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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

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    EnterpriseWorks Features Graduates Media Mentions News

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Serionix Featured in NASA’s Spinoff

    EnterpriseWorks graduate, Serionix was featured in the NASA’s 2019 Edition of Spinoff, an annual publication that features commerical technologies that have origins to NASA-backed research. Serionix was founded in 2011 by two Materials Science and Engineering PhD students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While at EnterpriseWorks, Serionix was awarded multiple SBIR awards from the Johnson Space Center. These awards allowed the company to research and design filters for spacesuits and spacecrafts. However, this technology used to filter space can also be used in the home to improve indoor air quality and reduce pet odors. “All of the challenges that we have here are simply magnified up in space. That’s the environment up there, and people’s lives depend on solving those problems,” he says. “The challenges of deploying the technology in space definitely serve us well in making a more robust product for our customers on Earth,” said Co-Founder and President James Langer in the the Spinoff article. Learn more about Serinox’s partnership with NASA and their filtering technology here.

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    Community Features News Research Park

    Campus Conversation with Susan Martinis, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research

    Susan Martinis, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign‘s Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, spoke with Julie Wurth from The News Gazette on September 18, 2019, about efforts on campus to reduce campus sexual harassment, her experience as a woman in STEM, and the impact of ownership within the Research Park. In regards to the latter, Martinis noted that, “I think that it’s given us a few more players to think about. And I think with a few more players and getting to know our partners, it’s also given us some more opportunities…. They are interested in growing the Research Park, which again is my mission, to double the Research Park in whatever capacity that means.” Martinis provides leadership for campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes while promoting research initiatives and overseeing appropriate research conduct at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on leucyl-tRNA synthetase, and she currently leads a W.M. Keck Foundation-supported team to characterize mammalian variants of the synthetase. To hear the full episode, click here for the article.

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Motorola Solutions Opens Innovation Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    CHICAGO – Sept. 13, 2019 – Motorola Solutions announced the opening of its first college campus innovation center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Research Park. The innovation center will employ undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds and talents to focus on developing products, applications and services in key growth areas, including command center software and video. Students will focus on projects for the company’s Chief Technology Office, Advanced Technology and Products organizations. “Partnering with the University of Illinois provides access to a depth of talent across a number of disciplines, encouraging research in areas that are critical to Motorola Solutions’ future,” said Kelly Mark, executive vice president, Services & Software, Motorola Solutions and University of Illinois alumnus. “The new innovation center will provide an opportunity for the next generation of students and employees to make valuable contributions to the company and broader tech community.” The new Motorola Solutions innovation and design center, located in the University’s Research Park, will open in the Fall 2019 semester and has capacity for up to 40 interns with an option for full-time employees in the future. Interns and employees will work directly with Motorola Solutions staff to help move ideas to test mode more quickly. “We are excited to expand Motorola Solutions’ footprint to the University of Illinois, a top-tier engineering university and my alma mater,” said John Kedzierski, senior vice president, Video Security Solutions, Motorola Solutions. “The university’s Research Park is an incubator for new ideas and technologies, and we look forward to contributing to that culture of innovation and creativity.” “We are excited to welcome Motorola Solutions to the Research Park. Their presence offers new opportunities for collaborations around some of the most critical elements of our public safety infrastructure,” said University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chancellor Robert J. Jones. “The Motorola Solutions design center is an example of our university strategic goal of establishing ourselves as a testbed for the technologies and services that will enable the safe, healthy, and sustainable communities of the future.” The team will be managed by site director Craig Ibbotson, distinguished member of the technical staff, Motorola Solutions and computer science alumnus of the University of Illinois. About Motorola SolutionsMotorola Solutions is a global leader in mission-critical communications. Our technology platforms in communications, command center software, video security solutions and managed and support services make cities safer and help communities and businesses thrive. At Motorola Solutions, we are ushering in a new era in public safety and security. Learn more at http://www.motorolasolutions.com. 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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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Purchase of 2001 S. First St. by Arvum Partners LLC

    Research Park’s “State Farm Building” at 2001 S. First St., has found new a new owner under Arvum Partners LLC. The company is now under contract to buy the building next month. One of the entities involved with Arvum Partners LLC is commercial real-estate firm Oxford Partners. The company is Texas based but have offices located in the Midwest. For the many tenants there, not much should change with the new owners. As the new owners of 2001 S. First St., Arvum Partners LLC does not plan on changing much, allowing for a smooth transition. “The new owners, if they’re able to close on this, have made it clear that their intent is to keep the tenants happy, and that tenant-servicing is a priority for them, and that they want to see a well-maintained facility,”  UI Research Park Director Laura Frerichs said. “And that’s important to us as well.” Learn more here.

