Wednesday, December 12, 2007:

7:30 - 8:30 am
Registration and networking

• 
  8:30 - 9:45 am
  Welcome and Opening Keynote
  Welcome: Mary Lindenstein Walshok, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of California, San Diego, and Co-founder, CONNECT and Global CONNECT
  Introduction: Greg Horowitt, Director and Co-Founder, Global CONNECT
  
  Opening Keynote Speaker
  Steven Koonin, Chief Scientist, BP plc [Presentation]
  Energy Trends and Technologies for the Coming Decades
• 
  10:00 - 10:30 am
  Break
• 
  10:30 - 12:00 pm
  Break-out 1: Dedicated Seed/Translational Funding
  Facilitator: Rohit Shukla , CEO, Larta Institute, USA
  
  Presentation and discussion of programs which provide early-stage funding to concepts/companies from particular research institutions/organizations with which the funds are affiliated.
  
  Panelists:
  Victor Hwang, Managing Director, T2 Venture Capital
  Sacha Mann, Archangel Informal Investment Ltd
  Representative from NESTA (invited)
  
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  Break-out 2: International Bridge Programs
  Facilitator: Karen Brooks, Manager of Special Projects, SETsquared Partnership [Presentation]
  
  A review of lessons learned by representative companies and organizations which have been bridged from their native country through the Global CONNECT Bridge and related programs.
  
  Panelists:
  Tariq Ali, Director, AtlanTICC Alliance, Imperial College London [Presentation]
  Paul Tinkler, Co-founder and CEO, Mirifice Ltd [Presentation]
  Peter Thomas, Global CONNECT, representing Institute for Information Industry, Taiwan [Presentation]
• 
  12:00 - 1:30 pm
  Lunch
  Speaker:
  Ian Pearson MP , Minister of State for Science and Innovation
• 
  1:30 - 1:45 pm
  Break
• 
  1:45 - 3:15 pm
  Springboard
  Presenter: Steve Orr, CEO, CONNECT Northern Ireland (under development) [Presentation]
  Facilitator: Greg Horowitt, Director and Co-Founder, Global CONNECT
  
  Springboard is an entrepreneur coaching program. This session serves two purposes: it demonstrates this program in action, and it provides feedback to the presenter on his plan to create a CONNECT Northern Ireland, from people who have created CONNECTs (or similar organizations) in other parts of the world, and other experts.
  
  Panelists:
  Abi Barrow, Founding Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
  Keith Krzewski, Partner and COO, Swenson Advisors, LLP
  Eoin Lambkin, Director, Groupe Intellex
  Dennis Leidall, Executive Director, CONNECT Northwest
  Tony Raven, Director, Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, University of Southampton
  Ian Ritchie, Chairman, Connect Scotland
  Nick Smailes, Director of Special Projects, SETsquared Partnership
  
• 
  3:45 - 5:15 pm
  Break-out 3:  Next Generation Incubators
  Facilitator: Nathan Owens, Director, Regional Assessments, Global CONNECT
  
  Traditional high technology business incubators have a mixed record of success. This may be due to those that are more real estate plays than providers of hands-on assistance to entrepreneurs. This panel will explore different models that offer much more robust services in the form of coaching, mentoring, and capital. Panelists will describe how these accelerators, as they are sometimes called, are funded and organized, and the services they provide.
  
  Panelists:
  Simon Bond, Director of Innovation Centres, University of Bath [Presentation]
  Kanetaka Maki, Partner, EGG Japan (Mitsubishi Estate Co., LTD) [Presentation]
• 
  3:45 - 5:15 pm
  Break-out 4:  Attracting Entrepreneurs
  Facilitator: Abi Barrow, Founding Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
  
  How does a region develop a network of entrepreneurs? How does a regional organization get entrepreneurs through its doors? This panel describes various programs designed to catalyze the development of a critical mass of entrepreneurs within a region.
  
  Panelists:
  Nick Butler, Executive Director, CONNECT Yorkshire [Presentation]
  John Griffiths, Acting Director, CONNECT Midlands [Presentation]
• 
  6:00 - 7:30 pm
  Reception
  
  Sponsored by
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Thursday, December 13, 2007:

8:30 - 9:00 am
Coffee and networking

• 
  9:00 am - 10:30 am
  Break-out 5: Alternative Exit Strategies
  Facilitator: Greg Horowitt, Director and Co-Founder, Global CONNECT
  
  A review of the increasing number of ways of taking a company public, with their opportunities and limitations, including a particular focus on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
  
  Panelists:
  Andrea Mica, IP Group and Modern Water [Presentation]
  James Gubbins and Chris Coulter, Partners, Morrison & Foerster
  
• 
  Break-out 6: Connecting Regional Networks
  Facilitator: Torstein Skage, CEO, CONNECT Norway [Presentation]
  
  Helping start-ups and entrpereneurs tends to be a regionally-based activity, but typically they need access beyond their local market. How do organizations help innovation and entrepreneurs transcend a regional focus?
  
  Panelists:
  
  Elmars Baltins, CEO, CONNECT Latvia [Presentation]
  Søren Jonas Bruun, Chairman, CONNECT Denmark
  Deborah Lazard, Director of Innovation Networks, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Mexico [Presentation]
• 
  10:30 - 11:00 am
  Break
• 
  11:00 - 12:00 pm
  Stimulating Cleantech Cluster Development
  Facilitator: Nick Smailes, Director of Special Projects, SETsquared Partnership
  
  In many countries, the policy imperative to mitigate environmental impact is creating new markets for the broad area often known as "cleantech." Many regions are looking at this as an opportunity to develop a new technology cluster. Panelists will look at the evolution of this set of opportunities.
  
  Panelists:
  Abi Barrow, Founding Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
  Robert Trezona, Research and Development Manager, Carbon Trust
  Ross Wallace, Director, Strategic Partnerships, MaRS Discovery District, Toronto, Canada
• 
  12:00 - 1:30 pm
  Lunch
  Speaker: Richard Halkett, Executive Director, NESTA [Presentation]
  

  The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) develops strategies to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. NESTA believes that innovation – the successful exploitation of new ideas – is a national priority. Economic success and social progress depend greatly on a country’s ability to encourage and bring new ideas to market. Solving the urgent social and environmental challenges of the 21st century will also require increasingly innovative solutions.

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