RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2006--In an effort to alleviate the serious health problems caused by air emissions, leaders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), North Carolina State University (NC State) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) will gather at the Environmental Partnership Summit to meet with cutting-edge companies, economic development leaders and the venture capital community to discuss turning publicly funded research into new products.

"Improving Our Air, Protecting Our Health," slated for Sept. 26-27 at Research Triangle Park, N.C., is designed to increase national awareness of the capabilities and partnership potential that EPA, UNC and NC State possess in air emissions research and development as it relates to risk management, exposure and health effects.

In addition, the Summit will open the door for companies and the participating public sector organizations to form new partnership agreements to further innovation in this field.

The summit is presented by the Environmental Technologies Program, under a cooperative agreement with the EPA, in conjunction with UNC and NC State. The Environmental Technologies Program is a program ofthe Intellectual Property Management Group, Wheeling, W.Va., an initiative of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation.

Speakers for the prestigious event include: Bill Farland, Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, Office of Research and Development, EPA; James Moeser, Chancellor, UNC; James Oblinger, Chancellor, NC State; Robert McMahan, Ph.D., Senior Science and Technology Advisor to the State of North Carolina, and Executive Director, North Carolina Board of Science and Technology; Monica Doss, President, Council for Entrepreneurial Development; John Seitz, Board of Directors, Air & Waste Management Association, and Partner, ES&P, LLC; Sally Gutierrez, Director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, EPA; and Jeff Clark, Managing General Partner, Aurora Funds.

The summit's focus areas will include air modeling and monitoring; transportation and air quality; environmental and computational toxicology; and human exposure research. Panels comprised of leaders from the EPA, UNC, NC State, industry and venture capital firms will discuss:

-- partnership benefits, structure and financial components

-- the importance of partnering to meet research and mission
goals

-- directions in science

-- state-of-the-art competencies, technologies and facilities in
engineering, chemistry, human health research and other
disciplines

-- the commitment to partnerships and research in the areas of
air emissions and health effects

-- interests/needs of industry, the EPA and academia

Currently, the United States emits 140 million tons of pollution into the atmosphere each year, creating a devastating impact on public health. The American Lung Association estimates that as many as 27. 1 million children ages 13 and under are routinely exposed to unhealthy levels of ozone as a result. In emerging industrial countries such as China and India, unhealthy air is a price being paid for rapid economic development, as is the case in the developing world.

Developing technologies and partnerships to alleviate the spectrum of problems caused by air emissions - the summit's main goal - is a classic win-win situation for public health worldwide.

For more information on the Environmental Partnership Summit, visit the event Web site at http://ipmg-dev.htfwo.org/etprogram/summit, or call the Environmental Technologies Program at (866) 483-4764.

For further information, contact the WVHTC Foundation Environmental Technologies Program at (866) 483-4764.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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