Partnerships & Acquisitions

Media Coverage: News-Gazette Ameren opens center in research parkSt. Louis Post-Dispatch Ameren opens Innovation Center at University of Illinois  CHAMPAIGN, IL (Feb. 10, 2015) – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced today that Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), a St. Louis-based Fortune 500 energy company, has opened an Innovation Center on campus. Ameren is the first major energy company to open an office at the University of Illinois Research Park. The Ameren Innovation Center will collaborate with university students and faculty and other companies across multiple industries at the Research Park. The goal is to foster an exploratory environment that focuses on innovations to help Ameren better meet the future needs of its customers. “By establishing an innovative and collaborative work center at a world-class research university with access to top students and faculty, we can better leverage information technology to seize business opportunities and improve our customer satisfaction,” said Mary Heger, vice president of Information Technology and Ameren Services Center and chief information officer, Ameren Services. “We also hope to develop a talent pipeline to help us continue to build a skilled workforce. This is important as we transition to smart grid technologies and explore future new energy services that may be wanted and needed by our customers.” The Center is hiring for several positions and eventually plans to employ up to 12 students. Undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines will work on a part-time basis on projects ranging from data analytics and mobile applications to projects that focus on the needs of the utility of the future. Some of these projects will leverage Ameren Illinois’ Technology Application Center in Champaign, an on-grid testing facility for smart grid technologies that opened in August 2013. A full-time Ameren site manager will supervise the students and serve as liaison between the Innovation Center and the University of Illinois. “The Ameren Innovation Center will give our students the opportunity to work on smart energy solutions for the Midwest and beyond,” said Chancellor Phyllis Wise. “Such real-world experiences are examples of the transformative educational opportunities at Illinois that grow from our leadership in engineering, computing and energy.” The Research Park, located on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign, provides an opportunity for technology-based businesses to collaborate with students and faculty. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Engineering is among the highest ranked in the nation, and is a highly sought after as a partner for pursuing information security for the energy industry. About Ameren St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric delivery and transmission service as well as natural gas delivery service while Ameren Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with generating capacity of 10,300 megawatts, and natural gas delivery service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric transmission projects. Follow the company on Twitter @AmerenCorp. For more information, visit Ameren.com.

Caterpillar Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary of Champaign Simulation Center at University of Illinois and Announces Expansion Plans Company to establish new  data analytics lab in support of innovation strategy URBANA-CHAMPAIGN , Ill. – As a tribute to years of innovation through collaboration, Caterpillar Inc. marked the 15-year anniversary of its Champaign Simulation Center today, located in Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In celebration of the milestone, the company is announcing plans to establish a new data analytics laboratory. The expansion will build upon the existing recruitment efforts with the university to engage future science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent through additional research and development opportunities, and is a key component of the company’s innovation strategy. Caterpillar opened the simulation center on the Urbana-Champaign campus in 1999, working in conjunction with the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Since then, the center has not only contributed to Caterpillar’s recruiting efforts, but  also serves as a leading engineering hub for virtual product development, advanced simulation and design solutions. Now, the company looks to the next phase of its research and development efforts on the campus by leveraging the university’s data analytics capabilities and resources. “Our Champaign Simulation Center has been a crucial component for our product development efforts by bringing in new talent – as evidenced by student teams working with our engineers – and through the use of new technologies to aid in research and development,” said Gwenne Henricks, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Product Development and Global Technology at Caterpillar. “Since the facility’s opening, we have been privileged to have more than 350 students involved with the center, either through the Caterpillar Practicum Program or as interns working at the center. We are proud to say that approximately 100 of those former students now work at Caterpillar. With today’s expansion announcement, we hope to inspire future innovators to dig into technology right in their own backyard.” “Caterpillar’s new data analytics lab will serve to strengthen an already close relationship between the company, the University of Illinois and the Research Park,” said Peter Schiffer, Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Caterpillar’s innovative approach to its Research Park operation started 15 years ago, when it pioneered the Research Park student employment model – one that has been replicated by many other companies. We are looking forward to more productive years ahead.” Caterpillar and the university will begin efforts for the data analytics lab expansion later this year. The new lab will foster real world innovation by bringing together university researchers and Caterpillar analytics professionals from engineering, computer science, statistics and economics to work on challenges and opportunities raised by technological and cultural change. This investment aligns with the company’s strategy to exceed customer expectations with outstanding products and solutions. About Caterpillar: For nearly 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. With 2013 sales and revenues of $55.656 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three product segments – Resource Industries, Construction Industries and Power Systems – and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

Yahoo’s Research Park site and its extensive relationship with the University of Illinois is the focus of a Aug. 11 Chronicle of Higher Education article (available online but subscription required). The story reflects on the growing relationships and collaborations between academia and industry leaders across the computer science landscape. The article features of a photo of Yahoo site director Cathy Singer, who was part of the team Yahoo hired when it came to campus in 2007 in the wake of Motorola closing. In February, Yahoo broke ground on a 40,000 square foot building in the University of Illinois Research Park; the building will open by the end of 2014. Reports Avi Wolfman-Arent: “(In 2007), Yahoo was simply hoping to score some ready-made talent. Less than a decade later, the company has developed a multifaceted relationship with the university’s computer-science department that extends into both student recruitment and coursework.” The entire article can be read here (without photo).

