Semi-finalists named for Global Venture Challenge 2010

Student teams from 22 universities have been selected to advance to the semi-final round of the 2010 Global Venture Challenge hosted March 25-26 by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The 2010 teams are: McGill University (Canada); Purdue University; Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Spain); University of Alabama/University of Alabama-Huntsville; University of Alberta (Canada)/Carnegie Mellon University/Maastricht University (Netherlands); University of Kansas; University of Kentucky; University of North Carolina-Charlotte; University of Oklahoma; University of South Florida; University of Tennessee (two teams); Virginia Tech/University of Pennsylvania/University of North Carolina; Clemson University; Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; University of Akron; University of California-Riverside; University of Florida (two teams); University of Louisville; University of Maryland-College Park; and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

The Global Venture Challenge, now in its fourth year, is an educational competition featuring entrepreneurial and technology-based business proposals presented by graduate student teams from around the world.

The teams will be judged by panels of energy executives, venture capitalists, technologists, entrepreneurs and legal experts. The winning team will receive $25,000.

This year's challenge, supported by DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies, Department of Homeland Security's Community and Regional Resilience Institute and UT-Battelle, also will include a Venture Showcase of early-stage startup companies and emerging technologies.

Additional sponsors of the 2010 event are Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Battelle Ventures, National Institute of Hometown Security, National Venture Capital Association, East Tennessee Economic Council and Meritus Ventures.

Provided by DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory