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    Media Mentions

    EDA Tech
    Investments, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

    EDA Designates iFAB, Led by University of Illinois, as a Tech Hub Designee

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    Today,  the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced it has selected the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB Tech Hub) as a 2023 Tech Hub Designee. The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB Tech Hub), led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, seeks to scale precision fermentation to convert underutilized corn feedstocks into high-value, customized alternative proteins, food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and more. By leveraging its regional assets in corn and soy feedstocks, food processing infrastructure, and research leadership, this Tech Hub will provide a domestic biomanufacturing testbed through the development and deployment of multi-use pilot and demonstration capacity and equipment for biomanufacturing innovators while also training a skilled workforce. The iFab consortium’s 30+ partners includes the University of Illinois Research Park as well as industry, higher education, workforce development agencies, agribusiness, and producers. Two of the private sector partners, ADM and Boston Bioprocess, have operations at Research Park. Another partner, gener8tor, leads the Illinois AgTech Accelerator.  The iFAB proposal, one of 400 received by EDA, was made public in August. Receiving the federal designation is an endorsement of the region’s plans to supercharge their respective technological industries to create jobs and promote innovation. This is the first phase of the new Tech Hubs program, a development initiative created to strengthen U.S. economic and national security with investments in regions to become globally competitive in the technologies and industries of the future. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is rooted in policies that will empower the United States to out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world. Our Tech Hubs Program is fundamental to that mission and will supercharge innovation across the nation by spurring cutting-edge technological investments and creating 21st century job opportunities in people’s backyards.” – U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo The second phase will allow each designated hub to apply to receive between $40-70 million each for implementation funding, totaling $500 million. About iFAB iFAB seeks to scale precision fermentation to convert underutilized corn feedstocks into high-value, customized alternative proteins, food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and more. To learn more, visit the iFAB website.

    EDA Designates iFAB, Led by University of Illinois, as a Tech Hub Designee Read Post »

    boston bioprocess
    EnterpriseWorks, Media Mentions, Partnerships & Acquisitions

    Boston Bioprocess Helping Nourish Ingredients Make a More Realistic Meat Substitute

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    Have you ever bitten into a meat substitute product and find yourself longing for the real deal? The aroma, the flavor, the texture, and the taste of… meat? You’re not alone. EnterpriseWork’s very own Boston Bioprocess is teaming up with Nourish Ingredients to create just that– utilizing wild fungi and yeast strains to trick even the biggest meat lovers into thinking they are consuming a meat product. The secret ingredient? To effectively scale and replicate the most potent fat molecules, the ones responsible for making that irresistible, animalistic aroma that makes your mouth water. In a Food Navigator USA article, it was explained that Boston Bioprocess is not only assisting Nourish Ingredients in developing a more realistic-tasting product but ensuring that the product will meet regulatory requirements as well. The partnership between Boston Bioprocess and Nourish Ingredients is coming after a significant drop in the plant-based protein market. Nourish Ingredients CEO James Petrie hopes to change the downward market trajectory. “In one way [it’s] been healthy for [the industry] in the sense that… there’s a bit of pressure on the plant-based industry at the moment and it’s forcing us to take a collective look at the quality of products,” said Petrie. Boston Bioprocess works to provide their clients with the equipment and expertise they need to improve yield, decrease costs, and access product for commercial testing. Visit their tenant directory to learn more about the company. Read the full Food Navigator feature.

    Boston Bioprocess Helping Nourish Ingredients Make a More Realistic Meat Substitute Read Post »

    Earth Sense
    EnterpriseWorks, Media Mentions

    EarthSense Terrasentia Robot Featured in Al Jazeera Video Addressing Food Crisis

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    EnterpriseWorks startup EarthSense and Vikram Adve, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois, were recently featured in a video that addressed scientists using robots to combat the world’s growing food crisis, produced by international media network Al Jazeera. At the University of Illinois Research Park, EarthSense is creating dramatic new possibilities for crop breeders, plant protection products developers, crop scientists, and field agronomists. TerraSentia, their first robot, improves the quantity, accuracy, cost, and speed of in-field plant trait data collection, specifically for under canopy plants. Instead of waiting for the rest of tech world to come up with a solution to the large-scale problem of food scarcity, the team at EarthSense are developing effective technology to improve the future of farming. Watch the full Al Jezeera feature below. Learn more about EarthSense and their mission here.

