The formation of the Nanotechnology/Microtechnology Practice at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt follows a new alliance among Oregons three largest public universities, the GovernorТ’s office, the states congressional delegation, legislature and industry that has targeted a key new area of economic opportunity for the Pacific Northwest.

The alliance, called ONAMI - the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (www.onami.us) (previously the Multiscale Materials Devices Initiative or MMDI) leverages the complementary research strength of Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Pacific Northwest Laboratory and private sector players such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel Capital and FEI.

Some of the research that ONAMI is undertaking includes development of a wide range of very small, superefficient devices - from fist-sized heat pumps and dialysis filters the size of a matchbox to higher capacity chips for the semiconductor industry and the next generation of ink-jet printers. These innovations could lead to new commercial firms in Oregon and elsewhere.

As a founding sponsor of ONAMI, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is committed to providing a team of lawyers who possess multi-disciplinary skill sets in corporate, science and technology, patent and intellectual property law. This unique collaboration among industry, academia, federal and state government and the legal community will be helpful in building a new generation of companies based on strong technology and innovation.