Innovation + Job News

In a nationwide survey comparing job postings to the number of unemployed, Baltimore earned the No. 3 spot.

According to Indeed.com, an online job hunting site, there's one job for each unemployed person in the city. The survey looked at the top 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. based on its index of over 50 million jobs posted each year.

Washington, D.C. came in first place with a total of six jobs for every unemployed person, while Jacksonville took the No. 2 slot with employers there offering 3 jobs for each unemployed resident.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Indeed.com

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) have teamed up to train postdoctoral research fellows from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other federal labs in the region on starting technology-based companies.

The joint project, a result of a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Partnerships for Innovation program, will establish an ACTiVATE at NIH program in Montgomery County. It builds on a successful ACTiVATE program at UMBC that trains mid-career women to start companies using technologies developed at area universities and research institutions.

"We are pleased to expand the ACTiVATE® model to Montgomery County and to offer the program to the talented group of scientists working as postdocs at NIH and other federal labs in the region. In the course of four years, the program at UMBC has trained 92 women and launched over 25 companies; we hope to bring that same success to this new venture," says Stephen Auvil, assistant vice president for research at UMBC and a co-principal investigator on the NSF award

Intended to stem the flow of highly skilled, postdoctoral fellows at NIH who leave the state each year, the new program will provide postdocs with the training and support needed to start new companies in Maryland or pursue an entrepreneurial career.

Offering postdocs the opportunity to develop new skills that transform research into viable businesses will lead to rewarding career paths and contribute to the growth of Maryland's life sciences industry, and also advance medical science by moving emerging technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

The program will recruit postdoc fellows and members of the business community to form interdisciplinary teams and pursue opportunities for startup companies. The JHU Carey Business School will receive funding under the award to offer ACTiVATE at NIH at their Shady Grove campus in Rockville.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Stephen Auvil, UMBC

Columbia-based Martek Biosciences signed a joint development deal with BP to work on the production of microbial oils for biofuels applications. The respective partners bring a broad technology platform and operational capabilities to advance the development of a step-change technology to convert sugars into biodiesel.

Under the multi-year partnership, Martek and BP will collaborate to establish working prototypes for cost effective microbial biodiesel production through fermentation. Researched for more than 20 years, the challenge will be to adapt the technology to the needs of the biofuels market with regard to product profile and economics.

"Martek is pleased to partner with BP's Alternative Energy team, to combine our unique algae-based technologies and intellectual property for the creation of sustainable and affordable technology for microbial biofuel production," says Steve Dubin, Martek CEO.

BP will contribute up to $10 million for this initial phase of its collaboration with Martek, utilizing the company's expertise in microbial oil production and BP's production and commercialization experience in biofuels as the jumping off point for the joint project.

Martek will perform the biotechnology research and development related to the initial phase of the project, while BP will offer its integration within the biofuels value chain.

Biodiesel produced from sustainable feedstocks via the fermentation of sugars will offer the potential to deliver greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 80 percent to 90 percent when compared to traditional fossil fuel.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Steve Dubin, Martek

RIP Les Paul, inventor of the solid body electric guitar, but a University of Maryland professor thinks he has the goods to be this century's guitar guru.

Bruce Jacob, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of Maryland, College Park, says that the new technology used in his so-called coil guitars enables the instruments to produce more sounds than any other guitar currently on store shelves.

Using his background in electrical and computer engineering to develop the guitar, Jacob launched Coil, LLC in 2006. With a list of the sounds he wanted to the guitars to produce, Jacob with the help of five of his students was able to create Coil guitars that according to the company feature an innovative circuitry unlike anything else available.

The guitars are available on the Coil Web site (www.coil-guitars.com) , starting at $999.

In an effort to bump up its profile, Hair Cuttery, the national salon chain, pegged Baltimore-based Vision Multimedia Technologies (VMT) to create several digital communications projects, including a Web site redesign, social marketing strategy development, pay per click advertising, search engine marketing, electronic lead capture and comprehensive reporting and analysis.

"Our proprietary technical solution really appealed to the Hair Cuttery team as they try to leverage the social networks of their fans, friends and followers. The reports that we will be able to generate will provide meaningful data in real time and that is truly valuable marketing return on investment information," says Brian Razzaque, president and chief technology officer of VMT, based in Hampden.

The using an open source content management system, DotCMS, VMT will bring social media functionality such as blogging and electronic newsletters to the revamped Hair Cutter Web site. The site is scheduled to launch in fall 2009.

In addition, the company will train Hair Cutter stylists on ways to engage and react to various social media outlets and how to promote their services online. VMT's proprietary software application will give Hair Cutter execs the power to track sales leads and results spawned by the stylists interactions on social networks.


Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Brian Razzaque, Vision Multimedia Technologies

First, Cricket Communications brought its pay-as-you-go, no credit check wireless cell phone service to Baltimore, now the company hopes to bridge the digital divide and add affordable broadband service as well with the help of the Feds.

The mobile service provider filed a grant application on Monday for federal Recovery funding in parternship with One Economy Corporation. The proposal would extend Project Change access, a program to bring affordable wireless broadband service to low-income residents in five cities, to an additional 23,000 families in Baltimore, Houston, San Diego and Washington, D.C.

Launched in Portland in 2008, the pilot program created by LCW Wireless, Cricket's parent company, provides the families with sustainable, innovative broadband access and digital literacy training. The project provides subsidized, low-cost wireless broadband over Cricket's high-quality, all-digital 3G wireless network and a wireless device that can be used with desktops and laptops.

"As we have seen in the results of the Portland pilot of Project Change Access, universal broadband is the key to economic revitalization in low-income communities that need growth in businesses and jobs the most," said Dave Maquera, vice president, strategy at Leap. "Cricket remains committed to bringing the benefits of wireless and mobile broadband to everyone, including low-income families who deserve the benefits of digital innovation that online access brings."

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Dave Maquera, LCW

The University of Maryland wants to give young entrepreneurs a head start in business.

The school's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business has offer 40 students from various schools and colleges in the UMD system the chance to participate in a 10-day business jumpstart program. From Aug. 17 to 28, the students will participate in interactive sessions and workshops led by successful local entrepreneurs, investors and lawyers

The goal is to help give students the necessary tools to develop a business idea, make sure it is viable, possibly perform a test in the market and then launch the new business, says Alla Corey, a program manager at Dingman Center.

The program is intended to help students prepare for the Cupid's Cup business competition that kicks-off in April. The business challenge requires entrants to have an existing revenue-generating business. Kevin Plank, Under Armour CEO, sponsors and judges the contest.


Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Alla Corey, Dingman Center

Has your company just signed a big new contract or client? Has your organization experienced recent growth? Or do you want to send a shout out about your latest financials? Do you have job posts to fill? If the answer to any of these questions is a resounding yes, then your company could star in an item in this section.

Innovation and Jobs news is all about putting the achievements of Baltimore-area businesses on blast and alerting our readers to job openings.

So, if you have a company doing good things and want us to consider your news for publication in Bmore, ping me.

Kalypso Media Group, a German-based game publisher continues its global expansion, choosing Baltimore as the site of its U.S. headquarters, beating out Los Angeles, New York and Silicon Valley. The deciding factor was the high concentration of video game companies in the area, including Firaxis Games, BreakAway and Big Huge Games. The Baltimore office boasts a minimal staff of about five.

With its new digs located in Roland Park, the company named Deborah Tillett president. Former president of BreakAway Games, Tillett is responsible for developing and implementing Kalypso's strategic and creative vision in North America. Kalypso is perhaps known best for its "Tropico" series now on its third installment.

The company is seeking game developers who have created PC or mobile phone games in any genre of entertainment software. The company is particularly interested in strategy, adventure, action and simulation games. Kalypso offers developers marketing on a global scale in retail stores and via online platform. Interested game designers should contact the company at [email protected].

In other gaming news, Zynga, a San Francisco developer of games for social networking sites including Facebook and MySpace, plans to hire 12 to 15 game designers, web developers, artists and producers by the end of the year. The company has chosen Baltimore as the location for its new East Coast office. Helmed by Brian Reynolds, a former exec with Firaxis Games and Big Hug Games, anticipates that the office will locate in Timonium.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Kalypso Media Group

A Baltimore-based technology firm is making money keeping computer systems secure. Sourcefire announced a 38 percent increase in revenues for the second quarter of 2009 -- topping $22.2 million for the quarter compared to $16 million for the same period in 2008. Revenues for the first six months of 2009 reached $40.8 million, an $11.1 million increase compared with the same period last year when revenues were $29.7 million.

This is big news and the best kind of news for Sourcefire. Since it went public in 2007, despite a reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the cybersecurity industry, Sourcefire had failed to turn a profit.

The improvement in financials comes one year after John Burris, a former Citrix exec, took the reigns as CEO.

"When I joined Sourcefire a year ago, we said we would grow revenue, control expenses, leverage our channel relationships, and achieve full year profitability on an adjusted basis. I am very excited by the progress that Sourcefire has made and confident in our ability to continue to execute against these objectives," Burris says.

