Monthly Archives: October 2011

Columbia hopes to become solar leader

A city official said last week that when a project to install 12 acres’ worth of solar panels in Columbia is complete, the city could become a leading community in the ... Read More

Kirksville osteopathic college plans a dental school

A northern Missouri college of osteopathic medicine has approved a $26 million bond issue to build a dental school. A.T. Still University of Health Sciences said that its board of trustees ... Read More

Boeing lands $11.7 billion C-17 support deal

The Department of Defense awarded a contract worth up to $11.7 billion to Boeing for support and maintenance of its C-17 aircraft to the U.S. military and global allies, the St. Louis Business Journal reports. Boeing's defense unit, which builds the C-17, is based in St. Louis. ... Read More

The business of cooling the planet

Climate scientists and their billionaire backers, like Bill Gates, are trying to turn down the global thermostat – and make money doing it. Lately another approach to cooling the planet, with ... Read More

Cerner will buy Clairvia

Cerner Corp. has agreed to buy Clairvia Inc., a North Carolina company whose software helps health care organizations coordinate staffing, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. Cerner, a health care technology company based in North Kansas City, said the purchase of Clairvia should close in October. ... Read More

Solutia to buy Southwall Technologies for $113 million

Solutia Inc. said today it will buy Southwall Technologies Inc., which makes films and glass products for automotive, electronic and architectural markets, including screens for smartphones and e-readers, for $113 million. The deal to acquire Palo Alto, Calif.-based Southwall for $13.60 per share of Southwall common stock will be funded by Solutia from existing cash on hand, the St. Louis-based company said. ... Read More

Danforth Center gets $5.5 million to develop camelina plant as oil alternative

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center said today it won a $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the oilseed plant camelina as a sustainable source of biofuel and an alternative to oil. Investigators at the Danforth Center’s Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels will work to develop an enhanced variety of camelina that produces more oil per acre. ... Read More

Abbott Labs to split into 2 companies

Abbott Laboratories is spinning off its branded drug business and will become two separate medical companies, the Chicago Tribune reports. The spinoff will exclusively sell Abbott's branded pharmaceuticals. Abbott CEO Miles White will continue to lead the rest of the medical device company. ... Read More

Venture capital investment jumps in Missouri, but numbers decline in Kansas

Investments in startups by venture capitalists increased in Missouri in the third quarter but declined in Kansas, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. Venture capitalists signed five deals for a total of $92.1 million in the third quarter, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association. That compared with three deals worth $7.7 million during the second quarter. ... Read More

Governor Nixon signs MOSIRA bill to spark science innovation and investment in Missouri

Gov. Jay Nixon today signed Senate Bill 7, the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA), passed by the General Assembly during the special session. Passage of the MOSIRA bill was ... Read More