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    Community News Research Park

    Cargill Innovation Lab Opens at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Research Park

    HOPKINS, Minn. (August 21, 2019) – University of Illinois students focused on solving some of the world’s greatest challenges across the global food and agriculture systems will soon have a new space to test their work thanks to a partnership with Cargill. The Research Park at the Urbana-Champaign campus will be the home of the newest Cargill Innovation Lab, the company announced today. Led by Cargill’s digital labs team of data scientists, Innovation Lab students and staff will work directly with Cargill business leaders, operations teams and customers to help move digital ideas – in weeks, not months – to test mode. “Cargill’s commitment to engaging our students in its innovation process will add a new dimension to their educational experiences at Illinois,” said Robert J. Jones, chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I had the good fortune to visit Cargill’s headquarters and engage with their leadership in this process. I am excited that Cargill has decided to join the dynamic environment in our Research Park.” In turn, the Innovation Lab provides Cargill with a pipeline of talented software engineering and data science students and graduates ready to modernize agricultural supply chains and food systems across the globe. “We are on a constant search for new innovations and new talent, whose fresh thinking can help us bring new technologies to life,” said Keith Narr, vice president, Cargill’s digital labs team. “With an impressive engineering and computer science program, the University of Illinois is an ideal partner to spur the growth and innovation in our digital business.” The Cargill Innovation Lab formally opens its doors this fall, following a successful first phase of the partnership, including a 12-week internship program. “We know our students are motivated by making an impact in their communities,” said Jones. “There are few greater ways to do so than by helping Cargill fulfill its purpose of feeding the world.” This article was featured in Food Business News.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Partnerships & Acquisitions

    Veriflow, 2017 EnterpriseWorks Graduate, Acquired by VMware

    Ajay Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VMware, announced on August 15, 2019, that the company is acquiring Veriflow, a startup that graduated from EnterpriseWorks in Research Park in 2017. “Veriflow is an innovator in network certification, assurance, and troubleshooting…. Once the acquisition is closed, VMware plans to invest in and integrate Veriflow into vRealize Network Insight to increase our overall network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities and adding new dimensions of network verification and What-If analysis directly to the platform,” Singh said. In 2016, Veriflow was selected as the Barclays “Innovation Challenge Winner,” beating out over 100 competing companies. It was the first networking company to use continuous network verification to eliminate network outages and vulnerabilities. The startup also announced that they had raised over $8 million in Series A funding that same year. In 2017, their success continued as Brighten Godfrey, co-founder and CFO of Veriflow, was awarded the Bay Area CIO of the Year in the Community Champion category by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times. The University of Illinois Research Park congratulates Veriflow on its multitude of successes. To read the full article, click HERE.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    AGCO Acceleration Center Reflects on Its Two Years Within Research Park

    AGCO Acceleration Center (AAC) is celebrating its second year within the University of Illinois Research Park. In their August 12, 2019, article, they note they came to the Park for three reasons: Help recruit students that will be our next generation of AGCO leaders Utilize the expertise of the University of Illinois faculty in agricultural and computer science engineering design Share an ecosystem with entrepreneurs who are developing the new technologies to stay on the cutting edge of the ever-changing agriculture industry The company reflects on how successful they have been at achieving these goals and what they have taken away so far from their time in the Research Park and at the University of Illinois. “Since we first opened our doors, we have been able to build and expand the scope of the AAC in ways we never could have imagined,” they said. As the AAC moves forward, they plan to move from startup phase to growth phase in order to better impact the bottom line. They also intend to expand their reach in the agtech ecosystem to continue sharing innovation with the Research Park and beyond.

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    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News

    Interview with Tushar Pandey, SimBioSys Inc., CEO

    Tushar Pandey, Chief Executive Officer at SimBioSys Inc., spoke with The News-Gazette on July 21, 2019, about what he does for the company and what the company is accomplishing. The company’s work focuses on cancer, and the SimBioSys team has “created a platform to computationally simulate tumor response to drug regimens to help oncologists in treatment planning phase.” A patient’s tumor can be made virtual, which allows for deeper understanding that impacts drug delivery, chemical interactions, and metabolism. Essentially, a cancer is modeled in order to monitor its behavior. The company has a complete product for early-stage breast cancer, and clinical trials are already underway. SimBioSys is also working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to gain regulatory approval for their device so it can be used in medical settings. The goal of the company is to have a complete suite for all solid tumors within the next few years, and the first cancer targeted will be lung cancer. Initial work was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute and from angel investors, and SimBioSys aims to secure another round of funding in late 2019 to speed up their work. To learn more about SimBioSys, click HERE.

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Interview with Troy Kollman, Brunswick’s i-Jet Lab Director

    Troy Kollman, the site director for Brunswick Corporation’s i-Jet Lab within Research Park, spoke with The News-Gazette about the key contributions of interns and the current direction of the company on July 14, 2019. “The Research Park at the UI is fairly unique among large universities. It offers corporations a collaborative environment to exchange operational ideas with other companies that operate in an innovation space,” he explained. The i-Jet Lab has worked with over 50 University of Illinois students from a wide range of backgrounds, including business, design, and mechanical engineering. They play a large role in supporting Brunswick as they seek to focus resources on the recreational boating industry. Kollmann and his colleagues act as mentors for interns as they all work cohesively as a team, overcoming roadblocks and redefining the marine industry. To learn more about the i-Jet Lab and the future direction of Brunswick, click HERE.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Reconstruct Named One of Crunchbase’s 50 Hot Tech Companies in 2019

    Crunchbase published a list of the 50 Hot Tech Companies Globally in 2019, featuring Reconstruct, a Research Park startup. The companies were filtered based on Crunchbase data. Each of the companies listed has raised between $10 and $30 million in the last six months and has not exited via IPO or acquisition. Reconstruct has raised $10.1 million in total funding from investors, including Cultivation Capital, Serra Ventures, and Harbor Street Ventures. Reconstruct’s AI and digital twin capabilities help project stakeholders by providing indoor/outdoor views, enabling them to track and resolve issues in a virtual environment before actual impact on cost and schedule, revolutionizing construction management.

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