Spring 2008 SBIR Seminars across North Carolina Three 2- to 3-hour SBIR Seminars will be held across North Carolina this April. These workshops will provide an introduction to the SBIR/STTR programs, services that the SBTDC provides to those looking to submit proposals, as well as sources of additional program information. They will also present insights in how to prepare a winning proposal. Select workshops will offer a presentation from local SBIR awardees as well as service providers. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with speakers as well as counselors from the SBTDC during and after the workshop. See agendas and register online at www.sbtdc.org/events/sbir/workshops2008. Charlotte - April 15, 8:00 - 11:00 AM Winston-Salem - April 17, 6:00 - 7:30 PM Research Triangle Park - April 29, 8:00 - 11:00 AM

NC Green Business Fund Grants

NC Green Business Fund Grants for Businesses (fewer than 100 employees) Engaged in Development or Commercialization of Certain Green Technologies

The NC Board of Science and Technology has issued a grant solicitation for the NC Green Business Fund for small to mid-sized businesses engaged in green-related businesses and processes. The proposal deadline is April 30th. To learn more, visit the Green Business Fund webpage.

House SB Committee Releases Draft SBIR Bill at Hearing; SSTI Testifies

A brief two-year reauthorization, bigger award sizes, VC eligibility clarification, and a $10 million grant program for state/local outreach assistance are included in the draft SBIR reauthorization bill circulated by the House Committee on Small Business Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez during the third hearing on the topic, held March 13.

The SBIR program will sunset on Sept. 30, 2008, if reauthorization legislation is not passed by Congress and signed by the president before then. Learn more...

10th Annual NIH Conference

Registration is now open for the NIH National SBIR Conference to be held in Atlanta on July 22 & 23, 2008 at the Omni Hotel and CNN Center.

• Learn how to tap into NIH's R&D funding resources for small businesses interested in biomedical and behavioral research.
• Talk face-to-face with NIH program staff.
• Network with researchers, entrepreneurs and biotech business owners.

To Register Now Visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/SBIRConf2008/index.htm.

Affinergy Awarded 5 New SBIR Grants, Including a $2.0 Million Phase 2 Program

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 10, 2008 - Affinergy, Inc., a Duke University spinout with a proprietary site-specific biological delivery system, announced that it has been awarded multiple SBIR grants. One of the awards is a Phase 2 SBIR program for $2,053,845. The Phase 2 grant is funded through the NIH by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The focus of the program is to advance development and optimization of Affinergy peptide linkers to accelerate a patient's natural healing processes. The other 4 grant awards are for Phase 1 programs that, in aggregate, exceed $1m.

"Affinergy is very excited to move forward with these important programs," said Jonathan Gindes, Affinergy's CFO & SVP of Business Development. "This further validates our technology as reviewed by scientific peers and acknowledges the progress that was demonstrated by our staff during the previous 18 months. Affinergy and our shareholders are grateful for the ability to continue product development for these programs. We also look forward to completing the 4 new Phase 1 grants and applying for Phase 2 support for each of those programs."

"We are anxious to initiate the Phase 2 activities and accelerate the pathway to commercialization," said Shrikumar Nair, Ph.D., Affinergy's Section Head for Discovery Chemistry who is Principal Investigator for the Phase 2 program. "We have achieved great momentum with this program and are excited by the potential to improve the clinical performance of a number of different products. This program could provide a significant clinical benefit for a large number of patients."

About Affinergy, Inc.

Affinergy develops site-specific biological systems using biofriendly linkers that selectively adhere to proteins, drugs, cells, and biomaterial surfaces in order to kickstart biology toward an intended outcome. Affinergy is focused on developing coatings and medical devices for the orthopedic and cardiovascular markets. Affinergy's technology was patented at Duke University and was awarded 2005 Innovation of the Year by Frost & Sullivan in the category of Medical Device Coatings. For more information, visit www.affinergy.com.

For more information, contact Peyton Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Affinergy, Inc., at (919) 433-2229 or panderson@affinergy.com

Spring 2008 SBIR National Conference: May 27-30 in Orlando

The 2008 SBIR/STTR National Spring Conference in Orlando will bring together not only federal program administrators from all of the 11 SBIR participating agencies, but also venture capital and angel investors, secondary market and traditional lenders, university and federal laboratory representatives and other experts who provide assistance with the scale-up of early-stage ventures. You will also hear presentation by SBIR Award winners who have successfully commercialized their research. More Information can be found at www.sbirflorida.org.