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    Eric Miller Awarded 2023 Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism

    Champaign, Illinois (March 7, 2023) — Eric Miller has been named the recipient of this year’s Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism, an award that honors a grower/producer/farmer who exemplifies an entrepreneurial spirit and advances innovation through their business practices. Miller farms 400 acres in Piatt County, where he works extensively with University of Illinois researchers. “Eric is passionate about conserving and efficiently using the resources that make Illinois agriculture so productive and envied. He’s not only given University of Illinois staff access to his entire farm, but for a sufficient period that allows longitudinal studies. This scale and timeframe help identify much more predictable and repeatable ‘proof of concept’ outcomes,” said his nominator, Daniel Schaefer, Director of Nutrient Stewardship at the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. The award was announced at the 2023 AgTech Innovation Summit, hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park. Karl Barnhart, Chief Marketing Officer of BRANDT, presented the award to Miller. “Eric is exactly the kind of grower we envisioned that the GB Prize could support when we established it three years ago,” said Barnhart. “Just like Glen Brandt, Eric is a real entrepreneur in the field of production agriculture. On behalf of The BRANDT Foundation, congratulations, Eric.” Miller said he hopes partner with BRANDT as he deploys the award’s $10,000 prize. He recently entered an agreement to expand his farm’s facilities Miller has assisted the University of Illinois with large-scale on-farm research since 2014. During the past eight years, Miller has transitioned his Central Illinois farm into a dedicated crop production improvement site. He performs field operations and collects data per the requirements of projects that are assigned to the farm. The goal is to develop strategies that simultaneously improve yield, environmental and economic outcomes. This crop improvement site is helping to define the future of Illinois agriculture. Some examples of testing that is taking place at the site include long-term monitoring of soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions, various soil health metrics and yield. The Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism was established in 2021 in honor of Glen “GB” Brandt, a legendary figure in the field of Illinois agriculture, who passed away in late 2020. The BRANDT Foundation partnered with the University of Illinois to provide the winner a $10,000 prize. Previous Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism winners include: Matt Riggs, 2022 Will Glazik, 2021 About the BRANDT Foundation  The BRANDT Foundation was established in 2012 as a philanthropic extension of BRANDT, Inc. The Brandt family has always stood with their communities and as their company grew, so did the opportunities to give back. The BRANDT Foundation offers donations, grants, and support to the charities, organizations, and communities that reside in the same area of the company; geographically and industry-related. About the AgTech Innovation Summit  The AgTech Innovation Summit is an interactive conference where participants learn and share knowledge about the current state of agtech and get a looking into the future through dynamic panels, inspiring keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. It is produced by the University of Illinois Research Park in partnership with the College of ACES and the Office of Corporate Relations. One of the premier AgTech hubs in the nation, Champaign-Urbana is uniquely positioned to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and industry for learning, networking, and advancing this sector.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Farmers Risk Awarded 2023 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize 

    Champaign, Illinois (March 8, 2023) – Farmers Risk, a startup company that is developing tools for farmers to better understand their risk management strategies, has been named the 2023 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize winner. The award, generously funded by a family of University of Illinois alumni, rewards University of Illinois entrepreneurs focusing on agricultural innovations.  The Research Park and the Moore family together presented the award to Farmers Risk co-founder Eric Barnard during the 2023 AgTech Innovation Summit at the Illinois Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois.  The company operates out of an office at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the Research Park.  Farmers Risk is working to create a variety of software tools that allow farmers to easily monitor their risk, trade with confidence and be aware of all of their possible business options. The goal of the startup is to give farmers more access to data that can help improve their own outcomes and make more profitable decisions. Its analytical tools help farmers more effectively market their grain, buy crop insurance, hedge their crops as well as improve their overall revenue decision-making. These revolutionary tools are helping to innovate the future of agtech, and are giving farmers the tools they need to make the right decisions in their industry.   The Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize’s goal is to encourage startup companies engaged in the development of new innovative technologies that may lead to increased productivity and/or efficiency in farming, or to create new agricultural opportunities, including new processes, new crops, and new food production systems.  Previous Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund winners include:  FrostDefense Envirotech, 2022 Epivara, 2021 Habiterre (formerly Aspiring Universe), 2020 TellTail, 2019 EarthSense, 2018 Soil Diagnostics, 2017  For more information about Farmers Risk, visit its website here.  About the Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize  The Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund was established in 2016 with a generous gift to EnterpriseWorks, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s technology incubator. The award honors the legacy of Edwin E. Moore (1924), who graduated from the University of Illinois College of Agriculture and began farming in Will County. Throughout his agricultural career, he and his wife, Iva, used innovative farming practices for both crop production and livestock management. Two of their four children became farmers, Edwin and Thomas (1953, College of Agriculture), and continued use of innovative farm practices. Subsequent generations of Edwin Moore’s family have continued to pursue farming and ag related careers capturing the same innovative spirit.  About the Research Park at the University of Illinois  The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are 120 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu.  

