Florida Tech and TRDA Receive Grant from PNC Foundation to Launch Lecture Series

Intellectual Property Lecture Kicks off Series with Luncheon April 18

MELBOURNE, Fla.—The Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Florida Institute of Technology and the Technological Research Development Authority (TRDA) will kick off the “Technically Speaking Luncheon Lecture Series” in April with a program on “Intellectual Property.” The first in the luncheon series will address simplifying the legal principles behind intellectual property; it will be April 18, 11:30 a.m. at the TRDA offices, 1050 NASA Blvd., Melbourne.

The series is made possible by a grant to the Florida Tech WBC from the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group. The forum provides entrepreneurial women in Brevard County with information and access to professional experts in the fields of intellectual property, copyrights and trademarks, financing, manufacturing, exporting and government contracting. Participants will also have an opportunity for one-on-one counseling with local intellectual property attorneys.

“The lecture series addresses topics of concern to women-owned firms, which despite the challenging economy, have grown by 50 percent in the U.S. over the last decade,” said Craig Grant, PNC regional president for Florida East, speaking on behalf of the PNC Foundation. “It makes sense to support this initiative to provide women owners with the knowledge and tools they need to grow their businesses.”

The luncheon series runs through November and costs $25 per event; an RSVP is required. The series includes the following topics:

April 18 Intellectual Property

May 24 Fundraising for your business

July 12 Government Contracting

September 27 Manufacturing & Export

November 15 Exits strategies & Succession Planning

As part of the ongoing effort by the WBC and TRDA to encourage and support entrepreneurship and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies among Brevard County youth, an all-day workshop has also been planned for participants of the WBC-Junior Achievement Summer Camp. High School students will learn valuable business concepts and management skills during this week-long camp. TRDA will host a full day session devoted to exposing these young entrepreneurs to the importance of technology in business today:

June 20 Youth Entrepreneurship Camp 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
August 7 High School Workshops 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To register, go to wbc.fit.edu or contact (321) 674-7007. Some scholarships are available for the luncheon lectures. Contact the WBC for more information.

About PNC Foundation

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

About the Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Florida Tech

The WBC provides training, counseling, mentoring and technical assistance targeting women entrepreneurs and women-owned small businesses in Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties. The Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The WBC is an outreach of the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech.

About TRDA

The Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) works with early-stage technology companies and entrepreneurs to accelerate their business planning, fundraising efforts, business development strategies and growth. Since its inception in 1987, TRDA has mentored hundreds of technology entrepreneurs and has supported over 175 new technology companies that have created more than 1,350 high wage jobs throughout Florida.