Lori Valigra

The pressing need for alternative energy sources is driving investment into nanotechnology devices for energy applications such as photovoltaic solar cells.

The Cambridge-MIT Institute has spun out its Communications Research Network project as a company to step up the pace of innovation in communications.

Cuts in federal funding have forced UC Berkeley's RAD Lab to seek industry funding. But the money may not be enough to plug the gap.

Advances in neuroscience are opening up the treatment options for central nervous system diseases - at the same time as the ageing population is increasing the market for these products.

With global revenues of $110 billion last year, and an aging population, the nascent "neurotechnology" market appears poised for huge growth.

The number of venture-backed exits grew in value and number in 2005 – and the upward trends are expected to continue into 2007.

With much of their work not qualifying for federal money, US states leading the charge in stem cell research are holding out the tin cup to get donations.

Inexpensive, fun applications can make a big splash in the consumer robotics market, but investors are waiting for a new 'killer app' before putting their money on the table.

Lots of buzz preceded what was billed as the world's first live, multi-lot technology patent auction on April 6, but reality failed to meet expectations for many of the inventors who put up 400-plus patents for sale.

The Scottish Funding Council has put up £870,000 in an initiative to provide a single point of access for matching the know-how within the country's 20 universities and research institutions with the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises.