The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is
looking for a few good women to compete in a high-tech,
entrepreneurial take on the hit reality TV show "The Apprentice."

The $600,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) program,
"Achieving the
Commercialization of Technology in Ventures through Applied Training for
Entrepreneurs" (ACTiVATE), will select up to 30
Baltimore/Washington-area women for a competitive class that, unlike
traditional business courses, doesn't deal in hypothetical widgets. Instead, ACTiVATE gives real-world lessons from experienced
entrepreneurs and venture capitalists as students compete to take
patented technology innovations from area universities to market.

"ACTiVATE is looking for savvy, competitive women to have fun while
going after an ultimate prize that's much better than a job with Donald
Trump -- the chance to start and run a real technology company," said
Stephen Auvil, director of UMBC's Office of Technology Development.

UMBC teams with the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)
and six other Maryland universities on ACTiVATE, one of only 16 grants
awarded nationwide this year from the NSF's highly competitive
Partnerships for Innovation Program. While no one will hear the dreaded
words "You're fired," the program aims to create six or more new,
university-related, startup companies over the next three years while
training 90 new women entrepreneurs in the process.

Each year, TEDCO will screen 20 existing technology ideas from
participating universities and select the 15 best to be used in
ACTiVATE. Start-up firms that emerge from the course may be housed in
techcenter@UMBC, the University's on-campus business incubator.

Highly-motivated, mid-career women with business or technical
backgrounds who are interested in learning more about ACTiVATE are
invited to attend one of two upcoming open houses. These events will
provide an overview of how ACTiVATE selects and trains applicants;
introduce the entrepreneurs-in-residence at UMBC, give more information
on the university technologies to be marketed, and provide details on
how to apply for the program.

Open House dates:

December 7, 2004 or January 11, 2005

6:30 until 8 p.m.

techcenter@UMBC

1450 South Rolling Road

Catonsville, Maryland 21227

Directions online:


http://www.umbc.edu/Business/Research/location/directions.html

For more information, please visit:

http://www.umbc.edu/activate/
or email cwit@umbc.edu.

About the ACTIVATE Team: Funded by the National Science Foundation,
ACTIVATE partner universities include UMBC, The Johns Hopkins
University, the University of Maryland College Park, the University of
Maryland Baltimore, the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute,
Towson University and the University of Maryland School of Law. Private
partners include Legg Mason Wood Walker, Constellation Energy, Grant
Thornton, Venable LLP, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP, New Markets
Growth Fund, MGH Public Relations, The Eager Street Group, Darrah Tax
Advisory Services, BioPlan Associates, Inc., Anthem Capital Management
and American Express Tax & Business Services.