    EarthSense Terrasentia Robot Featured in Al Jazeera Video Addressing Food Crisis Read Post »

    university of Illinois
    Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

    University of Illinois Ranked 15th in Top 100 Global Universities Ranked by Startup Founders

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    The University of Illinois was ranked 15th in PitchBook’s annual university rankings list for alumni startup founders who have raised venture capital in the last decade. This list profiles global universities who have “truly exceptional track record of attracting and producing future entrepreneurs.” The rankings are determined based on PitchBook data analyzing more than 150,000 venture capital-backed founders. Additional ratings for the University of Illinois include: UIUC alumni-founded companies have raised $20.8B through companies including Generate, GRAIL, Farmers Business Network, Heyday, and Plus. For more information and the complete list, visit the PitchBook website.

    University of Illinois Ranked 15th in Top 100 Global Universities Ranked by Startup Founders Read Post »

    labworks
    Media Mentions, Research Park

    Research Park Seeks Support from Champaign City Council for Growth-Stage Wet Lab Project

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    LabWorks, which will offer turn-key wet lab and office suites for growth-stage startup companies in Research Park, will be available for occupancy in January. News Channel 20 recently featured the project as the City of Champaign deliberates providing additional funding.Executive Director Laura Appenzeller told News Channel 20/ FOX Illinois that the EnterpriseWorks building at Research Park helps startups launch, but they need more space and resources to scale.“The right facilities to allow them to grow and life science companies in particular need wet laboratory space,” Appenzeller said.LabWorks will enable startups to establish roots and continue to grow in the Champaign-Urbana community, creating jobs and inspiring innovation. The Champaign City Council conducted a study session on the project in early September. It will be reviewed again in October for a final vote. The project has financial backing from both private and public sectors. In 2021, Research Park received a grant from the State of Illinois that propelled the project forward. It was then estimated to cost $1.1 million dollars, but the construction expenses rose to $1.3 Million due to inflation. Research Park is asking the city to provide $100,000 of the $200,000 difference. To learn more, read the full article on the News Channel 20 website.

    Research Park Seeks Support from Champaign City Council for Growth-Stage Wet Lab Project Read Post »

    TipTek
    EnterpriseWorks, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards

    Tiptek Named 2022 SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year by U.S. Department of Energy

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    EnterpriseWorks graduate Tiptek was recently named the 2022 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Business of the Year by the US Department of Energy. Tiptek is the leading U.S. manufacturer of high quality nanoprobes for diagnostics and fault-testing of microelectronic devices.  “Since its founding, Tiptek has strived to introduce innovative standard-setting nanoprobes to customers across industry, National Labs, and academia. We are delighted to have these efforts recognized by this prestigious and highly competitive award.”  – Dr. Scott Lockledge, Tiptek CEO According to DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), this award recognizes a U.S. small business that “stimulates U.S. technological innovation and enhances the nation’s return on its DOE SBIR/STTR investment, provides the DOE the benefits of commercial applications derived from DOE funded R&D, and stimulates U.S. economic growth as a result of DOE funded R&D.” Tiptek’s Research Park history: Tiptek was founded by CEO Dr. Scott Lockledge, CTO Professor Joseph Lyding, and CSO Professor Gregory Girolami in 2011. They moved into EnterpriseWorks in the University of Illinois Research Park in May 2013. In 2022, Tiptek accomplished several key milestones that resulted in a strong return on its federal investment: introducing a cutting-edge project, improving production capacity, and stimulating U.S. economic growth by commercializing leading technology-based products domestically and overseas. Now, Tiptek operates primarily out of an office in Savoy, Illinois, but continues to use their lab space in EnterpriseWorks. Their lines of probes and needles are used by industry leaders for scanning probe microscopy, transfer of lamella formed by focused ion beams (FIB), and scanning electron microscope-based nanoprobers used in semiconductor failure analysis. To read the full article, visit the Yahoo Finance website. 

    Tiptek Named 2022 SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year by U.S. Department of Energy Read Post »

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