CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- NSTI and CTSI today announced that more than 100 leading companies looking for research & development, funding, and commercialization partners will be showcased in the 4th Annual TechConnect Summit, taking place May 4-6, 2009 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Held in conjunction with the annual NSTI Nanotech and Clean Technology conferences, the event will attract thousands of business, academic, and investment professionals from more than 70 countries.

This year's TechConnect Summit will feature:

• IP and Venture Forum: More than 70 pre-screened technologies and 65+ start-up companies will present in the areas of nanotechnology, clean technology, and the life sciences. Industry Sessions include Solar, Advanced Materials, Water, Energy Efficiency, Electronics, and Biotech/Pharma.
  
• Fortune 500 Corporate Partnering Presentations: Sixteen of the world's leading technology-driven companies will present technology development efforts in order to identify new industry partnerships.
  
• TechConnect Marketplace Expo: The meeting place for technology and business matchmaking. Dozens of universities and companies will showcase their IP portfolios, technologies, and professional services.
  
• Technology and Investment Panels: Features sessions focusing on technology development, protection, commercialization, and funding for the university and start-up business communities.

• Applied Materials
  
• BASF
  
• BP
  
• Dow Chemical
  
• Eastman Kodak
  
• Genzyme
  
• GlaxoSmithKline
  
• Honda
  
• Lockheed Martin
  
• Medtronic
  
• Merck
  
• Omron
  
• Philips
  
• Samsung
  
• Sanyo

Presenters and attendees of TechConnect benefit from a program that is dedicated to promoting emerging technologies and promising young companies utilizing emerging technologies for market penetration. Presenting institutions and early stage companies represent more than 20 States across the US, and 16 countries, in several industry sectors that are utilizing emerging technologies, including Solar, Advanced Materials, Biotech-Medical, Electronics, and more.

Technology Marketplace Expo
This year's Summit will feature the TechConnect Marketplace Expo, May 5-6, which is a unique exhibit and networking hall for universities, companies, and government agencies to showcase their patent portfolios, prototypes, and services to thousands from the global technology and business communities. More than 25 organizations are participating in the Expo, with networking breaks sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission.

To learn more about the TechConnect Summit, including speakers and presenting universities and companies, visit: http://www.techconnect.org/Summit2009/. Members of the media interested in media credentials should contact Todd Keefe at todd@firpr.com.

About TechConnect:
The TechConnect Summit is one of the largest multi-sector gatherings (nanotech, cleantech, life sciences) of technology IP, technology ventures, industrial partners, and investors in the world. The purpose of the Summit is to bring together the world's leading technology transfer offices, companies, and investment firms to locate promising technologies and early stage companies from across the globe. All technology and company presentations are pre-vetted by the TechConnect Advisory Board, which includes more than 60 individuals representing leading universities, companies, and investment firms worldwide.

About NSTI:
The Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI; www.nsti.org) advances and integrates nano and other advanced technologies through education, conventions, business publishing, and research services. NSTI produces the annual Nanotechnology conference and trade show, which attracts more than 5,000 industrial, academic, business and governmental attendees from around the world. It is the largest gathering of the nanotechnology industry in the U.S. NSTI was founded in 1997 as a result of the merger between various scientific societies, and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with offices in California and Switzerland.

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