UMaine Announces Statewide Forest Bio-Products Business Plan Competition
Contact: Renee Kelly, 581-1141, George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO – The University of Maine Student Innovation Center (SIC) is seeking participants for the 2007 statewide Forest Bio-Products Research Project (FBRP) small business development awards competition this spring.
Prospective participants are asked to describe the commercialization of a product or service for use in the fields of forestry, pulp and paper, engineering, chemistry, nanotechnology, wood science, biology, ecology, environmental studies, physics, material science, math, earth and soil science or resource economics and policy that have relevance to forest bio-products.
Prizes, to be awarded April 6, include: $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second place, $1,000 for third place and a $500 encouragement award. To be eligible, participants must be full or part-time undergraduate or graduate students registered for 2006-2007 academic year at any college or university in Maine.
Commercialization plans may be submitted by individuals or teams of up to five students. Teams may include non-students, as long as at least one student member is an integral partner in the project.
Commercialization plans must be for start-up businesses and not for an existing business.
Teams may submit plans for their own product ideas or one provided by the FBRP.
Information about product ideas provided by the FBRP will be presented at a Feb. 6 workshop being held at the new Student Innovation Center on the Orono campus.
Several workshops are scheduled over the next few months to assist prospective team members in preparing business plans and with other competition requirements.
They are:
Feb. 6, 3 — 5 p.m.: Forest Bio-Products Business Opportunities Workshop at the SIC;
Feb. 14: How to Write the Plan Workshop at the SIC;
Feb. 26: Notice of intent to compete due by 4 p.m. at the SIC (National Entrepreneurship Week);
March 28, 2007: Competition plans due by 4 p.m. at the SIC;
April 3, 3 — 5 p.m.: Oral Presentations;
April 6: Winners Announced and Awards Given.
Additional support for the business plan and bio-products business opportunities will be provided from Feb. 6 through March 15. Prize money must be used for eligible business expenses as defined by the FBRP.
Further information is available by contacting Karen Lidral at 581-1484 or Abbe Jacobs at 866-6500, or by visiting the innovation center website (www.umaine.edu/innovation).