Partnerships & Acquisitions

CHAMPAIGN – Jay Walsh,  interim Vice President of Economic Development and Innovation of the University of Illinois System, has joined the University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers as of its June 8 meeting.  Walsh replaces Ed Seidel, previously the VPEDI, as the designee of President Tim Killeen to the Board of Managers.  Seidel will become president of the University of Wyoming in July. Walsh was previously the Senior Advisor to the President of Research and Science at Northwestern University. The 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.   Read on about Jay Walsh’s appointment in the University of Illinois System News.

Wisconsin-based startup accelerator program gener8tor announced it’s launching two new programs in Champaign that are focused on innovation in the agriculture industry. gener8tor will bring its gBETA accelerator model to Champaign in a program called gBETA AgTech, which will offer early-stage startups a free, seven-week accelerator and a $25,000 investment. The first gBETA AgTech accelerator will begin this summer and is designed to help five young startups gain customer traction and improve their business models. gener8tor also announced it’s launching an annual gener8tor AgTech accelerator that will bring top agriculture-tech startups from across the world to Champaign for a 12-week accelerator program. The program will select five startups who will receive a $100,000 investment and connect with gener8tor’s network of mentors, corporate partners and investors. The startups will also receive office space from gener8tor. Both programs are currently accepting applications. The programs are being run in partnership with Champaign-based VC firm Serra Ventures. The accelerators are also backed by Agri-Fab, Fox Development, GEM Realty Capital, The UIUC Research Park, the University of Illinois and The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. gener8tor, which is regularly ranked as one of the top accelerators in the U.S. by the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project, has expanded its programs to cities across the country in recent years, including Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Houston and Los Angeles. The new agtech programs represent the group’s first accelerators in the state of Illinois. “We wanted to design programs that combined the core competencies and network of our Champaign-based corporate partners with a frictionless investment model to attract the best startups from around the world,” Troy Vosseller, co-founder of gener8tor, said in a statement. Read the full article here.

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.

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.

BP OPENS NEW CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE IT SOLUTIONS Champaign, Illinois (April 2, 2019) – The University of Illinois today announced that BP (NYSE: BP), one of the world’s largest energy companies, has opened an information technology center at the University of Illinois Research Park. The new center will provide BP with better access to the next generation of talent to explore digital solutions and technologies to enhance the modernization of IT services for the company. “I am excited by the possibilities of our new center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – engaging with talent in an innovative way and pioneering the future of digital at BP,” said Steve Fortune, BP Chief Information Officer. “Students will work on real projects and give us fresh perspectives to apply towards energy industry challenges.” The students in the program will work closely with BP information technology experts to develop proof-of-concept prototypes for digital solutions ranging from Big Data and Machine Learning, to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud. Projects will cover multiple disciplines, such as basic market and technology research, data analytics and visualization, user-interface analysis and software development. Bryan Copeland, a BP technologist for 16 years, has relocated from within the company to serve as the center’s Site Leader and will lead student recruitment, training, mentorship and assist in the delivery of innovative solutions. BP is a longtime strategic partner of the University of Illinois. This center further embeds the company within the fabric of the university, with the goal to continue a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship. “We’re pleased to welcome BP to Research Park. Like many industries, data science is transforming the way the world thinks about energy. It is a perfect partnership to have a company that is developing the future of energy come together with the university that is pioneering the future of computing and data sciences,” said University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chancellor Robert J. Jones. “BP’s commitment to discovery and technological innovation will open new opportunities for collaboration with our faculty and offer our students new career horizons.” About BP (NYSE: BP) BP is a global producer of oil and gas with operations in 70 countries. BP has a larger economic footprint in the U.S. than in any other nation, and it has invested more than $100 billion here since 2005. BP employs about 14,000 people across the U.S. and supports more than 111,000 additional jobs through all its business activities. For more information on BP in America, visit www.bp.com/us.