In This Issue

• From the Board Chair: Future Perfect in West Michigan
• Attraction: Wind Energy in Michigan
• Expansion: Global Forex Trading
• Manufacturing: Diversification is Key
• Innovation: A Year of Success

Innovation: A Year of Success

176 innovation plans, 212 ideas online, and 400+ clients since February '08 launch.

InnovationWorks was designed to accelerate the innovation process while also making it accessible and affordable for entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes. Created by The Right Place in 2007, and supported by WIRED West Michigan and our partners, InnovationWorks has become a valuable, regional and national network of contacts, ideas, and support services that in 2008 assisted more than 300 clients to mine for ideas, connect to resources, and collaborate with peers.

As we begin our second year, InnovationWorks is proud to announce our transition from WIRED West Michigan. Starting February 1, we became fully supported by regional corporate, community and individual members.

Committed to supporting economic development and job growth by increasing the innovation competency of West Michigan companies, we have developed memberships for clients and service providers to support our continuing efforts. Client memberships include personal coaching, access to premium content, including our Idea Portal, personal web pages, and direct access to service providers. Memberships for service providers include access to premium content as well as other exclusive marketing benefits.

For more information on becoming a member and the benefits of membership, contact the InnovationWorks team at 616.771.0325 or visit them online at www.innovationworkswestmichigan.com

Idea Translation Workshops:

Because just one in thirty patents makes its way to the marketplace as a commercialized product.

The path from patent to product can be uncertain and confusing. InnovationWorks’ new Idea Translation Workshop sheds light on that path, making it faster and easier to turn ideas into commercialized reality.

The first Idea Translation Workshop was held in March at the Rapid Central Station in downtown Grand Rapids. Working through the various aspects of the commercialization process, registrants learned how to translate their idea into a simple product description and begin the important process of valuing the idea.

The Idea Translation Workshop is a hands-on working session that teaches inventors and entrepreneurs how to:

• Translate the idea. Through an interactive workshop, they "translate" the idea into a simple description that anyone can understand - regardless of their background. This process has proven success in increasing the odds of interest in their innovation.
• Value the idea. After the idea is translated, they gather key data to run a Merwyn Business Simulation that gives them a total assessment of their innovation. It quantifies in one easy-to-understand innovation scorecard: 1) the quality of the idea, 2) innovation readiness and proprietary protection, 3) fair market valuation, and 4) potential sales.
• List the innovation on InnovationWorks' web-based Idea Portal and The National Idea Marketplace, where investors, manufacturers, retailers, experts and companies can connect to your idea directly.

For more information Idea Translation Workshops, contact the InnovationWorks team at 616.771.0325 or visit them online at www.innovationworkswestmichigan.com