MISSOULA –
The University of Montana announced the launch of the Montana CleanTech Alliance during the Innovate Montana Innovation & Entrepreneurship Day held June 21.
MCA works to support and enhance growth in the clean-technology industry in Montana by increasing awareness of the state’s existing clean-tech sector. The alliance will help clean-tech companies create jobs, access capital, invest and improve their ability to compete in the global marketplace.
The alliance is a collaborative effort among the Montana World Trade Center, the BitterRoot Economic Development District, the Montana Angel Network and UM’s Office of Technology Transfer. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s Office of Economic Development funded the initiative to launch MCA.
“The existing clean-tech industry cluster in Montana should be attractive to investors, researchers and other companies, especially given Montana’s high national rankings in business start-up activity, educational attainment, overall business climate and tax climate,” said Governor’s Office of Economic Development Executive Director Evan Barrett.
MCA will be part of UM’s Office of Technology Transfer and will support efforts to bridge the gap between the research community and entrepreneurs and the private sector to advance innovation within the Montana clean-tech industry.
“The Montana CleanTech Alliance is a wonderful platform upon which the University can collaborate with both research and private sector communities to stimulate research and economic growth in this expanding global market,” said Joe Fanguy, director of UM’s Office of Technology Transfer.
UM’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, will help support the MCA over the next several years. The outreach and workforce development effort under EPSCoR focuses on private sector collaborations in conjunction with the Montana Institute on Ecosytems.
For more information visit http://www.mtcleantech.org.
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