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    Illinois FAST Center Renews Federal Grant to Support State’s Innovators

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Oct. 19, 2026) — The Illinois FAST Center at EnterpriseWorks has received renewed funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program, allowing the center to continue supporting Illinois small businesses as they pursue federal research and development funding. The renewal follows the most active year in the center’s history. Over the past 12 months, the Illinois FAST Center served more than 1,200 clients statewide, despite a six-month lapse in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Throughout the lapse, the center continued advising founders and helping them prepare proposals, positioning them to apply as soon as the programs were reauthorized. In the most recent quarter, companies the center supported secured nearly $5 million in SBIR and STTR funding. Since its founding in late 2020, the center has supported thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping them secure more than $70 million in SBIR and STTR awards. Its services include workshops, one-on-one mentoring and proposal assistance, all offered at no cost to Illinois companies. “The renewal of our FAST grant will be instrumental in continuing this work,” said Ji Eun Kim, assistant director of the Illinois FAST Center. “Looking ahead, we will strengthen our support for Illinois innovators by broadening our expertise across a wider range of industry sectors and deepening our collaborations with federal agencies, state government, fellow incubators and accelerators, and state and local organizations.” The Illinois FAST Center is located at EnterpriseWorks in the University of Illinois Research Park. Entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in SBIR and STTR funding can learn more here. ###

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    Founders Week brings 850 to Illinois for four days of pitches, panels and networking

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Oct. 3, 2026) – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s third annual Founders Week brought 850 founders, investors, alumni, faculty and students from across the country and around the world to campus Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, nearly double last year’s attendance. Highlights included a $25,000 pitch competition win for a startup that trains police officers to handle difficult conversations, a fireside chat with Chancellor Charles L. Isbell Jr. and a showcase of 10 Illinois startups. Founders Week opened Wednesday with a networking reception at EnterpriseWorks, Research Park’s technology business incubator. Speakers included Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller; Director of Entrepreneurship Gerald Wilson; Susan Martinis, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation; and Scott Rose, chairman of the Research Park Board of Managers. Appenzeller pointed to the incubator’s track record: Companies that have worked out of EnterpriseWorks have raised $1.6 billion in venture capital and won more than $216 million in federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer awards. “We have many founders across the campus, and we attract many founders from across the country and across the state of Illinois that want to be part of this special place,” she said. Voysses wins TechRise Startup Pitch Competition On Thursday, attendees toured EnterpriseWorks and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and joined panels on pitching to investors and launching companies from Illinois. The day ended back at EnterpriseWorks with the third annual TechRise Startup Pitch Competition. Hosted by P33, the competition gave five early-stage startups with ties to the university a chance to win $25,000 in non-dilutive funding. Voysses took the top prize for its AI-powered training platform for law enforcement, which uses simulated scenarios to help officers practice interactions they may face in the field. Co-founded by Illinois doctoral student Jen Whiting, the startup works with the University of Illinois Police Training Institute. “For an early-stage company like Voysses, winning the $25,000 award matters,” Whiting wrote on LinkedIn after the competition. “We’re scrappy. This doesn’t change that; we’re still going to be scrappy. It just means we get to do more: we can reach more people, we can spread the word, and we can get to our customers more quickly.” The other finalists were Cleanslate Robotics, which builds automation technology for dishwashing and sorting in commercial kitchens; GenPlay AI, a platform for designing and buying custom 3D-printed products; Rapid Analytix Division, which develops on-site technology that evaluates construction materials in minutes rather than weeks; and SpecVision, which uses AI and image analysis to assess heavy equipment. Founders Showcase highlights emerging technologies Friday’s Founders Showcase at the Illinois Conference Center included panels such as “Leveraging Venture Capital Investments for Economic Development in the Midwest” and “The Entrepreneurial University: A Leadership Perspective.” Illinois alumnus Arnav Mishra, co-founder of Doss, also shared lessons from building his company. In his first Founders Week as chancellor, Isbell joined Martinis and Rose for a fireside chat and said he saw both doubt and determination in the room. “What I felt at Founders Week 2026 was a lot of people with a healthy skepticism, which is what you want from people trying to do something big,” Isbell said. “But also, a real belief that they could do something, and we could do something together.” The evening showcase featured fast pitches from 10 Illinois startups and the debut of two awards from the Office of Technology Management. The Discovery-to-Impact Award went to Nancy Sottos and Jeffrey Moore, whose research groups have produced 55 issued U.S. patents and startups including Rapicure Solutions. The Emerging Innovator Award recognized nearly 40 faculty members who reported an innovation to OTM for the first time in the past year. Read more about the honorees. The week wrapped up Saturday with a Research Park tailgate before the Illinois football game against Purdue. “What struck me most about Founders Week was simply the momentum: the breadth of companies being launched, deep research being translated into real-world businesses, capital showing up to back them, and a growing network showing up to lift up founders,” said Geeta Singh, an entrepreneur in residence at EnterpriseWorks. For more from the week, read Entrepreneurship at Illinois’ full recap. Founders interested in building their companies at Illinois can learn more about EnterpriseWorks and Research Park. ###  About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an on-campus technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park there are 100 companies employing students year-round and full-time technology professionals as a community of innovators. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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    Community Features News Research Park

