OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 5, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory will host the fourth annual Global Venture Challenge on March 24-26, 2010.
Global Venture Challenge 2010 is a unique educational event which brings together graduate student teams around the world to present entrepreneurial company ideas and compete for cash prizes. The event also attracts venture investors and industry executives from across the country to serve as competition judges and provides opportunities for participants to learn more about energy-related research conducted at ORNL.
This year's challenge will feature two independent "Idea-to-Product Competitions." The first competition, Track 1 - Advanced Materials for a Sustainable Energy Future, is sponsored by the Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program. Teams in the Track 1 contest will present their own innovative business ideas for sustainable energy utilizing advanced materials to save energy and money, increase productivity, and reduce environmental impacts.
The other competition, Track 2 - Community Resilience and Homeland Security, is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Community and Regional Resilience Institute. Track 2 will compare the teams' plans to enhance communities' abilities to recover rapidly from natural and man-made disasters, also known as "community resilience." The event will also include a Venture Showcase to highlight other entrepreneurial ventures in these important areas of interest.
Global Venture Challenge 2010 offers graduate students and entrepreneurial businesses an opportunity to network with investors, industry leaders, and researchers who can help further their technologies.
Other sponsors of the 2010 event include Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the East Tennessee Economic Council. If you would like to become a sponsor or learn more about the event, please contact Jennifer Palmer at (865) 241-4218; send an email to info@globalventurechallenge.com; or visit the website at www.globalventurechallenge.com.
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.