NineSigma Partners With International Science and Technology Center

CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwire - June 10, 2008) - NineSigma, the leading provider of open innovation (OI) solutions, today announced that Moscow-based International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) has joined the company's Innovation Alliance Program. ISTC is the largest sponsor of research and development in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) providing former Soviet weapons scientists with new opportunities in international partnerships. As a NineSigma affiliate, and with NineSigma acting as a Partner of the ISTC, Russian and CIS laboratories and scientists will have greater access to potential funding sources for R&D projects through NineSigma's automated and systematic Open Innovation process.

"To quantify ISTC's reach, for the past 14 years the organization has worked with 980 research institutes and nearly 70,000 technologists that comprise the exceptional pool of scientific talent available in Russian and CIS institutes," said Charles Brez, vice president, Innovation Alliances for NineSigma, Inc. "NineSigma's innovation seeking clients will now have access to world class solutions that have not been previously readily available."

ISTC is an intergovernmental organization founded by the European Union, Japan, Russia and the United States in November 1992, joined by Norway, the Republic of Korea and, in 2004, by Canada. The organization's main objective is to provide former Soviet weapons researchers with opportunities to redirect their talents to peaceful activities. Through NineSigma's RFP and RFS processes, ISTC affiliated recipient labs and institutes can respond to requests from global innovation seekers, providing new opportunities to form strategic partnerships with market leaders in a variety of technology areas.

"ISTC has access to some of the best trained scientists and well-equipped labs in Russia and the CIS, but most of our affiliated labs lack the international market contacts and experience that can connect them with innovation seekers capable of capital investments," said Patrick Russo, principal partner project manager for ISTC. "This is where we see NineSigma playing an important role in helping our recipient labs and scientists make the connections that can assist them in becoming more self-sustaining in market-oriented R&D."

Russo added, "During the past 14 years, ISTC has managed the development, execution and financing of more than 2,800 projects worth more than $780 million. From these investments many of our projects have developed valuable IP, know-how and core R&D competencies that we believe NineSigma can help our affiliated labs and institutes profit from in international OI markets."

"NineSigma and our customers will gain access to the tremendous technical expertise ISTC has fostered in Russia and CIS for the past 14 years," said Paul Stiros, president and CEO of NineSigma. "And vice versa, ISTC affiliated labs and institutes will have better access through NineSigma to a network of technology seekers with the needs and capital to invest in new technologies. ISTC is a great organization with a commendable mission, and we look forward to connecting our clients with ISTC's solution providers."

To hear a brief audio interview with Patrick Russo from ISTC, click: http://files.ninesigma.com/pressreleases/ISTCinterview.mp3

About NineSigma

NineSigma partners with Global 1000 companies to help transform their innovation capabilities and overcome business and technology challenges by connecting them with solutions not readily available in the public domain. NineSigma's proprietary processes for Open Innovation enables companies to dramatically improve speed to market while lowering product development costs. NineSigma's open network of innovators is the largest of its kind and spans industries, geographies and technical disciplines. Companies such as DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft, P&G, Philips, Unilever and Xerox engage NineSigma to build new innovation capabilities that leverage research and innovation globally to deliver greater value to their customers. NineSigma is a private company with offices in the United States, Belgium and Japan. For more information visit: www.ninesigma.com.

About ISTC

The International Science and Technology Center is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the nonproliferation of weapons and technologies of mass destruction. Founded in 1992 by an international agreement between the European Union, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, the United States of America, and in 2004 with Canada, ISTC coordinates the efforts of numerous governments, international and private-sector organizations, providing former weapons scientists from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States market-based opportunities to redirect their talents toward scientific research and innovation. For more information, visit www.istc.ru.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Dan Dyer 513-478-7818 ISTC: Steve Bourne +7 (495) 982 3141 Teah Toidze +7 (495) 982 3228