the field of haptics.  More»

Paul Allenza Named Director of the Bioprocessing Research and Education Program (BREP)
Paul Allenza joined the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute as the new director of the Biotechnology Research and Education Program (BREP), an initiative dedicated to the research, education and development of biotechnology products and processes for Maryland companies. With 22 years of combined microbiology, discovery research and managerial experience in both business and academe, Allenza is well-positioned to work with both faculty and companies. Allenza spent 13 years with FMC Corporation, a $2 billion Philadelphia-based chemical company specializing in agricultural products, as well as industrial and specialty chemicals. As both senior research manager and senior manager of technology acquisition and licensing at the company's research facility in Princeton, N.J., Allenza was responsible for multi-million-dollar research and development programs and alliances. A graduate from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology, Allenza attended the University of Massachusetts for his doctorate, after which he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle. More»

Jim Chung Named Director of the VentureAccelerator Program
Jim Chung joined the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute as the new director of the VentureAccelerator Program, MTECH’s initiative for helping faculty and students launch successful technology-based ventures. Chung previously held the role of director of new business development for the Corporate Executive Board, where he helped build the company's mergers and acquisitions capabilities and contributed to the recent $59 million acquisition of ITtoolbox. Prior to the Corporate Executive Board, Chung was vice president of Intervale Capital (formerly Cherington Capital), a private equity firm investing in middle-market manufacturing and service businesses in the oil and gas industry, where he helped execute the acquisition of Ulterra Drilling Technologies (formerly Rockbit International). With a bachelor's degree in political science with honors, and a master's degree in international policy studies from Stanford University, Chung is also a Ph.D. candidate on leave from MIT. More»

New Initiatives

$250,000 Impact Pre-Seed Fund
Solypsis Co-Founder Warren Citrin supported a new, $250K Impact Pre-Seed Fund for socially responsible companies founded by students in the Hinman CEOs and Hillman Entrepreneurs programs. The fund offers grants, in $500 to $5,000 increments, to students who present business plans for new companies that benefit society. Seed Fund Grants of $2,000 to $5,000 are awarded to thoroughly researched, well-developed plans, while Opportunity Assessment Grants of $500 to $1,000 are given to promising ideas that require further research to assess the opportunity. More»

New Hillman Entrepreneurs Student Center Unveiled
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute unveiled a new center for the inaugural class of students in the Hillman Entrepreneurs Program at the University of Maryland. The Hillman Student Entrepreneurs Center serves as both a professional and academic workspace, replete with a seminar room, modern computing facility, lounge area with kitchen amenities and a special "Idea Room" designed by Hillman students as a place where they can brainstorm and hatch ideas in a trusted environment. More»

VentureAccelerator Program, Technology Advancement Program Launch Entrepreneur Office Hours
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute’s VentureAccelerator Program and Technology Advancement Program began hosting free office hours for entrepreneurs. VentureAccelerator offers open office hours on the second Tuesday of every month for students, faculty, and staff interested in entrepreneurship. The collaborative effort also includes representatives from the Office of Technology Commercialization, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, the Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center, experienced Entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists (including on a rotating basis, investment professionals from Novak Biddle Venture Partners, RedShift Ventures, HIG Ventures, CNF Investments, LLC, and Amplifier Venture Partners, LP). The Technology Advancement Program also launched open office hours for regional entrepreneurs. Open office hours are designed to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to receive advice on how to build and finance a startup company, develop and protect intellectual property, understand the technology transfer process, brainstorm business strategies, and tap into other entrepreneurial resources.

Clark School, Smith School Launch New Innovation Management Executive Education Program
The A. James Clark School of Engineering, through its Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, in conjunction with the Robert H. Smith School of Business, launched a novel collaborative executive education series that offers the best of the two world-class professional schools. Pairing award-winning entrepreneurs and faculty from business and engineering, the program will provide participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed and excel in today's rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive global economy. The joint Certificate in Innovation Management Program is a five-module series that focuses on specific aspects of business and innovation. Participants completing four of the one-day modules earn a certificate in Innovation Management from the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the A. James Clark School of Engineering. The program is designed for entrepreneurs, small-business owners and executives in corporate venturing. More»

MTES Launches New RFID Assessment Program
The Maryland Technology Extension Service launched a new radio-frequency identification (RFID) assessment program for a limited number of companies at no cost. Required by suppliers to the Department of Defense and Wal-Mart and used by Dow Chemical, Sony and Boeing, RFID-a system for wirelessly identifying and exchanging information with objects-has saved organizations millions of dollars by improving supply chains, productivity, asset management and workflow. MTES offers Maryland companies on-site RFID assessments at no cost. Assessments start with a review of a company's productivity or security-related issues. Possible RFID solutions are then studied, after which a report is provided including potential costs and return on investment. More»

