Due to an unforeseen change in our speaker's schedule, Wired Wednesday has been moved from January 23 to February 20.

Join us February 20 for our next Wired Wednesday luncheon at the Wingate Inn Hotel from Noon until 1:30PM. Our speaker will be Colonel Dewey G. Ford with JIEDDO (Joint Improvised Explosive Devices Defeat Organization). JIEDDO is looking for companies and individuals that can contribute to their mission.

Improvised explosived devices (IEDs) are a significant threat to U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the primary source of U.S. casualties. The Joint IED Defeat Organization, together with the Military Services and all of the Department of Defense, is working to win the IED fight in a holistic way, using a balance of intelligence, training and technology. This counter-IED effort is a combined Joint Service, interagency, multi-national program designed to leverage all available resources and technologies in a coordinated campaign to eliminate IEDs as weapons of strategic influence. The enemy is adaptive, innovative and flexible and, unfortunately, there is no 'silver bullet' to defeating IEDs.

Immediately following the luncheon there will be a time for companies that are already working on IED defeat programs to meet one on one with representatives from JIEDDO. Interested companies must first pre-register with the Tech Council.

The cost is $10 for Tech Council Members and $15 for non-members. RSVP's are requested to rsvp@region2000.org or by calling (434) 847-1447. Snow date - January 30.

"Experiencing Science and Technology in Today's World", the Central VA Governor's School is looking for internship opportunites for their students with local companies. Internship hours are 8-11AM on Fridays. For more information please see program brochure or contact Dr. Cheryl Lindeman at 582-1104.

The 2008 Virginia Technology Alliance Legislative Reception will be held on January 30th at the State Library on Broad Street in downtown Richmond. This year, the event will again be co-hosted by the Greater Richmond Technology Council and Virginia's Secretary of Technology - The Honorable Aneesh Chopra.

The Reception is an important element in the VTA's year-round active involvement in the legislative process. Through the regional councils, the VTA provides a legislative voice for the Commonwealth's tech industries and promotes an agenda of technology, education, and economic development initiatives. Representatives work with elected officials to reinforce those initiatives with public sector IT decision makers and key industry representatives.

The legislative members of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science would like to invite all Virginia businesses, universities, and government agencies to Richmond, Virginia to share their experiences with the General Assembly on Nanotechnology. A Nano day is being held on February 6, 2008. See flyer for details.

The Center for Innovative Technology is proud to partner with James Madison University to host the latest "SBIR/STTR Collaboration Session for Universities & Small Business". Attendees will learn collaborative proposal strategies, keys to collaborative research and successful technology transfer, business assistance available to foster collaboration and tech transfer, how to position research with agency priority areas, and how to address intellectual property issues unique to collaborative proposals. Reps from several agencies participating in SBIR/STTR have been invited to attend, present their initiatives, and meet with attendees. Free to all university personnel and just $25 for small business reps - advance registration is requested. Lunch provided. Location is JMU.

Mark your calendars for our Spring Wired Wednesday luncheon on April 16, 2008 at the Wingate Inn. A representative from the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer will talk about how local companies can work with the FLC-MAR. The FLC is the nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking the laboratory mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace. The mission of the FLC is to add value to the federal agencies, laboratories and their partners to accomplish the rapid integration of research and development resources within the mainstream of the U.S. economy. Use the FLC as a gateway to more than 700 major federal laboratories and centers and their parent departments and agencies.