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    Community Events News Partnerships & Acquisitions Recognition & Awards Research Park

    2023 Research Park AgTech Summit Attracts Global Audience, Speakers

    Research Park welcomed more than 600 registered participants from 200 companies for the 2023 AgTech Summit. Attendees hailed from across the Midwest and around the globe.  The agenda featured panels on hot topics including sustainability in agriculture, carbon strategy, opportunities in alternative proteins, the future of the agtech workforce, and the intelligent farm. The event concluded with a panel of growers and producers from across Central Illinois sharing their perspective on many of those topics addressed in earlier discussions. The moderators and panelists represented a range of the actors in agtech, including startups, investors, academics, industry, media, growers, government, and non-profit. The AgTech Summit is a free event that is open to the public, true to the land-grant mission of its host institution. Thanks to the 2023 AgTech Summit sponsors who made the event possible:  John Deere, World Business Chicago, Bayer, Corteva, Cargill, GDM, Sikich, and Kin + Carta. The AgTech Summit is hosted by University of Illinois Research Park with support from the University of Illinois, the College of ACES, and the Office of Corporate Relations. The AgTech Summit is the flagship event for Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week. 2023 was the fourth annual C-U AgTech Week. Save the date for next year’s AgTech Summit on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. NEWS BITES: March 7, WCIA: U of I kicks off AgTech Week March 6, WCIA: AgTech Week back for fourth year See below for the 2023 agenda.  7:30 AM REGISTRATION OPENS  8:00 AM WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS  Laura Appenzeller | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park  8:05 AM CHAMPAIGN-URBANA WELCOME WEEK PROCLAMATION Deborah Frank Feinen | Mayor, City of Champaign Diane Wolfe Marlin | Mayor, City of Urbana 8:15 AM THE JOURNEY OF SUSTAINABILITY Brad Arnold | SVP, General Manager Precision, AGCO Corporation Paul Hunter | Global Sustainability Manager, Kin + Carta Emily Heaton | Regenerative Ag Stakeholder Coordinator, UIUC College of ACES Moderator: Kim Kidwell | Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives, University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign 9:15 AM OPPORTUNITIES IN ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS Michelle Ruiz | CEO & Co-founder,  Hyfe Sean Madison | Director of North American Business Development, Innovafeed Michael Tai | Co-founder & CEO, Boston Bioprocess Moderator: Jack Marck | Managing Director, Illinois AgTech Accelerator 10:15 AM BREAK 10:30 AM CARBON STRATEGY IN AGTECH Dennis Beard | Managing Partner, Serra Ventures Nick Reinke | CEO, HabiTerre  Ross Bricklemyer | Modeling Strategy Lead, Bayer Crop Science Moderator: Lisa Ainsworth | Research Leader, USDA ARS 11:30 AM GLEN “GB” BRANDT PRIZE FOR AG ENTREPRENEURISM  11:45 AM LUNCH 12:30 PM THE FUTURE OF THE AGTECH WORKFORCE Laura Gerstner | Director of Precision Tech Enterprise Program Management, CNHI Maggie Brickerman | Partner,  gener8tor  Jen Quinlan | Food & Agtech Innovation Program Lead, Cargill Amy Funk | Director, Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center Moderator: Amy Fruehling | Sr. Director Corporate Relations, UIUC College of ACES 1:30 PM MOORE INNOVATION PRIZE AND STARTUP PRESENTATION  1:45 PM BREAK 2:00 PM THE INTELLIGENT FARM Brian Sutton | Founder and President, AirScout Mark Moran | Tech Innovation Leader, John Deere Connie Bowen | Co-Founder, Farmhand Ventures Jeff Klock | North America Digital Strategy Leader, Cargill Moderator: Germán Bollero, Interim Dean, UIUC College of ACES 3:00 PM PERSPECTIVE OF GROWERS & PRODUCERS Mark Scholl | President, J and M Scholl, Inc. Lena Head | Co-Owner & External Relations Manager, Head Bros. Land and Cattle LLC Matt Riggs | President, Riggs Beer Company Moderator: Sarah Michaels | Agriculture Reporter, WEEK 25 4:00 AGTECH SHOWCASE & NETWORKING RECEPTION  You’re invited to join us for the AgTech Showcase & Networking event immediately following the Summit at the Illinois Conference Center. The AgTech Showcase is an opportunity to connect with other attendees and see what innovations companies are working on. Snacks and beverages will be provided.  

