| Photonics Roadmap:
the Next Phase |
Collaboration
Continues with RIT CIMS
On September 15th RIT CIMS hosted a focus group of eight RRPC
member  companies
to discuss the Roadmap Initiative study of the Optics and Imaging
cluster in Upstate New York. The
session focused principally on the cluster’s need for
competitive intelligence, such as industry trend analysis and
target market research, to access new markets. A collaboration
framework that will aggregate company needs and utilize regional
knowledge sources was explored. RRPC and CIMS will be working
together in the coming weeks to solidify this framework and launch
a pilot "competitive intelligence-generating" project.
What does this mean for you and your company?
If you are a member of New York State's Photonics Industry, RIT
CIMS may become a research tool for identifying competitive advantages
that can add to your bottom line.
|
| Photonics North Wrap-up |
Mixed reports from up North.
Some exhibitors had breakthroughs with new customers, while others
felt that the traffic was light and OEM's underrepresented. An
informal survey suggested that people thought that the technical
symposia were excellent. There were a greater number of exhibitor
participants, 238, than Ottowa last year. Total technical attendees:
356. Total exhibit visitors: 226.
Photonics North will be held next in Quebec City, April 5 - 8
June 2006. |
| Workforce Training |
MCC Steps Up
RRPC Members Bob Novak (MCC),  Rick
Plympton (Optimax), Joe Lobozzo (JML Optical), and Rick Nasca
(Corning/Tropel) have been engaged at Monroe Community College
working on the curriculum for Optical Technicians. The updates
include an analysis of the Optician
Career Path, with augmentations to the optician training program
that include elective CNC experience at MCC's Applied Technology
Center. The moves are in response to an industry where optical
fabricators are increasingly called upon to work with automated
deterministic polishing machinery with CNC interfaces built by
companies such as Optipro and QED. |
| Design Innovation
Seminar |
Wednesday,
October 12, 1:00-4:00 pm
Xerox Auditorium, Gleason Bldg. RIT
Join students and faculty for two world-class speakers and stimulating
discussion on the topic of design innovation – the critical
role of design in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Link
here.
|
| Worldwide Events |
|
16
- 20 October 2005
Frontiers
in Optics/Laser Science XXI
OSA 89th Annual Meeting
Tuscon, AZ, USA
23 – 26 October 2005
Optics
East
Boston,
MA USA
14 -17 November 2005
Fall
National SBIR/STTR Conference
Albany, NY
21 - 26 January 2006
Photonics
West
San Jose, CA
11 - 16 February 2006
Medical
Imaging
San Jose, CA
17 - 21 April 2006
Defense
& Security Symposium
Orlando, FL |
| Local OSA Chapter Meetings |
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - 6:45 pm
RIT, Carlson Center for Imaging Science Auditorium
Vitor Schneider - Corning, Inc.
Selected Topics in Integrated Optics
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 - 7:00 pm
UR, Center for Optoelectronics and Imaging
Steven Buratto -
Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSB
Nanoscale Photophysics of Organic Semiconductors Probed
by Near-Field Optics and Single Molecule Spectroscopy
|
| Contact RRPC |
The Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster is
an active and growing collaborative organization. Efforts are
under way on joint training events, workforce development, collaborative
advertising opportunities, promoting the commercialization of
intellectual property, and development of our website to further
facillitate business development for our members.
Join us! There are advantages to working together,
and we are interested in working with you. Send an email to
us at membership@rrpc-ny.org.
To subscribe, to unsubscribe, to submit a news item or upcoming
event, to suggest a feature or column, or to offer feedback,
contact Tom Battley,
at 585-329-4029.
Click here
to go to the archived version of this, or any of our previous
Newsletters.
|
|
| How Big is a Big Optic? |
News
of the Big from North Wales
A £1million state-of-the-art optical polishing machine
that will help scientists to build the next generation of telescopes
has been installed at Technium OpTIC in North Wales. The machine
will enable users to polish perfect optical segments of up to
one metre in diameter. Link to the story here.
News of the Big from Lexington Avenue
The team at Advanced Glass have been busy lately. In
addition to installing new
larger volume annealing furnaces, and their usual extraordinary
glass business, they have been polishing the edges of an extremely
large optic. 4300 lbs., 73 inches in diameter, and 12 inches
thick Valued at around $400,000, this piece of glass is for
an un-named customer.
|
| SBIR = $$$ |
Creative
Minds and Financially Astute Entrepreneurs Take Advantage of SBIR/STTR
Each year, 11 federal departments and agencies are required
to reserve a portion of their R&D funds for award to small
businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. SBIR/STTR
funds high-risk projects at the earliest stages of technology
development - before companies can attract venture capital - and
helps companies commercialize technology, products, and services.
Awards are generally up to $100,000 for phase I (exploring the
technical merit or feasibility of an idea or technology) and up
to $750,000 for phase II (R&D, prototype development, and
evaluating commercialization potential). New York companies were
awarded $62 million of SBIR/STTR funds (224 awards) in the most
recent year available.
NYSTAR
offers 50% Discount on Albany Conference
Fee
NYSTAR is offering a 50 percent discount off the $350 registration
fee to the National SBIR/STTR conference in Albany, NY, on November
14-17, 2005.  At
this conference, startup and existing high-tech companies can
learn about the SBIR/STTR Program and what it takes to win part
of the $2+ billion in annual funding.
NYSTAR
Scholarship Eligibility
To qualify for a NYSTAR scholarship the applicant must
be a New York State company with fewer than 500 employees, individually-owned
and operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A NYS company
is a for-profit enterprise with a permanent place of business
located in New York employing a full-time workforce. The total
number of scholarships is limited and only one will be awarded
per company.
Scholarships are available in three tiers:
1. Companies that are affiliated with or referred by a NYSTAR
award recipient and have not previously won an SBIR/STTR award.
Apply anytime but they are encouraged to apply by
Sept. 1 to maximize likelihood of a scholarship.
2. Companies that are affiliated with or referred by a NYSTAR
award recipient and have previously won only a Phase I SBIR/STTR
award. Apply anytime after September 1.
3. Any NYS company, researcher or inventor that is affiliated
or referred by a NYSTAR award recipient. Apply anytime after October
1.For more information contact one of the NYSTAR representatives
listed here. Complete
Agenda available on the Conference
Web site.Open SBIR Opportunities:
--NSF 12/8/05
--DoD.3 10/14/05
--DOE 12/2/05
Solicitations are available to search here |
| Company News |
| Kate Flanagan Joins EMF Corp
as Sales Engineer and Manager of the Rochester office. Kate brings
with her over 12 years of technical and consultative sales, marketing
and new business  development
experience in North America and Canada. Kate specializes
in Engineering Management and Liaison experience. Formerly with
Element K and Sprints Data Division, Kate has also consulted in
sales and marketing in other industries.
Kate graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Arts.
She has additional certifications with Cisco Systems
and education in E-Business and Management. She is continuing
her post graduate education in Management, Marketing, and Optics
at both RIT and University of Rochester.
Thursday, September 22nd, at UNYTECH05,
the third annual venture forum, Sydor Instruments
(SI) won Most Innvoative Business Model. These people keep winning
awards. SI also announced that it appointed Paul Roehrenbeck
as Director of Sales and Marketing. Roehrenbeck has had more than
20 years' experience in the optics and photonics industries, including
more than 12 years of high-speed camera marketing as streak camera
product manager at Hamamatsu Photonic Systems, and as Business
Development Manager at the Center for Advanced Technology in Ultrafast
Photonics at the City University of New York.
Over the summer, Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc.
(M-Flex) acquired Applied Optics, a subsidiary of Applied
Image Group Inc. (Rochester, NY) that designs and
manufactures optical and photonic imaging technology, for approximately
$6.3 million in cash.
M-Flex said it will operate the business as a wholly owned subsidiary
under the name Aurora Optical Inc. and that it expects to hire
the employees of Applied Optics and to continue to manage the
business in its existing facility in Tucson, Arizona. Didn't seem
to hurt the M-Flex
stock price either.
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