PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 21 December 2012

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Dec 21, 2012, 09:00 ET

LONDON, December 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- University embraces crowdfunding, Evolucia launch new road lighting solution and Moon Express acquires Rocket City

The University of Utah has taken the first step towards revolutionising educational funding in the US, after launching a bespoke "crowdfunding" website. The move is designed to raise finance for educational projects at some of the country's biggest establishments.

The new platform is the result of a combined effort from the University of Utah's Technology Commercialisation Office and crowdfunding experts RocketHub, who have come together to launch the University Tech Vault. Universities will be able to use the new site to attract public donations for potential technology-based projects.

University of Utah spokesman Bryan Ritchie believes that the platform has "huge potential to help aggregate a few resources from many people to help us move technologies from faculty labs into the world where they will have a real impact". The first projects seeking funding include a new program to improve the education of autistic children, and an innovative active desk, allowing individuals to exercise at work.

Evolucia, a company specialising in the production of high performance LED lighting solutions, has announced the launch of its brand new "Evolucia G2" product, aimed at the public road lighting market.

The new product combines the latest developments in energy efficiency with a market leading LED system, providing local authorities with the opportunity to vastly increase road visibility and improve overall safety. Evolucia's new product is capable of reducing energy consumption by up to 66%, whilst also providing 15% more light on the road when compared to current systems.

The company's confidence in the performance of the latest release is demonstrated by its offering of a market leading warranty program, with Evolucia guaranteeing its product for up to ten years. Potential adopters of this new technology can purchase the whole system, or take advantage of the ability to retrofit the G2 into their existing fixtures.

Moon Express, an analytics and engineering company in the space and missiles market, has reached a deal to acquire its close rivals, Rocket City Space Pioneers.

This latest acquisition will see Moon Express further increase its presence in the commercial space travel market, with the company looking to improve the commercial viability of its lunar missions. It is also set to bolster the company's position as a leading contender for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, recognising technological advancement in the field of commercial space travel.

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