 The University
of Maryland Manufacturing Assistance Program, a part of the Clark School's Maryland
Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), and the Regional Manufacturing Institute are
jointly launching a new program of excellence to help manufacturers in Maryland compete
in a rapidly changing global environment, make the state a national model for modern
manufacturing and serve as a showcase for 21st-century entrepreneurial manufacturing
and engineering. Called Maryland Manufacturing Partnerships, the program will pull
together a network of resources from around the state, including third-party experts,
University System of Maryland faculty, the National Institute of Standards and Technology's
national Manufacturing Extension Partnership network, and expert, in-house consultants
to strengthen the competitiveness of Maryland manufacturing companies.
 Mtech's Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) announced 17 research
projects in which university faculty help Maryland companies to develop technology-based
commercial products. Worth $3.7 million, the projects combine $2.3 million from participating
companies and $1.4 million from MIPS. Funding supports research in the laboratories of
participating University System of Maryland faculty, who work closely with partner
companies to advance their products. All funding goes to the project faculty and often
supports the work of graduate students. The projects, which span the state of Maryland,
include new green roof materials, an advanced, high-performance wind turbine, an
energy-scavenging integrated circuit and therapeutics for malaria, West Nile Virus,
Hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus, cancer and staph infections.
 Trauma Solutions, a
company developing the first and only synthetic, hemostatic material capable of simultaneously
inducing blood clotting and delivering therapeutics, was named a finalist in the $250K Draper
Fisher Jurvetson and Cisco Systems Global Business Plan Competition. The company, founded by
graduate research assistant Brendan Casey and Keystone Professor Peter Kofinas, pictured, both from the
Fischell Department of Bioengineering, along with Adam Behrens, an undergraduate research
assistant from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was one of 16 finalists
from fifteen different schools in six countries. Finalists were selected from thousands of
eligible business plans in nine countries across the globe.
Remedium Technologies Inc., a company in Mtech’s VentureAccelerator Program developing a
shaving cream-like foam that stops severe bleeding, won first prize and $10,000 in the Most
Promising Security Idea category of the Global Security Challenge 2009. Selected from more
than 100 entries from around the world, Remedium's team pitched their invention at the GSC
Security Summit conference held at the London School of Business.
 Mtech TAP incubator graduate Lurn Inc., which provides a range of
products and services for Internet marketers and e-learning technology platforms for educators
of business and marketing professionals, was named company of the year in the technology
service category of the 2009 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards. Lurn, formerly
called Affiliate Classroom and a member of Mtech's Technology Advancement Program incubator
from 2007 to 2009, was selected from among 19 finalists in seven categories. The company
also was named one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America by Inc. Magazine.
 Squarespace Inc., a company founded by Hinman CEOs alumnus Anthony
Casalena (B.S. ‘05, computer science) while a student at UM, was named one of the 500
fastest growing private companies in America by Inc. Magazine. Squarespace offers a
hosted, managed environment for creating and maintaining web sites and blogs using
templates and intuitive editing tools. This platform allows people who are not
professional web developers to create professional-looking sites. Squarespace,
ranked 339th on the list, experienced a 723 percent revenue growth rate from 2005-2008.
The company was ranked number 32 in the IT Services category.
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