물 위원회(Water Council)가 초기투입자본기금의 클러스터 승인 하에 7만1천625달러를 수여하는 ‘2014 지역혁신전략(RIS) 프로그램’ 기금 수령업체 최초 26곳의 리스트를 최근 발표했다. 이번 기금은 위원회의 초기투입자본기금 개시와 관련해 초기 마케팅 및 법률적 비용에 대한 부분을 상쇄할 수 있도록 도울 것으로 기대된다.

미국 경제개발행정부에 의해 운영되고 있는 RIS 프로그램은 미국 전역에서 고도 혁신 및 능력구축을 위해 고안된 새로운 계획이다.

 

 

 

The Water Council recently announced that it has been listed among the first 26 recipients of the 2014 Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program grants, receiving $71,625 under the "Cluster Grant for Seed Capital Funds" project. The grant will help to offset portions of the initial marketing and legal costs associated with the launch of the organization's Water Seed Fund.

 

The RIS program, which is being run by the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is a new initiative designed to advance innovation and capacity-building activities in regions across the country through three different types of grants: i6 Challenge grants, Cluster Grants for Seed Capital Funds (CGSCF), and Science and Research Park Development Grants.

 

Early access to capital is crucial for startups but can be difficult to obtain outside traditional startup hubs. CGSCFs provide technical assistance funding to support the feasibility, planning, formation, or launch of cluster-based seed capital funds, which will help improve access to capital for entrepreneurs across the United States. The total amount of funding for U.S. CGSCFs under RIS is nearly $2 million.

 

"This award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration confirms that southeast Wisconsin is the nation's leading cluster for the development and commercialization of water technology. The launch of the Water Seed Fund will add the missing piece to the puzzle -- technology, entrepreneurs, markets, and now capital," said Dean Amhaus, president and CEO of The Water Council. "We are very pleased to be able to continue our work with the Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Administration."

 

"As America's 'Innovation Agency,' the Commerce Department has a key role to play in supporting the innovators and job creators of tomorrow," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "We want to ensure that all entrepreneurs have access to the tools they need to move their ideas and inventions from idea to market. The Regional Innovation Strategies Program competition is designed to advance this mission across the United States, strengthening our economy and our global competitiveness."

 

[출처 = Water World / 2015년 4월 2일]