EPA partnered with the Water Economy Network to host a Cluster Leaders Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA on April 27, 2015.

The full-day meeting focused on how water clusters can support early-stage technology companies’ efforts to find funding. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program managers from five federal agencies were present to lead panels and breakout sessions on how clusters can help companies take advantage of federal funding opportunities, and companies who have previously received SBIR awards for their water technologies attended to share their experiences.

The Meeting Summary Report is available here.  

Sessions

• Panel - SBIR Program Managers
  • Water Research & Development funded by the SBIR/STTR Programs at the Deptment of Energy - Manny Oliver
  • Overview of the EPA SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs - April Richards
  • Federal Funding Opportunities for Early-Stage Water Companies: NIH - Heather Henry
  • NSF SBIR/STTR Overivew - Prakash Balan
  • USDA SBIR Program - Ali Mohamed
• Panel - SBIR Awardees and Perspectives on Application Process and Experience with Awards
  • ABS Materials - Hanbae Yang
  • MetaMateria - Richard Schorr
  • RedZone - Ken Wolf
• Panel - Perspectives from Water Cluster Anchor Companies
  • Aquatech - Devesh Sharma
  • Axiall - Michael Hoops
  • Calgon Carbon - Jack Adams
  • Lanxess - Phil Fatula
• Other Materials
  • Drivers for New Technology Solutions, EPA Region 3 - Jon Capacasa
  • It Takes a Village: The Power of a Connected Community in Driving Innovation - Julie Lenser Kirk, OIE
  • SBA Overview - Kelly Hunt
  • SBIR Data Overview - Maggie Theroux