University of Michigan's Zell Lurie and Erb Institutes to Co-Host Cleantech Conference to Spotlight Investment Trends in Wind, Solar and Energy Storage

University of Michigan's Zell Lurie and Erb Institutes to Co-Host Cleantech
Conference to Spotlight Investment Trends in Wind, Solar and Energy Storage

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reflecting increased
interest among business school students in cleantech innovation and investment
trends, the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial
Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and the Erb
Institute for Global and Sustainable Enterprise will co-host the University's
free investment event focused exclusively on this sector. Cleantech 2009:
Innovations, Opportunities and Building Business will be held on Friday, Nov.
20 from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the University of Michigan Union and is
open to the public.

The event kicks off with keynote addresses from national cleantech innovation
experts Bruce M. Kahn, Ph.D., director and senior investment analyst at
Deutsche Bank Asset Management, and Steven Chalk, chief operating officer,
energy efficiency and renewable energy from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Their presentations will cover emerging trends in cleantech, investment
opportunities and the U.S. regulatory environment.

Two panel discussions will follow. The first, "Current Investment Spaces,"
will be moderated by Dr. Peter Adriaens, professor of entrepreneurship with a
primary appointment in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and joint
appointments in the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ross
School of Business. This session will explore technology, financing, policies
and other specific aspects of development related to specific markets within
cleantech, including wind, solar and energy storage. Panelists include
experts from Environmental Law and Policy Center, Nth Power, Sakti3 and Accio
Energy.

The second panel will focus on the role of the State of Michigan in developing
today's cleantech industry. This panel will be moderated by Thomas P. Lyon,
director of the Erb Institute, and will feature experts from NextEnergy,
Shepherd Advisors and the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic
Growth.

"There is tremendous potential for cleantech to prosper in Michigan, with the
support of a robust research corridor at universities within the region,
access to existing manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure, and policies
that promote the long term sustainability of the industry in the Midwest,"
said Adriaens. "The symposium will bring together many of the industry's top
experts, investors and policymakers, as well as promising startups and
students interested in the space, for candid conversations on how to advance
innovation in this nascent sector and develop a hub for cleantech here in our
backyard."

Realizing the economic potential in this market sector and the need for
education in this space, the University has launched a number of courses,
programs and campus initiatives to foster research and business development in
cleantech, including the pioneering Cleantech Venture Assessment course, clean
energy tracks in the Michigan Business Challenge and cleantech investments
through the University's two student-led venture funds.

For more information on Cleantech 2009 or to register to attend, please visit
www.bus.umich.edu/Conferences/Cleantech2009

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
/ Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance
The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance
bring together a potent mix of knowledge, experience and opportunities from
the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investments. The student
learning experience is further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial
clubs and organization and events that serve to provide viable networks and
engage the business community. The School's two student-led investment funds,
with over $3M in management, immerse students in the business assessment and
investment process. Members of the Advisory Board include Samuel Zell,
Chairman of Equity Group Investments; Michael Hallman, former COO of Microsoft
Corporation; and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. For more
information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

About the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute for Global Sustainable
Enterprise
Created in 1996, the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise is a
50-50 partnership between the School of Natural Resources and Environment and
the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The
Institute fosters professional education, public outreach and scientific
scholarship supportive of the transition to sustainability - that is, meeting
the fundamental needs of a growing human population in an equitable manner
within the means of nature. Utilizing a collaborative approach, the Institute
helps business, government and civil society organizations to achieve
meaningful progress toward sustainability. Its mission is be a premier source
of knowledge and leadership for the achievement of environmentally,
economically and socially sustainable development and enterprise. For more
information, visit www.erb.umich.edu.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute

Mary Nickson of the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies, +1-734-615-4424, mnickson@umich.edu or Jean Serra for
+1-617-426-2222, jserra@v2comms.com