Maine Technology Institute Announces March 26 Deadline for Applications for Cluster Initiative Program Awards

January 7, 2009

For Immediate Release
January 7, 2009

Roger Brooks, Hal Norvell
Maine Technology Institute
(207) 582-4790
hnorvell@mainetechnology.org

Maine Technology Institute Announces March 26 Deadline for Applications for Cluster Initiative Program Awards

Awards of up to $500,000 Available for For-Profits, Nonprofits and

Academic Institutions

GARDINER, Maine – The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has announced March 26, 2009, as the application deadline for the next round of Cluster Initiative Program awards. The recently expanded program supports industry-led projects that build on Maine’s strengths and address gaps in its seven technology sectors. The program funds collaborative efforts to spread knowledge and skills, build connections among businesses, connect them to research and service partners, and address common opportunities and challenges, leading to more vibrant economic growth and innovation in Maine’s high-potential technology clusters.

MTI President Betsy Biemann explained, “In recent years we’ve seen the development of such clusters as composite materials, geospatial technology and diagnostic materials that were recently confirmed by a report highlighting the state’s 16 sustainable, emerging and potential technology clusters, Maine’s Technology Sectors and Clusters: Status and Strategy. This new program will help super charge those clusters and help Maine continue to develop its globally competitive economy.”

Roger Brooks, manager of commercialization and cluster support at MTI, further explained the new program. “The Cluster Innovation Program is designed to strengthen business networks, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and support projects that strategically advance Maine’s technology clusters. Applicants will be required to show how they are using the best practices of cluster development in Maine and other regions of the country. In particular, MTI is interested in supporting collaborative efforts to foster innovation leading to commercial success, whether in clusters that are already developed or those in a formative stage. For-profits, nonprofits and academic institutions may all apply.”

He continued, “There are two levels of awards. Applications for awards of $50,000 or less for planning or feasibility studies may be applied for on a rolling basis. Applications for projects up to $500,000 will be reviewed and awarded competitively through a Request for Applications.” March 26, 2009, is the application deadline for the next round of these competitive awards. All cluster initiative awards require matching funds on a 1:1 basis. Applicants must also have either attended an MTI workshop or met with MTI to review eligibility requirements, the application and the review process. Please check the MTI website for workshop dates, times and registration information.

Details about the Cluster Initiative Program, the current Request for Applications and its application forms are on MTI’s website at www.mainetechnology.org. The report, Maine’s Technology Sectors and Clusters: Status and Strategy, may also be downloaded on the site. Applications are due in MTI’s office by 5 p.m., Thursday, March 26. Late applications will not be accepted.

MTI is a publicly financed nonprofit corporation created by the Legislature in 1999 to stimulate research and development leading to the commercialization of new products, processes and services in the state’s seven technology-intensive industrial sectors. Programs strengthen the competitive position of those sectors and increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity and create new jobs. Visit www.mainetechnology.org for more information on Cluster Initiative Program awards and other MTI programs.

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