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DEARBORN, MI -- May 31, 2012 : Ford's intellectual property licensing group to open Motor CityInnovation Exchange providing a showroom for innovators to show offtheir creations to peers and potential customers Working with TechShop, the nonprofit AutoHarvest Foundation and Wayne State University 's TechTown, Ford is helping entrepreneurs commercialize theircreations Ford Land is now offering the Jump Start program to provide moreaffordable work/hacker space along with support to help spurjob-creating businesses For more than a century Ford Motor Company has been a leadingautomotive industry innovator, launching breakthroughs in areas asdiverse as manufacturing, safety, propulsion systems and vehicledesign. Today Ford is reaching beyond its boundaries to encourageentrepreneurship and the sharing of ideas to facilitate innovationthat can help not only the company, but more importantly, thecommunity at large to create a better world. "There was a time not so long ago in this business when ideas thatwere 'not invented here' got easily dismissed," says William Coughlin , CEO, Ford Global Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of FordMotor Company that manages the company's intellectual propertyportfolio. "The competitive pressures in the auto industry todayare greater than ever, with demands for improving quality, safety,technology and of course fuel efficiency, so we are bothencouraging and looking for new ideas wherever we can find them." Ford is launching several major initiatives to supportentrepreneurship and surface technological innovation in southeast Michigan . In addition to the recent improvement to the Patent IncentiveProgram that provides Ford employee inventors with a three-monthfree membership to TechShop Detroit, Ford is also looking for newideas from outside. "TechShop is a place where ntrepreneurs and other makers aveaccess to over one million dollars of tools, software and high-end equipment that allow them torapidly and inexpensively prototype," said Mark Hatch , CEO of TechShop. "Innovation happens when you add community andcrowdsourcing into the mix -- which is exactly what the Motor CityInnovation Exchange will do for our members, the automotiveindustry and anyone in the greater Detroit area ho has an idea they want to turn into a reality." Motor City Innovation Exchange, AutoHarvest and TechTown Creators with ideas that have been fleshed out need to put theminto action and that's where the Motor City Innovation Exchangecomes into play. "Bringing TechShop to Detroit was the critical first step in the creation of the InnovationExchange," says Coughlin. "It will be an open meeting place thatwill enable inventors to showcase what they create in TechShop andthen negotiate, network and even sell their prototyped solutions toplayers in the automotive industry, from manufacturers andsuppliers to research institutions and startups." The Innovation Exchange is also a physical extension of Detroit -based AutoHarvest Foundation, a nonprofit organization set up byseveral respected automotive executives to facilitate connectionsbetween the industry and Metro Detroit's entrepreneurial ecosystem.Ford Global Technologies, along with other automakers, suppliers,universities and research centers actively support AutoHarvest. Thegoal is to build a vibrant marketplace for licensing technologicalinnovation across and beyond the auto industry. Until now, there has been a major disconnect between having a greatidea and being able to sell or license it to companies that canactually put it to use. For those not already in the industry,making the right connections to present a new concept or producthas been a daunting task. AutoHarvest and Innovation Exchange hopeto provide a platform for commercializing the intellectual propertycreated by everyday inventors, industry insiders, universities andresearch labs. TechTown, the Wayne State University business incubator, will hold regular "office hours" sessions atInnovation Exchange to provide informal business support toTechShop members and other innovators. Exchange participants willbe able to take advantage of free or low-cost workshops on avariety of relevant topics presented by TechTown instructors. "Innovation Exchange is all about helping to spread the word aboutthe innovation happening both inside and outside of TechShop, andgiving the creators the foundational resources they need tounderstand how to sell and commercialize their idea and connectwith the right players while respecting their intellectualproperty," says Coughlin. Jump Start Program TechShop members with big ideas for a startup and a need foraffordable working space can participate in a new Jump StartProgram that offers discounted rental rates in Ford Land buildingsin the Allen Park and Dearborn area. Because of the diversity of projects being developed at TechShop,Ford Land will be flexible in providing suitable space that fitsthe specific needs of participants. The space, including locationsadjacent to TechShop Detroit, can be used by individuals or smallbusinesses for a variety of purposes including office, garage, laband assembly use. Interested TechShop members can accessinformation at fordland.com. "Supporting innovation and entrepreneurialism benefits the entireregion," said Donna Inch , chairman and CEO, Ford Land. "By lowering startup costs, we willenable more businesses to get off the ground and have a betterchance of being successful." "Like every industry, the automobile business was built and thrivedon innovation," said Coughlin. "As personal transportation isreinvented in the 21st century, the challenges facing the industryare greater than ever and fresh ideas are essential to success." "Ford is pleased to be leading the way through its connections withTechShop, AutoHarvest Foundation and TechTown," he added. I am an expert from sfpopticaltransceiver.com, while we provides the quality product, such as CISCO Compatible Transceiver , SFP+ Direct Attach Cable, SFP+ Optical Transceiver,and more.
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