Archive for July, 2012

You are invited to attend an exciting Grant Writing Workshop on  August 17, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center  in Burlington, Vermont.  This event is free – including food and refreshments provided at the meetings.  Registration is helpful to to EPSCoR and may be found at the URLs listed below.

• The workshop is organized so that there are two sessions of interest to small businesses.  In the morning there will be a session on SBIR grant writing strategy from a representative of the State Small Business Development Center and in the afternoon a Program Director from the National Science Foundation will present information about the exciting new program at NSF called iCORPS.  More information about iCORPS can be found at  http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/

Registration and a more detailed agenda can be found at:

Grant Writing Workshop:
http://www.uvm.edu/~epscor/new02/?q=node/877

Questions?
email epscor@uvm.edu
or phone 656-7931

Sharon Merritt, Director, of Merritt & Merritt & Moulton, was named a Notable Practitioner by Chambers and Partners, the publisher of guides to leading lawyers. According to Chambers, Sharon “deals with trademark and copyright work, as well as handling patent licensing issues. She is regarded as an excellent choice for representing start-up  companies.”

Ken Merritt, Managing Director, of Merritt & Merritt & Moulton, was named a Notable Practitioner by Chambers and Partners, the publisher of guides to leading lawyers. According to Chambers, Ken “is known in the state for his broad transaction practice with an emphasis on equity and debt financing.”

Merritt & Merritt & Moulton client, Suncommon, was bestowed with the honor of becoming a Certified B Corporation. Certified B Corporations are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

B Lab, a nonprofit organization, certifies B Corporations, the same way TransFair certifies Fair Trade coffee or USGBC certifies LEED buildings.

B Corps, unlike traditional businesses:

• Meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards; 
• Meet higher legal accountability standards;
• Build business constituency for public policies that support sustainable business. 

There are over 500 Certified B Corporations across 60 different industries. From food and apparel for you and your family to attorneys and office supplies for your business, B Corporations are a diverse community with one unifying goal: to redefine success in business.

Through a company’s public B Impact Report, anyone can access performance data about the social and environmental practices that stand behind their products.

SunCommon’s purpose is to dramatically increase solar energy production in Vermont by finally making it possible to save money by going solar. SunCommon has knocked down the financial barriers to going solar by eliminating the huge upfront costs and replacing them with a monthly payment that is the same or less than what Vermonters are currently paying their utility for electricity. This innovative approach is the outgrowth of a successful pilot program that was operated within the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the state’s largest non-profit consumer and environmental advocacy organization. Chartered as Vermont’s ninth Benefit Corporation, SunCommon attends to the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. They gauge their success not only by the profit they make, but also by their ability to do right by their workers, the communities in which they operate, and the habitats that sustains them.

Merritt & Merritt & Moulton client, Three Revolutions,  has launched the world’s first crowdfunding platform dedicated to farm and food ventures! Three Revolutions has received a great response and the four inaugural projects are off to a strong start and the interest is strong from all directions.  Here are a couple ways to play an important role in this new endeavor:

1. Plant: If you are a farmer or food entrepreneur with a good idea, visit threerevolutions.com and start a campaign.
2. Pollinate: Help get the word out through tweets, blogs, emails to your networks, newsletter articles, conversations, etc. Liking, sharing or commenting on projects also helps to get the word out.
3. Cultivate: Visit threerevolutions.com and back an entrepreneur. The projects are great, the bar is low ($10 gets you in the door; no account needed), and the rewards are enticing. They have four projects now and more on the way.

Please also like / share their new Facebook page.

Please Save the Dates!

August 16 & 17, 2012
The VT EPSCoR Annual State Meeting & Grant Writing Workshop at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center, Burlington, VT

• The VT EPSCoR Research on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin (RACC) Annual State Meeting will be a 1-day meeting comprised of oral presentations, posters and networking opportunities with Keynote Speakers. Lawrence Miller, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce & Community Development, will provide Opening Remarks and the Presentation of the Inaugural VT EPSCoR Native American and First Generation Scholarships to meritorious High School and Undergraduate Students. Drs. Anita Lasalle, Program Director Computer Information Science & Engineering (CISE) and Pamela Brown, Division of Undergraduate Education, Advanced Technological Education, will provide keynote presentations.

  Oral and poster presentations will be made by RACC Science Leaders, Graduate Students and RACC members including the Center for Workforce Development and Diversity at Saint Michael’s College (CWDD) and other VT EPSCoR funded awardees and Stakeholders.

• A Grant Writing Workshop on August 17 will consist of morning and afternoon concurrent sessions concluding at 2:30 p.m. centered on NSF, NIH and SBIR funding opportunities, tips & tricks and lessons learned. Program Officers from the NSF Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences; Graduate Research Fellowship and Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee-ship (IGERT); Computer Information Science and Engineering & Innovation Corps; and Engineering Directorates along with faculty with NIH R15, NSF RUI and Funding Sources information will be available.

Registration and draft agendas are now available –

Annual Meeting: http://www.uvm.edu/~epscor/new02/?q=node/864

Grant Writing Workshop: http://www.uvm.edu/~epscor/new02/?q=node/877

Questions? email epscor@uvm.edu

Champlain Maker Faire Days – Saturday September 29 will be Vermont’s first Maker Faire from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will include makers, exhibitors, workshops, speakers, demonstrations, music and food.  Plans are underway for Sunday September 30 to exhibit inventions of yesteryear – in partnership with Shelburne Museum and the University of Vermont.

Champlain Maker Faire Website Live! Find out more information about Champlain Maker Faire at www.champlainmakerfaire.com and see the Faire Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChamplainMakerFaire and on Twitter at twitter.com/ChamplainMaker

Call for Makers for September 29 Released – The 2012 Champlain Maker Faire Call for Makers is now available at http://www.champlainmakerfaire.com/call-formakers/ The Call for Makers describes the type and scope of exhibits that will be
accepted for the Champlain Maker Faire. A Call for Makers online form is available. The Call for Makers applications is open through July 30, 2012. You can help by spreading the word to networks and individuals you think would be interested in
exhibiting at the Champlain Maker Faire.

Congratulations to Merritt & Merritt & Moulton client, Vermont Natural Coatings, for reaching their goal of 250 votes to be in the running for a $250,000 small business grant offered by Chase and LivingSocial.com.  Recipients will find out on September 15th.  We wish them the best of luck!!!