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    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Research Park

    Illinois Ventures Launches Illini Angels Investment Network

    WCIA interviewed Brandon Yates, CEO of EnterpriseWorks startup DeepWalk, said having such a focused source of early-stage capital available for entrepreneurs will be a game-changer. Watch his interview here.  Read the full Illini Angels press release HERE.  Illinois Ventures – the U of I System’s venture capital arm and a tenant at EnterpriseWorks – and a group of leading alumni from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced the formation of Illini Angels on Feb. 27. It will support early-stage companies that have founders or leadership who are connected to the U of I System family – faculty, alumni, or students from any of the three universities, as well as companies that license university technology. That support will include seed funding, advice, and mentorship. The angel network plans to focus on innovative companies that leverage the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s expertise in fields like engineering, computer science, healthcare, ag tech, and energy. “There’s been such pent-up demand for this idea. Illinois entrepreneurs, faculty, and staff are regularly approached by alumni who would like to invest in or engage with our university startups. They know that great opportunities are born there every day,” said Nancy Sullivan, CEO and managing director of Illinois Ventures.

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    News Research Park

    Congresswoman Budzinski Tours Agtech Assets, Meets UIRP Leaders

    Agtech, cleantech and energy, tech workforce, and manufacturing were among the hot topics during Rep. Nikki Budzinski’s visit to Research Park on Feb. 23.   Her itinerary included attending the monthly meeting of the corporate innovation site leads; a tour of the new ADM Science and Technology Center; and time with RIPE chief researcher Prof. Steve Long and a trip to see groundbreaking research at the RIPE greenhouse.  Learn more form IPM News.

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    EnterpriseWorks Features News Research Park

    Serial Entrepreneur Paul Miller Joins EnterpriseWorks Expert EIR Team

    Paul Miller, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of EnterpriseWorks graduate Agrible, has joined the EnterpriseWorks Entrepreneur-in-Residence program. Miller is now available to meet with technology entrepreneurs and startup ventures. A University of Illinois alumnus, Paul was part of the founding team of one of Research Park’s biggest agtech success stories – Agrible, a precision analytics company. Shortly after founding the company, the team moved into EnterpriseWorks and later grew into bigger space in another Research Park building. Post-acquisition, Paul decided to get back in the game by co-founding Flats and Spikes, which allows runners, coaches, and experts to work together using science and technology. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Program allows entrepreneurs to seek help from experienced and successful members from the EIR over a variety of topics including business consulting, strategy assistance, marketing and communication help, investor preparedness. This program also hosts a series of events featuring the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. Miller’s first workshop, “Living and Breathing an Entrepreneurial Life,” will be on March 23. BIO: Paul S. Miller, PhD, has been creating science-based, intelligent systems since 2005. In 2014, he founded Agrible, Inc building the world’s first predictive analytics system that put critical knowledge into the hands of growers to manage their operations. With Agrible, he and his team launched the largest agriculture sustainability platform enabled by intelligent systems, which has characterized millions of acres of farmland across the US. Agrible was acquired in 2018 by Nutrien Ag Solutions for $63M and was a top 5 global Ag Tech acquisition at the time. Paul co-founded Flats or Spikes in 2020, where he is building a business using conversational, generative intelligent systems fine-tuned with domain experts to create quality of life for everyone. Paul has a background in ML/AI and data science including publications and patents. Has led the development of ag tech platforms, mobile apps, data science, ML/AI systems, infrastructure, and ETL pipelines for science-based products. He also has led design and product development teams to build products using agile, user-focused methodologies. Paul also has a personal love of DIY music and playing drums and guitar.

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    Research Park

    Illinois Reboot: Application Now Open For Free Tech Skills Training Course

    Applications have now opened for the fifth cohort of Illinois Reboot, a free virtual coding pre-academy that gives participants a strong foundation in data science literacy. This year American Family Insurance and the University of Illinois Research Park have partnered together to fund this awesome program so that young professionals hoping to expand their tech skills can do just that. The overall goal of the program is to diversify the tech workforce and make these important skills more available to a wider population. The hope is that the course will help create a more inclusive technical society and open up these critical skills to underrepresented populations that are hoping to break into the industry. Women, people of color, and other minority groups are encouraged to apply to the program. Illinois Reboot is a 9-week program that educates participants on a variety of coding languages and programs such as UNIX, GitHub, SQL, and Python. Other topics introduced include image processing and statistics. The program also provides supplementary mentoring and coaching opportunities from local tech professionals that have extensive experience in the tech field. Illinois Reboot “opened my eyes to the many different programming languages that I didn’t even know existed,”  said Anita Hines, who successfully graduated as part of the spring 2021 cohort. “This program aims help those seeking to pivot in their career path and enter the Central Illinois tech economy, which may lead to high-paying, stable careers in data science,” said Laura Appenzeller, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park. “We were thrilled with the results of our past three cohorts and can’t wait to welcome more students as together we work toward a more equitable and innovative tech workforce.” Corporate partners, including Carle, Caterpillar, and Wolfram Research, have been an integral part of the program by teaching topics and giving career advice. The program is free thanks to grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Additional resources from American Family Insurance will allow Illinois Reboot to fund scholarships for students to pursue more training after completing the course. The Spring 2023 program will begin on Monday, April 10, and continue through mid-June. A University of Illinois Research Park certificate is awarded to those that successfully finish the course. The deadline to apply is February 27, 2023. For any questions or to request more information, email Emily Neal at ewick@illinois.edu.