    New Podcast Episode: Mark Laufenberg

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (September 23, 2026) — Mark Laufenberg, co-founder and president of PowerWorld Corporation, a power grid visualization and analysis platform used by organizations worldwide, joined the Innovations at Research Park podcast to discuss nearly three decades of building his company and how surging data center and AI demand is reshaping the power grids. Laufenberg co-founded PowerWorld Corporation in 1996 while finishing his PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, working alongside Professor Thomas J. Overbye to commercialize a visualization tool Overbye had originally built as an educational aid. The company grew up within the Research Park, moving from a cubicle on campus into UIRP’s early buildings and staying there for over 25 years.  “I think it has paid off for us in the last 30 years due to our ability to remain independent, make our own decisions and tell people no when we want to tell them no,” Laufenberg stated, reflecting on the choice to bootstrap the company rather than raise venture capital. Laufenberg cited projections of roughly 260 gigawatts of new demand over the next decade, driven largely by data centers and AI. He further noted that PowerWorld has had to rebuild its models to keep pace. “We’ve seen more changes to the grid in the last five years than I saw in the previous 20,” Laufenberg explained, adding that the shift has pushed the company toward cloud-based computing and new operating systems. To hear the full conversation with Mark Laufenberg, listen to the Innovations at Research Park podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. The Innovations at Research Park podcast highlights Champaign’s thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture. It is hosted by Tanmay Shah, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus.  Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Contact Kaleb Medina at kmedin22@illinois.edu ###  About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park, there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information is available at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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    Community Media Mentions News Research Park

    PurposeBuilt Brands Announces New R&D Facility in Champaign, Illinois

    New facility deepens collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to cultivate the next generation of technical leadership and accelerate breakthroughs in cleaning and pest control CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Sept. 1, 2026) – PurposeBuilt Brands is pleased to announce the establishment of a new Research & Development facility at 2109 S. Oak Street, Suite 100B, in Champaign, Illinois. The new location strengthens PurposeBuilt Brands’ commitment to product innovation, technical excellence and deeper collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, positioning the company to develop the next generation of technical leadership while driving breakthroughs in cleaning and pest control. The Champaign facility will support R&D work across PurposeBuilt Brands’ portfolio of consumer and commercial cleaning brands, providing dedicated space for formulation development, product testing and applied research. Marsophia Marcellus, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the university, will serve as the site’s new Lab Manager, overseeing day-to-day laboratory operations and supporting collaboration across the R&D team. The site is expected to help accelerate innovation, expand technical capabilities and create new opportunities to engage students, faculty and researchers in one of the nation’s leading university research communities all while helping build a pipeline of technical talent for PurposeBuilt Brands’ future. “Champaign gives us direct access to outstanding scientific and engineering talent right in our backyard,” said Sylwia Aldrin, VP of R&D and Regulatory at PurposeBuilt Brands.  “This location creates a practical environment for hands-on formulation work, testing, and collaboration.” “I’m excited to build a lab culture here in Champaign that reflects both scientific rigor and curiosity,” said Marsophia Marcellus, Lab Manager at PurposeBuilt Brands. “Being so close to the University of Illinois gives our team a direct line to emerging talent and fresh thinking, and I’m looking forward to mentoring the next generation of scientists as we grow this site.” PurposeBuilt Brands is headquartered in Gurnee, Illinois, and develops products designed to solve tough cleaning, surface-care and pest control challenges for homes, businesses and professional users. The new Champaign R&D facility will complement the company’s existing technical organization and support continued growth across brands including Weiman, Green Gobbler, Goo Gone, Biokleen, Urnex, Five Star Chemicals, 30 Seconds Cleaners, Micro-Scientific, Harris and Mighty Mint. The facility reflects PurposeBuilt Brands’ ongoing investment in purposeful innovation, customer-focused product development, and partnerships — spanning both cleaning and pest control — that help bring high-performing, practical solutions to market. ### About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an on-campus technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park there are 100 companies employing students year-round and full-time technology professionals as a community of innovators. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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    Community EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Named a Top Incubator and Accelerator

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Aug. 21, 2026) —The University of Illinois Research Park and EnterpriseWorks incubator have been recognized by TIME and Statista as one of America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026. The inaugural ranking identifies the most outstanding hubs offering incubator and accelerator programs in the United States, evaluating each on track record, peer recommendations from industry experts, and measurable outcomes for the founders they serve. The Research Park was recognized as one of 13 incubators and accelerators operated by a university in the United States and among six incubators designated by TIME in the State of Illinois. EnterpriseWorks is a startup incubator located in the University of Illinois Research Park. It supports early-stage scientific and tech ventures affiliated with the university, including faculty and graduate student-founded teams, as well as other deep tech companies that have located their business at the Research Park for its support services. The incubator has 43,000 square feet of space and hosts 50 tenant companies at time. More than 400 startup companies have incubated at EnterpriseWorks in the Research Park in Champaign, IL since its opening. The companies have collectively raised over $1.6 billion in venture capital and secured more than $216 million in SBIR/STTR awards. The State of Illinois provided funding to build EnterpriseWorks, the early-stage tech firm business incubator in 2003, and it has been fully leased since it opened to companies that are accepted continuously. It is a significant bridge between research at the university and commercialization of technology by faculty, staff, and students. EnterpriseWorks is owned and operated by the University of Illinois as part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. EnterpriseWorks offers furnished offices and wet labs with advanced equipment, shared equipment labs, and a maker lab. Amenities include free parking, EV charging, kitchen, conference rooms, shower, mail services, and phone booths. LabWorks is an aligned growth-stage wet lab incubation facility in the Research Park funded by the Rebuild Illinois Wet Lab Capital Program. It offers turn-key labs for life sciences, short-term leases for industry partners, and access to shared equipment and support services. The incubator provides extensive support programs such as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR), Designer-in-Residence, SBIR/STTR grant assistance through the IL FAST Center, Student Shared Services, and the Catapult New Venture Program. It also hosts events like Startup Café, CEO Roundtables, and workshops on topics like investment due diligence, intellectual property, and pricing strategies. In total the Research Park hosts more than 200 events annually with more than 10,000 participants, creating a vibrant technology hub in Champaign, IL. The Research Park has plans to expand its incubation capacity with a new EnterpriseWorks 2.0 (EW 2.0) growth stage incubator support with state capital, including grant funding awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce (DCEO) Tech Incubator Enhancement Grant (TIEG) and funding as part of the IFAB Tech Hub. EW 2.0 is designed to be a new incubator (adjacent to EnterpriseWorks) to accommodate startup companies beyond the current incubator with an emphasis on laboratory, manufacturing, and office suites for scaling companies. This facility would include a combination of company suites along with shared collaboration space that continues to engage the Research Park community. ###

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    Community Features News Research Park

    New Podcast Episode: Dr. Susan Martinis

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Aug. 24, 2026) — Dr. Susan Martinis, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, joined the Innovations at Research Park podcast to discuss what makes Illinois a hub for innovation, sharing lessons from her own path from biochemist to biotech entrepreneur and university leader. Dr. Martinis oversees a research and innovation portfolio spanning ten interdisciplinary campus institutes, corporate engagement, the Research Park and more. She traced that collaborative culture back to her graduate school years, when the university opened the Beckman Institute. “I believe that we have a unique culture on our campus. It’s part of our DNA, and I’m fortunate to be trained in interdisciplinary work,” Martinis said, noting the campus has since built policies, including tenure-process changes, that make it easier for junior faculty to pursue team science without being penalized. Before returning to academia, Martinis dedicated three years as one of the first employees at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a biotech startup co-founded by Paul Schimmel in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Reflecting on the career change to the startup industry, she explained that the experience taught her to be resourceful and resilient. “When you jump in, jump in with both feet. Use your head, use your interpersonal skills and learn from those around you,” Martinis said, offering advice to researchers considering a similar industry change. To hear the full conversation with Dr. Susan Martinis, listen to the Innovations at Research Park podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast network. The Innovations at Research Park podcast highlights Champaign’s thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture. It is hosted by Tanmay Shah, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus.  Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Contact Kaleb Medina at kmedin22@illinois.edu ###  About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park, there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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    Community Media Mentions News Research Park

