What do an eclectic group of early stage engineering, information management, and medical application companies have in common? The question might sound like the first line of a joke, but the answer is they are all exhibiting at this year's technology showcase - the exhibition for small and early-stage science and technology companies at Venturefest 2008.

The technology showcase is organised by Venturefest and provides the ideal forum for exhibiting technology and allowing customers and collaborators to get to grips with the latest developments.

It is an informal hands-on event where entrepreneurs demonstrate their products and services, giving interested parties the opportunity of directly interacting with the new technology and, more importantly, the people behind the innovations.

Twenty companies will be involved, providing a microcosm of regional innovative thinking.

One of the companies involved, Alchemy Healthcare, has been set up to work with the pharmaceutical industry to develop a more effective drug and delivery package.

Its nasal delivery unit administers dry powder pharmaceuticals, as powders are considered better than liquids because there is increased retention time in the nasal cavity, leading to rapid uptake.

The active' device also improves dose accuracy to ensure more effective delivery and improved healthcare.

Another company exhibiting within the broad remit of the medical sector, but with a very different product and market, is MedStamp.

MedStamp is an Oxford-based company providing secure transfer of medical imagery within the healthcare market.

Tom Bowles of MedStamp said: "Imaging technologies are a primary factor in the diagnosis and treatment of many medical conditions and the number of scans being taken is increasing. As the typical size of an image data file increases, transferring data at the required speed becomes increasingly difficult.

"There is also an increasing need to transmit image data securely outside of a hospital's network directly to specific professionals, for reporting, referrals and clinical trials."

MedStamp's products provide faster transfer speeds and increased security that does not only rely on encryption, but actively tracks the data, so you can tell where it has been and who has accessed it.

Information transfer and data handling feature in the products and services of a number of the technology showcase exhibitors, but all have very different markets and innovative approaches.

Two of the exhibitors incorporate the existing mobile markets into their technology.

MDataLogic, based in the Harwell Innovation Centre, provides technology to companies wanting to promote and market their products and services to customers increasingly reliant on mobile telecommunications.

WildKnowledge, formerly WildKey, is an Oxford Brookes university spin-out initially established to turn mobile devices into wildlife identification and recording tools.

Neil Bailey, director of WildKnowledge, said: "The company has evolved to embrace all forms of information gathering and it now develops applications that enable users to create and share interactive forms, maps and images."

Its technology aims to take education beyond the classroom and into the wider community.

The technology showcase will be exhibiting on July 1 as part of the Venturefest science and technology fair, which takes place at Unipart from June 30.

Registration for the free two-day event can be made at www.venturefest.com For more information about all the companies exhibiting as part of the technology showcase visit www.oxtrust.org.uk/techshowcase This page is compiled by the Oxford Trust, www.oxtrust.org.uk