Cluster Enhancement Awards Cluster Enhancement Award Awards of up to $200,000 per project will be made on a competitive basis that will stimulate and support the formation and growth of technology businesses. This program requires that a letter of intent be submitted to the MTI prior to submission of a full proposal. The MTI Board of Directors will consider full applications on a rolling basis at its regularly scheduled board meetings. Following is the Request for Applications available for download with Acrobat Reader: Cluster Enhancement-RFP.pdf. Do you have an innovative boatbuilding project, composites project or both? You may be eligible for MTI's North Star Alliance Cluster Enhancement Award Matching Fund. Email questions about the proposals to info@mainetechnology.org Cluster Enhancement Reports: 2008 and 2002 Maine's Technology Sectors and Clusters: Status and Strategy, 2008 Clusters are an important driver of business growth and economic development in a region. Maine's technology clusters have grown and evolved significantly since 2002, when Maine's first analysis of its technology sectors was published. Since that time, researchers have learned more about clusters, what they are, how to measure them and how to nurture them. And here in Maine, the Brookings Institution report Charting Maine's Future as well as several Legislative and state committees have called for a greater investment in our high-potential technology clusters. Last year, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) Board of Directors commissioned an analysis of Maine's technology sectors and clusters to be led by Dr. Charles Colgan, Professor of Public Policy and Management, Center for Business and Economic Research, the University of Southern Maine, and funded in collaboration with Maine's Office of Innovation. The report team combined the in-state expertise of PolicyOne Research, Inc., and Planning Decisions, Inc., with the expertise of Battelle, a global technology organization. Download the following formats of the report. Introduction: 4 pages Executive Summary: 16 pages Full report as one file: 216 pages Full report by chapters: Cover, Table of Contents, Summary, and Chapters 1 - 4 with Introduction, Clusters: an Introduction, Maine's Research and Innovation Strengths,and the Foundation: Human Resources for Technology Innovation. Chapter 5: Biotechnology Sector Chapter 6: Composite and Advanced Materials Sector Chapter 7: Environmental Technologies Sector Chapter 8: Forest Products and Agriculture Sector Chapter 9: Information Technology Sector Chapter 10: Marine Technology and Aquaculture Sector Chapter 11: Precision Manufacturing Sector Chapter 12: Conclusions and Recommendations Appendices and References Assessing Maine's Technology Clusters, 2002 Click here to download the report.