MTECH, Clark School, Smith School Host Inaugural Angel Investing Event
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, in conjunction with the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Robert H. Smith School of Business, hosted the university’s inaugural Impact of Angel Investing seminar on Sept. 18 for distinguished alumni. The private seminar provided an overview of angel investing for alumni with limited angel investment experience, as well as experienced investors interested in networking with other alumni. Speakers for the Impact of Angel Investing seminar included: C. D. Mote, Jr., president of the University of Maryland; MTECH Ventures Director Dean Chang; Technology Advancement Program Director Sarah Djamshidi; Asher Epstein, managing director of the Smith School’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship; Melissa Carrier, director of venture investment and social entrepreneurship for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship; Tony Stanco, executive director of Angel Investors of Greater Washington; and Mark Walsh, managing partner of Ruxton Ventures, LLC and senior fellow at the Smith School. Companies presenting to alumni included Zymetis, Inc., a University of Maryland spin-off developing cost-effective methods for producing bio-ethanol, and Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, an award winning microbrewery that gives a portion of its proceeds to local fire stations. More»

Program Highlights

TAP Graduate Digene Acquired for $1.6 Billion
Digene Corporation, a graduate of the Technology Advancement Program (TAP), announced a deal on June 3 to be acquired by Netherlands-based Qiagen NV, a maker of genetic testing equipment, for $1.6 billion. Digene was a portfolio company in TAP from 1985 to 1988. More»

University of Maryland Hosts Seventh Annual $50K Business Plan Competition
MTECH hosted the seventh annual University of Maryland Business Plan Competition on on April 27. Winners, in the categories of Faculty/Graduate Students, Alumni, and Undergraduate Students, offered new technologies for medical imaging, wireless vital sign monitors for medical patients, and educational kits for teaching Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems fabrication at the college level. Finalists were selected among 18 semifinalists, and nearly 60 initial entries. More»

Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program Awards U.S. Senate Productivity, Maryland Quality Awards
The Clark School’s Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program, along with U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin, recognized nine high-performing organizations with the Maryland Performance Excellence Awards on March 12. Baltimore-based Chimes won the prestigious U.S. Senate Productivity Award. Maryland Quality Awards were given to Asbury Communities, Asbury Methodist Village Inc., Howard Community College, Lorch Microwave, Mechanicsville Elementary School, Savantage Financial Services Inc., and SGT Inc. Household of Angels Assisted Living received a Certificate of Recognition. The Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program recognizes and honors high-performing organizations in Maryland. Given since 1983 by Maryland's U.S. Senators and the University of Maryland, the awards foster process-based, measurable, continuous improvement that drives results, creating successful organizations that strengthen the Maryland economy. More»

MIPS Announces its 39th Round, Supports Research Projects Teaming 28 Maryland Companies, Faculty
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) approved 28 new research projects teaming faculty with Maryland companies to develop commercial products. The projects included new cell-phone software for first responders, real-time, wireless video surveillance for law enforcement, explosives detection, new methods for drug delivery, and personalized cancer treatment. Worth $5.2 million, the projects combine $3.3 million from participating companies and $1.9 million from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. Funding supports work in the laboratories of participating faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their product development. More»

MIPS Announces its 40th Round, Supports Research Projects Teaming 23 Maryland Companies, Faculty
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) announced the approval of 23 new research projects partnering Maryland companies with university researchers to develop high-tech commercial products. Worth $3.6 million, the projects combine $2.1 million from participating companies and $1.5 million from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. Funding supports work in the laboratories of participating university system faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their product development. Projects included work in digital forensics, the structural monitoring of bridges, wireless sensor networks, and inexpensive methods for producing ethanol from plant sources. More»

University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp Draws Almost 600 Registrants from 25 Colleges
Approximately 597 persons from 25 colleges in the regional and nationally registered for the University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, one of the region’s premier events for both aspiring and seasoned technology entrepreneurs looking to gain new inspiration, knowledge, insight, and connections that will ignite their ideas and startups. Hosted by the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, the Boot Camp has grown from 100 University of Maryland attendees in 2001 to an average of 400 registrants from 16 universities in the region for the past three years. The event features 25 new venture experts, grant makers, angel investors, venture capitalists, and both active and aspiring entrepreneurs, who will speak or engage in panels on topics such as how to assess your idea, how to fund your venture, how secure your intellectual property, how to market successfully, and how to perfect both your business plan and elevator pitch.