Feature

PINO 2009: Great Opportunity for Top Students and Employers 
Polymer and Chemical Engineering Innovation Northeast Ohio (PINO) has become a premier event for potential employers to meet the top students in the polymer and chemical engineering communities. This is the third year for PINO, originally developed by students in the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Department at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), is scheduled for July 17, 2009 at CWRU. Companies are encouraged to become sponsors and exhibitors. Read More...

Bioplastics at NPE, a major presence among exhibitors
Bioplastics was a major topic at the NPE2009 (National Plastics Exhibit), which took place June 22-26 at the McCormick Place in Chicago.  Among the hundreds of exhibitors, the increasing awareness and availability of bioplastics was evident.  Biodegradable and bio-related materials were being offered by such companies as ENSO Bottles (biodegradable PET) and PolyOne (lead and phthalate-free).  Plastics materials containing soy or corn were on display by Merquinsa, Mirel, Nature Works, PSM Bioplastics to name a few.  Dow Chemical and Dupont sponsored an “Emerging Technologies Pavilion” which focused on sustainability, bioplastics, energy alternatives and nanocomposites. Read More...

Senate Bill 131 - BioPreferred Purchasing Program
Senate Bill 131 was introduced on June 19, 2009 by Ohio Senator Karen Gillmor (R-Tiffin), to create a BioPreferred purchasing program.  The bill will aid in economic growth through work with agricultural, research and manufacturing companies including OBIC Alliance members. The bill encourages the purchase of bio-based products for state agencies and state universities when the products are comparable.  Price, performance and availability will be factors to consider in the comparison. Read More...

Natural Fiber Composites is a New $6 Million Initiative in Ohio

Proprietary technology from NFCC in alignment with the OSU Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and the OSU Center for Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering (CAPCE) anchor a new Wright Project in advanced natural fiber composites. On May 27, 2009, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission recommended that the proposal “Commercialization of Bio-based and Nano-tailored Composites for Industrial Applications” be funded at $3 million. As per Third Frontier requirements, the project will be matched with another $3 million by OBIC Alliance members. Read More...

Third Frontier Advanced Energy and Advanced Materials Funding Opportunities
The Ohio Department of Development has just released some preliminary information of the Fiscal Year 2010 funding opportunities for Third Frontier Advanced Energy and Advanced Materials Programs.    As expected, the Third Frontier Program has been impacted by the State budget conditions.  These two program areas continue to be viewed as critical to the Cluster Development Program within the Third Frontier effort.  The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Advanced Energy Program will be available in late July.  The total request must not exceed $1 million (plus capital) and preference will be given to wind, biomass, and storage projects.. Read More...