OEDIT Press Release

Contact: Jonita LeRoy
Phone: (303) 892-3840

Governor Owens Launches 2006 Colorado Tech Week

DENVER, (Sept. 18, 2006) - Governor Bill Owens kicked off the 2nd Annual Colorado Tech Week at a press conference at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science this morning. The weeklong series of statewide events, hosted by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), highlights Colorado’s dynamic technology and its impact on the global economy.

“Colorado has become a global hub for technological innovation, and home to some of the industry’s most significant advances,” said Gov. Owens. “With the inspiration of natural beauty and lifestyle fueling innovation, Colorado is leading the technology industry across the chasm to the next phase of global development.”

Gov. Owens announced the creation of a Nanotechnology Alliance Roadmap for Colorado and outlined his administration’s accomplishments in the rising the fields of technology business development and education.

The Governor also presented the 2006 Advancing Colorado Excellence Award for Advancement of the Technology Community to Larry and Pat Nelson of w3w3 Media Network. The Nelsons have been tireless advocates of the state’s technology community through their efforts over many years supporting communications and networking between government, academia and non-profit industry associations.

University of Colorado President Hank Brown was on hand to talk about the importance of Colorado’s educational community in supplying the future workforce through quality graduates, and highlighted CU’s extremely successful Technology Transfer Program.

Darin Gibby, a patent attorney with Colorado Tech Week Sponsor Townsend and Townsend and Crew, spoke about how the dramatic increase in software patents and technology start-ups in Colorado is driving the next renaissance in entrepreneurial development, “so much so that the U.S. Patent Office is considering establishing an office here to deal with the tremendous backlog.”

Colorado Tech Week sponsors, representing the key industries and organizations that are driving not only Colorado’s but the global technology economy, include: the University of Colorado and its robust technology transfer programs, IP law firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew, IT services and systems integrator CIBER, Brad Feld of Mobius Venture Capital, geospatial content provider DigitalGlobe, data storage company ProStor Systems and software developer Silver Creek Systems.

Colorado Tech Week will highlight these and other local companies that are staking their claims in the burgeoning technology market. Some of the events include:

· ICAST - The Role of Appropriate Technology · RFID & Mobility Solutions Expo · IEEE - Public Policy & Professional Development · Colorado Clean Energy Partnerships · The CBSA Golf Tournament · Movers & Shakers Breakfast Series · IAC West Reverse Roundtable · IEEE - Entrepreneurship & Careers · IEEE - Pioneering Engineering efforts in Colorado · Invention to Venture · ColoradoBiz Top Company Awards Luncheon · CSIA DEMOGala · RMIMA - Taking the IT Organization to the Next Level

For the complete listing of experts, events, locations, times and additional information about Colorado Tech Week, visit www.ColoradoTechWeek.com. Media are invited to attend activities. Contact Jonita LeRoy at jonita.leroy@state.co.us or 303-892-3840 to RSVP.

For more information, click on http://www.AdvanceColorado.com

added 9/18/06