7th International Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems Conference Sets Attendance Record; Event Draws Top Scientific, Academic, Business and Political Luminaries.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

YPSILANTI, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002

The 7th International Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems Conference (COMS), held recently at Ypsilanti Michigan's luxurious Marriott Eagle Crest Resort, set an attendance record with 365 attendees. The international audience heard presentations from over 100 speakers representing academic, commercial, venture capital and government laboratory sectors. The 3 1/2-day program addressed the latest developments and issues in the commercialization of micro and nanosystems, including market forecasting, capital formation, technical cluster creation, application opportunities, industry standards, and industry roadmaps. COMS 2002, graced by beautiful weather, featured Michigan's Republican Governor John Engler as keynote speaker.

COMS2002 was sponsored and organized by the Micro and Nanotechnology Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF) and cosponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and a host of other companies, research institutes and media organizations. The conference's goal is to educate individuals active in the business of micro and nanosystems and supporting technologies and provide them a forum for sharing their broad experiences in the commercialization of these technologies.

The conference's co-chairmen were Joe Giachino of the University of Michigan's Wireless Integrated Microsystems Center and outgoing MANCEF President Professor Steven Walsh of the University of New Mexico. Notable speakers included top microsystems pioneers Janusz Bryzek (Transparent Optical), Kurt Petersen (Cepheid), Stephen Senturia (Polychromix), and Kensall Wise (University of Michigan). Governor Engler electrified the crowd when he detailed the State of Michigan's $40 million Life Sciences Corridor Initiative, which has a significant amount of its funds going into microsystems development. He cited the role microsystems played in notable development successes in Michigan including those at the University of Michigan's Integrated Wireless Microsystems Center, a collaboration of the University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Michigan Technical University and funded by the National Science Foundation as one of its prestigious Engineering Research Centers. Other successes included the development of advanced automotive MEMS sensors at numerous automotive companies and their suppliers, and the world-renowned developments in commercial, industrial and medical applications by the ISYSS Corporation. He said he expects Michigan to continue to grow and become a worldwide major player in the commercialization of these technologies. A full text copy of Governor Engler's speech can be found on www.michigan.gov/gov/1,1431,7-103-705-50942--M 20029,00.html.

An extremely popular session, the Capital Formation Workshop, drew over 150 attendees. Fourteen business plans, presented by micro and nanosystems entrepreneurs, were reviewed and critiqued by an evaluation panel of venture capitalists, angel and industrial investors. The industry exhibition held in conjunction with the technical conference hosted over 40 organizations that are providers of products and services to support these technologies.

COMS 2002 also provided a venue for the selection of new MANCEF officers, directors and advisors. Industry marketing veteran Roger Grace, Roger Grace Associates, was elected President, taking over the reins from Steven Walsh. Mr. Grace said "COMS 2002 not only broke attendance records, but did so during the current uncertain economic times. The exceptional success of the conference was realized through the generous and untiring support of our MANCEF volunteers and through the support of our host-sponsor, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and its talented staff."

At COMS 2002, MANCEF unveiled the availability of its ambitious MEMS/nanotechnology roadmap project, the International Microsystems Roadmap (IMR), produced under the direction of Professor Steven Walsh. The 16-chapter blueprint with over 600 pages was authored by some of the most knowledgeable and renowned experts in microsystems technologies, worldwide. It will be available for sale, shortly, in hard copy and CD-ROM formats, for $950. Check MANCEF's website www.mancef.org for more details.

The selection of Gothenburg, Sweden as the COMS 2003 site was also announced and will take place from September 2-5, 2003. A call for papers has been issued for this conference. For more information, please visit www.coms2003.org.

The International Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems Conference (COMS) is in its seventh year, having been previously held at Banff, Canada; Kona, Hawaii; San Diego, California; Dortmund, Germany; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Oxford, U.K. Developed and organized by the Micro and Nanotechnology Commercialization and Education Foundation (MANCEF), the purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for the education, dissemination, and sharing of information to assist organizations in their successful introduction of their products and services to the micro and nanosystems market. Topics addressed at the COMS conferences include marketing, manufacturing, management of technology, and capital formation.

The Micro and Nanotechnology Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF), founded in 1999, is a not-for-profit educational foundation incorporated in the State of Florida. MANCEF's mission is to provide information and education to the micro and nanotechnology industry to accelerate and facilitate the commercialization of these technologies into the worldwide markets. With over 350 members worldwide, MANCEF is the world's spokesperson on the commercialization of micro and nanotechnology. For more information on MANCEF, please visit www.mancef.org.