    Riverside Research Unveils New Office and Research Location in Research Park

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (July 29, 2026)  – Riverside Research, a national security nonprofit, opened a new location in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, IL, on July 15, 2026. Headquartered in Fairfax, VA, near the nation’s capital, Riverside Research’s new location echoes the company’s foundational roots in academia and its current mission of partnering with local universities and capturing top talent in the fields of physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and computer engineering. Located at 2021 S. 1st Street, Riverside Research occupies a 2,800-square-foot office supporting ten employees. This move relocates Riverside Research employees from its previous Champaign office on Fox Drive (where it has been located since 2010) directly onto the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s campus along with other companies and researchers in the innovation community This location supports existing contracts for the company, with a focus on its DC to Daylight full-wave computational electromagnetics competency, fueling its independent research and development (IRAD) growth in the areas of software development, physics-based modeling and simulation, electromagnetics, and radar systems. Riverside Research’s current and historical focus on independent research, supporting the mission focus of the Department of War (DOW). “Opening our new location in Research Park is an incredible milestone for Riverside Research,” said Mary Barefoot, Senior Vice President of Business Operations at Riverside Research. “Being embedded directly within the University of Illinois’ thriving research ecosystem gives us unparalleled access to top-tier talent, groundbreaking ideas, and a community that shares our passion for innovation. We’re excited to be here and to expand our collaboration with the university as we continue advancing our mission.” The new office at the Research Park included an $80,000 office renovation to house Riverside Research staff, and the company is investing over $250,000 over the 3-year lease term. Riverside Research is proud to be further embedded in the university’s community, contributing to and interacting with a significant, talented student population in a research environment. Riverside Research has multiple locations throughout the country, including several offices in the Dayton, Ohio, area, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. ### About Riverside Research Riverside Research is a national security nonprofit serving the DOW and Intelligence Community. Through the company’s Open Innovation Center (OIC), it invests in multidisciplinary research and development and encourages collaboration. Riverside Research’s areas of expertise include Object and Activity Detection; Accelerated AI/ML; Zero Trust; Open Architectures; Computational Electromagnetics; Plasma Physics; Precision Timing; Terahertz Imaging; Commercial Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Collection Planning; and more. Learn more at www.riversideresearch.org. About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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    News Research Park

    New Podcast Episode: Kelsey Ortiz 

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (July 27, 2026) — Kelsey Ortiz, CTO and co-founder of Photon Queue, joined the Innovations at Research Park podcast to discuss her journey building a quantum hardware startup and running a quantum experiment aboard the International Space Station. Photon Queue is developing quantum memory hardware for scalable quantum computing to expedite the advancement and adoption of quantum communication, computing and metrology technologies. The company grew in Professor Paul Kwiat’s lab, starting as PhD research by co-founder Nathan Arnold before outside interest pushed the team to commercialize. “It seems like people want to buy this. It seems like it’s competitive in the market,” Ortiz said, describing the moment the team realized their research had potential. Photon Queue is an integrated startup of the University of Illinois entrepreneurship ecosystem, with investment from Illinois Ventures and a home in the EnterpriseWorks incubator at Research Park. The company is also the first quantum-focused startup to spin out of the University of Illinois through a licensing agreement developed with the University’s Office of Technology Management. Ortiz described Research Park as more than just an incubator for Photon Queue. “It gave us connections to people who really just want to help you build your business,” Ortiz said, pointing to the mentorship and hiring support that came with being a tenant at EnterpriseWorks. To hear the full conversation about Kelsey Ortiz’s career and what’s next for Photon Queue, listen to the Innovations at Research Park podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. The Innovations at Research Park podcast highlights Champaign’s thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture. It is hosted by Tanmay Shah, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus.  Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Contact Kaleb Medina at kmedin22@illinois.edu ###  About Research Park at the University of Illinois Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within Research Park there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu. 

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