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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

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    Innovations @ Research Park Podcast Episode 4: Transforming Cancer Care with SimBioSys

    The University of Illinois Research Park launched Episode 4 of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast. The podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. Episode 4 features John Cole, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of Research Park startup SimBioSys. Cole joined the show to discuss the SimBioSys mission, team dynamic, and product strategy. During the episode, Cole describes the SimBioSys mission as “ helping personalize decision making for cancer patients”.  The company strives to do this using predictive modeling technology. The SimBioSys team developed a system that builds a comprehensive model of each patient’s tumor to simulate how it responds to different treatments. This technology is valuable because it allows physicians to try out different therapies before administering them to the patient. Episode 3 of the podcast can be accessed here. 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? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu). To listen to the podcast, visit iTunes Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts.

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    Community News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Recognizes Edward McMillan’s Leadership and Contributions

    Edward McMillan’s distinguished 20-year tenure as a member of the Research Park Board of Managers concluded in January, following his retirement from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. McMillan’s tenure on the board spans almost the entire lifespan of Research Park. His leadership guided the transformation of the former South Farms into a thriving hub of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth has created what we now know as the Research Park. In recognition of his retirement, Research Park named the largest conference room at EnterpriseWorks as the McMillan Meeting Room in his honor. A plaque detailing his achievements was installed outside the EnterpriseWorks incubator, in the heart of Research Park. A modest celebration was held on June 7, the first Research Park Board of Managers meeting since February 2020 to occur with a quorum in person. McMillan was born and raised on a farm in McDonough County, Illinois. He is a proud 1969 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agriculture graduate. A nationally recognized leader in agribusiness, he spent 28 years at Purina, including serving as CEO.  McMillan’s extensive record of commitment to civic and philanthropic organizations includes serving as Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Chairman of the University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers, Chairman of IllinoisVENTURES, LLC, and Chairman of the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Research Park congratulates Edward McMillan on his retirement and expresses its hope for his continued health, happiness, and prosperity.

    Research Park Recognizes Edward McMillan’s Leadership and Contributions Read Post »

    News Research Park

    Tami Craig Shilling, University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Joins Research Park Board of Managers

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Tami Craig Shilling, Trustee on The University of Illinois Board of Trustees, has joined The University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers. Her first board meeting will be on June 7, 2021. Craig Schilling replaces Ed McMillan as the Board of Trustees representative on the Board of Managers. She was appointed to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees on February 5, 2021, to a six-year term ending in 2027. Craig Schilling works as the North America Knowledge Transfer Lead for Bayer Crop Science. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a degree in Agricultural Communications. Research Park is governed by the University of Illinois Research Park LLC Board of Managers, and its members are appointed by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

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    EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Epivara Featured on WCIA 3 News for SBIR Award

    Epivara, a startup based at EnterpriseWorks, was recently featured on WCIA 3 News after receiving a $255,000 SBIR Phase I award from the National Science Foundation. Rex Hess, Epivara’s Director of Science, was interviewed in this news story, and he explained Epivara’s iSpay/iNeuter technology. This funding will go towards the creation of an injection that would act as a permanent alternative to spaying and neutering for cats and dogs. The Research Park is proud to support the Epivara startup team as they continue to develop this technology. Find the full story here: https://bit.ly/EpivaraWCIA

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Research Park Recognized in The College Tour

    Research Park was recognized in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s episode of “The College Tour”, which is available on Amazon Prime Video. The College Tour, hosted by established producer and writer Alex Boylan, gives students an opportunity to share the distinguishing qualities of their university’s campus. The show provides valuable insight to prospective students deciding between multiple schools. A substantial portion of the episode was dedicated to crediting the University of Illinois for its research efforts. The College Tour highlighted Research Park as part of the notable aspects of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign innovation engine, with multiple internship opportunities and support for companies and start-ups. The College Tour noted that “top corporations set up offices [in Research Park] because of the amazing student talent pool”. This is all to say that Research Park’s location on campus allows it to be a resource for undergraduate students, providing them with numerous opportunities for professional growth through the internship program. Watch the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign episode of “The College Tour” here.

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    Community EnterpriseWorks News Research Park

    Kelly Gust, Human Resources Expert-in-Residence for the Research Park

    The Research Park welcomes Kelly Gust as a new Expert-in-Residence, specialized in Human Resources. She is available to startup and corporate sites at the Research Park for consulting in talent optimization, leadership development, performance coaching, and human resources.  Kelly is the president and principal talent optimizer for HR Full Circle, a company that provides workforce strategy, talent optimization services, and general human resources consulting to organizations of all sizes and stages. Kelly’s experience spans multiple industries such as engineering, pharma, retail, travel and leisure, and utilities in organizations large and small. She also serves on the growth advisory panel for Innovate Springfield, the University of Illinois Springfield-led social innovation and business incubator program. Research Park tenants, including EnterpriseWorks tenants and affiliates, are eligible to request free consulting time with Kelly. Schedule an appointment here.

