Category: Finance
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Baxter Sets Up Venture Fund for New Therapies
Baxter International in Deerfield, Illinois has established Baxter Ventures to invest in promising early-stage companies developing therapies that complement Baxter’s product lines. Baxter Ventures will make up to $200 million in equity investments and report to Norbert Riedel, the company’s chief scientific officer. Baxter is a developer of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology solutions. The…
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Head Cap Devised to Capture Brain Signals to Control Devices
A neuroscience/engineering team at University of Maryland in College Park has developed headgear like a swim cap with sensors that read brain signals and let the wearer control electronic devices. The Maryland team’s findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology (paid subscription required). The non-invasive cap, lined with sensors that connect…
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European Consortium to Fund Research on Life Expectancy
A group of research agencies in Europe, Canada, and Israel have combined resources to fund studies aimed at increasing healthy life expectancy by two years in the European Union by 2020. Europe’s first joint call for aging research — ERA-AGE 2 — will offer a total of €4.2 million ($US 5.9 million) to multidisciplinary teams…
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DuPont Acquires Nanotech Solar Materials Developer
The global chemical company DuPont says it has acquired Innovalight Inc. in Sunnyvale, California that develops silicon inks and process technologies to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Innovalight’s silicon ink is made of silicon nano-particles dispersed in an environmentally friendly blend of chemicals, according…
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Challenge Seeks Independent Acutator for Radiator Thermostat
A challenge at InnoCentive seeks a design of an independently powered actuator and power harvesting system for standard hot-water radiator thermostat valves. The competition, with a prize of $20,000, requires a written proposal. The due date for proposals is 22 September 2011. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts open-innovation crowd-sourcing competitions for…
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2011 Q2 VC Funding Up for Life Sciences, CleanTech Stalls
Venture capital (VC) funds and the number of VC deals increased in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter, with companies in the life sciences and semiconductors among those reaping the benefits. The data were collected by Thomson Reuters and published in the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture…
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University to Study Fracking and Methane in Drinking Water
Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia will investigate the origins of methane gas found in drinking water wells near Marcellus Shale drilling sites in Pennsylvania. A related research project will study the extent to which science influences public policy on shale gas drilling. Both studies are funded by a one-year, $66,000 grant from the William…
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Roche Acquires Cancer Diagnostics Company
The global pharmaceutical company Roche has acquired mtm laboratories AG in Heidelberg, Germany, which specializes in detection and diagnosis of cervical cancer. mtm will become part of Roche’s Ventana Medical Systems Inc. business unit. Under the agreement, Roche will pay mtm shareholders an upfront payment of EUR 130 million (USD 182 million) as well as…
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Venture Company to Invest in Early-Stage Science Enterprises
True North Venture Partners, a venture capital company in Chicago, unveiled today its $300 million investment fund and strategy. The company plans to invest in early stage companies in the energy, water, agriculture, and waste sectors — where products and services are often based on scientific research findings — with amounts invested ranging from $100,000…
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Gov’t Agencies, Companies Partner on Better Wind Forecasts
Two U.S. companies are working with the Department of Energy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve wind forecasting that can help wind power providers better plan and deliver electric power. AWS Truepower in Albany, New York and WindLogics Inc. in Saint Paul, Minnesota won grants last fall to deploy atmospheric measurement systems…