Early-stage Capital in the United States:
Moving Research Across the Valley of Death and the Role of SBIR

Agenda

April 16, 2010

Lecture Room

National Academy of Sciences

2100 C Street, NW

Washington, DC

8:45 AM           Welcome

                        Charles Wessner, Director, Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

The National Academies

9:00 AM           Issues and Opportunities from the

National Academies Review of SBIR

Jacques Gansler, Roger C. Lipitz Chair in Public Policy and Private Enterprise, University of Maryland

9:30 AM           Panel I:  SBIR at Defense and Energy

                        Moderator: Thomas Kalil, Deputy Director

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

                        New SBIR Initiatives at DARPA

                        Kaigham Gabriel, Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Staying Power-Unlocking Small Business Innovation                      

Kristina Johnson, Under Secretary of Energy, Department of Energy

The Department of Defense SBIR Program:  Innovation for Mission Needs

                        Alan Shaffer, Principal Deputy Director, Defense, Research, and Engineering,

Department of Defense

10:45 AM         Coffee Break

11:00 AM         Panel II: SBIR at NIH, NASA, and NSF

Moderator: Arun Seraphin, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Bringing Science to the Market: The National Cancer Institute SBIR Program*

                        Jonathan Niederhuber, Director, National Cancer Institute

                        NASA and the SBIR Program

                        Richard Howard, Deputy Chief Technologist, NASA  

The NSF and Innovation: SBIR and Partnership Programs

                        Thomas Peterson, Assistant Director, Engineering Directorate

National Science Foundation

12:00 PM          Lunch in the Refectory

1:00 PM            Luncheon Address: A European Perspective: Spain’s New Innovation Strategies

                        Juan Tomàs Hernani, Secretary General for Innovation,

Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain

1:30 PM            Panel III: Trends in Angel and Venture Funding

                        Moderator: Michael Borrus, Founding General Partner, X/Seed Capital

                        Current Challenges in Early-Stage Finance 

                        Ginger Lew, Senior Advisor, White House National Economic Council

Trends in Angel Investments

                        Marianne Hudson, Executive Director, Angel Capital Association

2:15 PM            Coffee Break

2:30 PM            Panel IV:  SBIR and Regional Economic Development: Building for Success

                        Moderator: Sean Greene, Associate Administrator for Investment,

Small Business Administration

EDA’s New Initiatives

                        John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development

Economic Development Administration

The Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority  

Jonathan Sider, Technology Investment Deputy Secretary

Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

TTDC: Tennessee Technology Development Corporation

                        Eric Cromwell, Tennessee Technology Development Corporation

3:30 PM            Panel V: Improving Access for Women and Minorities

                        Moderator: Tyrone Taylor, President, Capitol Advisors on Technology

Minority Angel Investor Network

                        Terrence Hicks, Minority Angel Investor Network

Connecting SBIR and High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech

                        Cynthia Padnos, Founding Managing Director, Illuminate Ventures

4:15 PM            Policy Roundtable: Options for Improving the SBIR Program

Moderator: Jacques Gansler, Roger C. Lipitz Chair in Public Policy and Private Enterprise, University of Maryland

5:00 PM            Adjourn to Reception in the Great Hall of the National Academy of Sciences

*Due to a last minute scheduling conflict, Dr. Niederhuber was unable to participate