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New Conference Announced by Dorgan

2008-09-18 09:44:00
Author: BizWire

Washington DC - Some of the biggest names in high-tech business and world-class research will be in North Dakota in October as Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and the Red River Valley Research Corridor co-host the new Red River Valley Research Corridor Conference: Milestones and Horizons. The one-day event will be held in Fargo on Oct. 13 at the Ramada Plaza and Suites.

“This conference will review what we have accomplished and describe where we are headed in our attempt to continue building the research capability that will attract new, cutting-edge businesses to our state,” Dorgan said.

The conference will bring together regional business leaders, economic development specialists, government leaders and citizens interested in continuing to build world-class research capability in the region.

In the nearly seven years since Dorgan conceived of the concept of the Red River Valley Research Corridor using NDSU and UND as anchors, the state has seen a growth in major, new research projects. With nearly $480 million in federal research funding that Dorgan has brought to the state in his work on the Senate Appropriations Committee, both universities have become major research institutions, attracting new businesses and jobs to the region. According to a recent study released by the Milken Institute, North Dakota leads the nation in research funding growth in the last six years.

Two nationally known scientists and inventors will be keynote speakers at the event:

Dr. Craig Venter, one of the two scientists responsible for the Human Genome Project and now the leader of a cutting-edge, new energy company.

Dean Kamen, an inventor who has been called the modern-day Thomas Edison.

In addition, Dr. Ray Orbach, the head of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Program, will lead a panel including two celebrated scientists from Oak Ridge and Sandia National Laboratories.

Doug Burgum, who built one of the premier business software companies in the country, will lead a panel discussing the challenges and opportunities for new businesses that have been created in the Research Corridor in the past several years.

“This conference is about attracting some of the top talent in the nation in the areas of business development, research and science,” Dorgan said. “For those interested in building a business or learning more about high-tech industries and the science breakthroughs of the future, this will be a rare opportunity to interact with some of our leading thinkers.”

“The conference will also be a showcase for the economic development opportunities that will result from the new businesses that will locate in our region as a result of the research and development projects that are now underway in the Research Corridor,” Dorgan said.

Registration and additional information for the conference can be found on the Internet by visiting http://www.researchcorridorsummit.com.

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