Under his leadership, Sourcefire continues to grow and deliver new and innovative security solutions. Most recently, the company announced a virtual appliance for protecting leading VMware-based systems, a first in the industry.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: John Burris, Sourcefire

"The work is out there." That's the message to Baltimore's hackers from Mike Subelsky, a well-known Baltimore-based "startup person," blogger and co-founder of Other Inbox.

Regional entrepreneurs with ideas for software projects, principally web applications, approach Subelsky in their quest to find someone to make their ideas a reality.

In the past month he's been approached about a niche, massively multiplayer game, a workflow management system for the entertainment industry, a web news site CMS and iPhone games. With no clear idea of whom he should refer these entrepreneurs to, Subelsky passes info for budgeted projects on to friends and long-time supporters.

However, those who can't afford or aren't ready for the full treatment remain. The projects are more typically prototypes better suited for a freelancer or moonlighter, according to Subelsky.

That's why he's asking developers, without an aversion to risk, interested in these types of projects to comment on his blog (http://www.subelsky.com/2009/07/startup-opportunities-for-programmers.html) or email him at [email protected].

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Mike Subelsky

The National Institute of Health has awarded $20 million to the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences to create a Genomic Sequencing Center for Infectious Diseases. The money will be used to sequence and analyze the genomes of infectious organisms, including agents of bioterrorism and new or emerging diseases. The grant is the largest the 2-year-old institute has received to date.

The upcoming center could have significant impact, helping the medical community with the sudden outbreak of emerging diseases such as H1N1 flu, SARS and food-borne illnesses. Genomic research into these emerging diseases can be used to develop new diagnostic and treatment tools to combat infection.

"This project places the University of Maryland School of Medicine and IGS front and center in infectious disease research nationwide. Our work under this project could lead to new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools in the fight against infectious diseases, from emerging diseases," says Claire Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D., director of IGS and a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Not only will the grant put the IGS and Baltimore on the national radar for its genomic research, it is also designed to encourage collaboration between the IGS and outside clinicians or other scientists with unusual or significant pathogen samples they would like to have sequenced and analyzed. The federal funds will cover the costs of the sequencing and analysis will create a library of information that can be shared with researchers throughout the country. In return for their proposing projects and providing samples, outside researchers will have access to the genomic information IGS scientists discover.

The program is also designed to enable IGS and other research centers to respond rapidly and readily within a matter of days or weeks to a bioterrorist attack or the outbreak of an infectious disease.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Claire Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine

Rockville-based ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softwworks, added id Software, legendary game studio behind "DOOM," "QUAKE", "Wolfenstein" and other games, to its gaming roster in June. Bethesda Softworks will publish the titles of Texas-based id Software except for any upcoming releases already committed to other publishers.

The marriage of the two companies is being heralded for combining the first-person shooter expertise of id Software with the role playing game prowess of ZeniMax Media's Bethesda Game Studios, the team behind "Fallout 3," the 2008 Game of the Year and "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," the 2006 Game of the Year. The cost of the acquisition was not made public, but media reports have placed it at around $105 million.

"This was a unique opportunity to team with a smart, sophisticated publisher like Bethesda Softworks where the interests of the studio and the publisher will be fully aligned in the development and marketing of our titles," says id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead. "In addition, we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans."

id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack, and no operation changes will be made in the development of id Software games. All id Software principals have signed long-term employment contracts stating they will continue in their roles at the studio. Carmack, a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, says he relishes the opportunity to "to grow and extend all of our franchises under one roof, leveraging our capabilities across multiple teams while enabling forward looking research to be done in the service of all of them."

Writer: Lucy Ament
Source: Todd Hollenshead, id Software

Salar Inc., an electronic documentation firm located in Fells Point, is growing. The company recently added the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and the George Washington University Hospital to its roster of clients.

Salar's bread and butter is the healthcare industry. Founded in 1999, the company takes traditional paper-based physicians notes and puts them into an electronic format, which boosts productivity and enhances hospital revenues.

Both the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and the George Washington University Hospital have contracted with Salar to bring clinicians at both hospitals TeamNotes, which enables physicians to create medical forms, including daily notes, admission notes and discharge notes electronically on desktops, laptops, and tablet PCs.

"Our ultimate goal is to maximize the amount of time physicians spend interacting with and treating patients and minimize the time occupied with completing paperwork and correcting billing errors," says Salar president Todd Johnson.

President Barack Obama has made the shift to electronic medical records a priority that he would like to see accomplished within the next five years. With less than 10 percent of the 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. and just under 20 percent of the 800,000 doctors currently using computerized records, there is plenty of potential for growth for Salar.

Johns Hopkins Hospital, UMass Memorial Health Care and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center also use Salar's technology.

Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Todd Johnson, president, Salar, Inc.