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    Events Media Mentions News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Synchrony: “You Have to Go Where the Talent is”

    Synchrony’s efforts targeting University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students to fulfill its needs to recruit tech talent was featured in the Wall Street Journal on May 6 (subscription required). The article cited Synchrony’s partnership with the Datathon at Illinois, a competitive event that exposes students to real-world problem solving in analytics, as one of the creative ways it engages talent. Synchrony has been a lead sponsor for the event and an active host since the event’s inception, engaging with the statistics department and its very active student organization. “You have to go to where the talent is,” said Carol Juel, executive vice president and chief information officer at Synchrony Financial, in the Wall Street Journal’s article, “Companies Get Creative in Hunt for AI Talent”. The partnership came about thanks to Synchrony’s highly engaged Research Park innovation center, where the company  has hired dozens of students. The Synchrony Emerging Technology Center opened at Research Park in 2018. In 2019, it doubled its physical space and intern team, pulling from students from a variety of disciplines, including computer science, math, statistics, business, information sciences, and more. See more about the 2020 Datathon here. 

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    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Research Park

    Ascent Integrated Tech Closes Seed Funding Round

    EnterpriseWorks startup Ascent Integrated Tech has closed a $400,000  seed funding round from multiple investors, the company announced. Multiple strategic partners joined the seed round including Champaign-based Fox Ventures; Illinois Ventures, the venture capital arm of the University of Illinois; MHUB, Dipalo Ventures, and the Darley Company, one of the largest global fire equipment distributors. “Ascent is building human performance technology to augment operators in hazardous environments with actionable insights that improve safety and productivity,” Paul Coulston, Ascent’s CEO. “Hazardous respirators are worn by firefighters, industrial operators, and avionic mechanics. These respirators can cost up to $10,000 per unit but may have less sensor technology than a $100 smartwatch.” Ascent has active pilots with over 17 major metropolitan fire departments  to test its product in simulated structural fires. “Our approach is agnostic to the respirator, industry, and OEM, and its technology integrates into existing solutions and brands that these operators know and trust,” Coulston said. “Our technology enables reliable communication, interchangeable and wireless components, optical, environmental, and biometric sensors, and can monitor the locations and movements of the operators. All this is done without changing the fundamental functionality, gasket, or respiration function of the equipment.” Ascent has proposals pending with various defense agencies to better protect avionic and marine mechanics. The company is in the beginning stages of regulatory approval. This summer, Ascent will be working at EnterpriseWorks and will start the mHUB Industrial IoT accelerator cohort. 

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    EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Verizon 5G Innovation Hub Highlighted by EdTech Magazine

    Ed Tech Magazine’s Summer 2021 edition features a two-page spread telling the story of the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub at the University of Illinois Research Park. The article details how the hub became the first of its kind on a college campus, and discusses the advantages of the hub for both the private sector and university researchers. “The result of a partnership with Verizon, the Innovation Hub is bringing together small startups, large companies and university researchers and students to collaborate on new use cases for 5G, says Laura Frerichs, executive director of the Research Park. “My hope is that both our companies and our researchers are able to invent ahead of others what’s possible with 5G,” she says. “Rather than talk about the technology in terms of hypotheticals, they will be able to try it out and learn from each other.”

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Epivara Granted NSF SBIR Phase I Award

    Epivara, a startup at the EnterpriseWorks tech incubator in the University of Illinois Research Park, recently received a $255,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award from the National Science Foundation. The startup plans to use the funding to further develop a safe and effective injectable alternative to surgical spays in female dogs. Epivara, a company developing more humane, natural sterilization methods for livestock and companion animals, was founded by Dr. Jay Ko, a faculty member in the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, The company’s scientists work out of a lab and office at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the Research Park. Epivara’s mission is to make life better for animals and humans through innovative science and compassionate care. The company has developed iSpay/iNeuter, a low-cost injection to spay and neuter pets efficiently. Currently, this is the only alternative to spay and neuter surgery that works safely, permanently, and works within seconds. In March, Epivara received the 2021 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize. The award, generously funded by University of Illinois alumni and their families, rewards University of Illinois entrepreneurs focusing on agricultural innovations. To learn more about SBIR funding and to for more resources on how innovative Illinois startups can get funding, check out the FAST Center at Illinois.

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