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    Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Boosts Illinois Ranking For Women-Led Startups to No. 10

    At the start of the new year, Illinois was ranked tenth in the country for women-led startups by Merchant Maverick, a small business comparison site. This bumped up the state of Illinois’ rating in comparison to previous years. This climb was due to an increase in the overall success rate of businesses and growth in venture capital investments. Research Park has made a large contribution to the creation of women-led startups in Illinois. The Incubator, particularly EnterpriseWorks, has given women that are aspiring to become entrepreneurs the tools and resources they need to transform their idea into a successful organization. Bianca Bailey, CEO and founder of the EnterpriseWorks startup Agriwater, credits much of her success as a woman entrepreneur to the resources offered to her at Research Park. Because of EnterpriseWorks, Agriwater has received funding from the Department of Energy’s Innovation Crossroads Program. “Employing more women administratively within incubators like EnterpriseWorks definitely makes a large impact on women being comfortable to even work in the space,” said Bailey. EnterpriseWorks houses a variety of informational programs and events that are of particular benefit to organizations that are just getting their start. Educational sources, mentee opportunities, as well as groups tailored to helping women entrepreneurs, are all supportive resources that are offered at the Incubator. Having programs like these can really help to encourage women and give them the skills they need to make their great idea a reality. “When you invest in a woman you invest in a community and you invest in improving the rest of the world,” Bailey said.

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    Community EnterpriseWorks News Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup DeepWalk Pilots Technology That Keeps Campus Sidewalks ADA Compliant

    A EnterpriseWorks startup is changing the way that city workers and civil engineers inspect sidewalks for safety. DeepWalk has built a scanning app that makes it easier and more inexpensive to inspect sidewalks on university campuses and municipalities. The app is innovative in that users are trained how to use the program on the device. DeepWalk comes with a wide variety of unique features, including community mapping data, 3D site visit models, self-evalutation templates and automatically generated work orders. All of these tools can help a city to generate their estimated cost for sidewalk repairs in a matter of minutes. Co-founders Brandon Yates and Anshul Shah came up with the app idea in a first-year engineering course at UIUC. Since then, they have participated in the COZAD New Venture Challenge and the iVenture Accelerator program that is sponsored by Gies College of Business. The iVenture Accelerator is a university program that provides a variety of resources and opportunities for student-led entrepreneurial endeavors. “iVenture Accelerator is a safe and helpful place to make a lot of mistakes quickly. It taught us to create a fundraising pitch before we would have on our own,” said Yates.  With the iVenture program, DeepWalk was able to formulate a simple and responsive business model that could appeal to a greater pool of clients. Since DeepWalk’s enrollment in the iVenture program, it has managed to complete a pilot program in Danville, Illinois, and it has confirmed contracts with the University of Maryland, and Western Michigan University. By May 2023, the startup will be used in 15 different cities. As cities continue to grow and the Baby Boomer generation becomes older, there is a greater need for the inspection of sidewalk safety. There is also a greater need for technology that can analyze whether walkways are compliant with American Disability Act (ADA) guidelines. DeepWalk is currently located in the EnterpriseWorks building, where it is working on expanding past its current client base. In the future, the company envisions becoming an automatic measurement company that utilizes drones to scan pathways. Learn more about DeepWalk here.

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    News Research Park

    UIRP Releases RFP For CABBI Greenhouse Construction

    The UIRP LLC is seeking a developer for a special purpose project to construct a greenhouse for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which will support the U.S. Department of Energy funded Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI). RFP #20230209BW Illinois Public Higher Education Bulletin Request for Proposal: Developer Selection Greenhouse Project Sealed proposals will be accepted below until 3:00 PM, Monday March 13, 2023. The University of Illinois is soliciting qualifications and proposals from experienced development teams for the award of a concession involving land owned by the University on the UIUC campus in Champaign, Illinois to select a developer who would have the exclusive right for two years to develop and build a Greenhouse project on a specific site at the Research Park which is designated for such a use by the Master Plan. Subject to the Pre-development Agreement, the proposed Greenhouse facility will consist of two components: approximately 8,000 SF greenhouse and approximately 5,000 SF headhouse. Find the RFP and background about CABBI online here. 

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