Silicon Valley-Based Turn Opens First Innovation Center at University of Illinois Research Park CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois today announced that Turn, the marketing software and analytics platform, will open an Innovation Center on campus for the research and development of new data-driven marketing technologies. The center is the company’s first outside of its Silicon Valley headquarters, and engineering work will focus on the full technology stack of the Turn platform. Along with attracting engineering talent excited by the prospect of joining a leading player in the fast-growing marketing software industry, Turn plans to collaborate with research faculty on joint R&D projects and to contribute to campus life through education outreach and seminar opportunities. “The Turn Innovation Center will give our students the opportunity to be at the forefront of the intersection of digital marketing and big data,” said Chancellor Phyllis Wise. “Such real-world experiences are an invaluable part of their education.” “The Turn Innovation Center at the University of Illinois brings us directly into the center of one of the nation’s top engineering campuses,” says Ali Dasdan, senior director of engineering, Turn. “We are building the smartest global enterprise technology company dedicated to solving the data problems marketers face. Some of the excellent talent here will help us to meet new challenges in solving those problems.” The Turn Innovation Center will be located within the University of Illinois Research Park, home to innovation centers for multinational corporations and publicly traded firms including Yahoo!, Anheuser-Busch InBev, John Deere, Caterpillar, Dow, Neustar, State Farm, Citrix, Raytheon, and Abbott. Ross Bundy has been appointed by Turn to lead the Turn Innovation Center at the University of Illinois. He has an extensive engineering background gained through his 20 years of experience at IBM, Motorola, Yahoo!, and Riverbed Technology.  About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Located on campus, 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 more than 90 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. About Turn Turn delivers real-time insights that transform the way leading advertising agencies and enterprises make marketing decisions. Our integrated cloud platform enables data management, cross-channel advertising, and advanced analytics from a single login, along with point-and-click access to more than 130 integrated technology partners. Turn is headquartered in Silicon Valley and provides its products and services worldwide. Turn provides three real-time marketing applications: Audience Suite, an enterprise data management and audience planning platform; Campaign Suite, a digital media execution platform for video, mobile, social, and display advertising; and DataMine Analytics, a data exploration, discovery and warehousing solution purpose-built for marketers. Turn works with the world’s top brands, agencies and trading desks, including Accuen, Aegis, AMNET, Chrysler, Experian, Foursquare, Microsoft, OMD, StubHub, Thomas Cook, Toyota, Travelers, Verizon, VivaKi and Zales. For more information, follow @turnplatform. 

Today, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an important expansion of its Champaign, IL technology hub. Leaders from Yahoo, State of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and City of Champaign announced plans for the new building and expanded workforce. Champaign is the home of several Yahoo engineering teams working on critical technologies for the company. Yahoo currently occupies 24,000 sq.ft. of office space and is the largest full-time employer in the University of Illinois Research Park. The new 40,000 sq. ft. building will be solely constructed for Yahoo. Plans include recruitment of engineers over the next 12-24 months. Yahoo’s SVP of Advertising Technology, Scott Burke, attended the groundbreaking and said, “I’m thrilled to announce our expansion in Champaign. Yahoo has benefited from the world-class engineering talent at Research Park that contributes to our advertising and data systems. We look forward to growing our team and continuing to be a valued member of the local community.” Champaign-Urbana is the home of the University of Illinois and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The top-ranked engineering college is a hallmark of Illinois. Chancellor Phyllis Wise said, “Yahoo is an important presence in our Research Park and in our local community. Our students and our faculty have seen great new opportunities through our relationship with Yahoo, and this expansion will open even more of them for all of us.” “The presence of Yahoo at the U of I is an incredible resource for the technology industry in Illinois,” Governor Pat Quinn said. “Illinois is a technology leader and we are actively working to grow our economy, create jobs and keep our state a center for innovation worldwide. Places like Research Park at the University of Illinois are essential in making Illinois even more competitive.” “On behalf of the City of Champaign, we are pleased that performance-based employment incentives were able to contribute the positive decision by Yahoo to expand in our community. Yahoo’s growth is a strong example of the thriving high-technology sector in Champaign,” said Mayor Don Gerard. About Yahoo Yahoo is focused on making the world’s daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company’s blog (yahoo.tumblr.com). About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Located on campus, 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 more than 90 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. For more visit www.illinois.edu and https://researchpark.illinois.edu/ Contact at Yahoo: Cathy Singer, Senior Director, cats@yahoo-inc.com Contact at the University of Illinois: Laura Frerichs, Research Park Director, (217) 333-8323 **** News Coverage: News Gazette article: Yahoo to add 80 jobs at Research Park site The Southern Illinoisan: New Yahoo building at the University of Illinois AZoBuild.com: Yahoo Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Facility in Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, IL – January 14, 2013 – As part of its mission to solve challenging problems through innovation, The Dow AgroSciences announced a partnership with the University of Illinois to open the Dow Innovation Center, a research facility located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  The new Innovation Center will develop data management solutions to drive value and accelerate discovery in the Research & Development (R&D) organizations throughout Dow. “The opening of the Dow Innovation Center continues the strong relationship between the University of Illinois and Dow,” said Chancellor Phyllis Wise.  “We are pushing the edges of science and technology to explore new ideas in critical areas such as water, energy, coatings and agriculture. Solutions to increasingly complex societal challenges brought about by an expanding global population will be found in this kind of innovative partnership. The new center will draw upon the strengths in High Performance Computing (HPC), Informatics, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois to enhance technology and research within Dow.” At the same time, Dow has entered into an industry partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), providing access to expertise and equipment which will accelerate Dow’s discovery processes. This partnership will enable Dow to leverage the center’s expertise and knowledge of best practices in high-performance modeling and simulation to gain a competitive edge. “We are very pleased to announce the opening of an IT development office that will build upon the University of Illinois’ tradition of groundbreaking computer science research and education,” said Roy Ladd, Director of Global Information Research at Dow. “With access to a highly passionate student body and NCSA’s valuable resources, we are confident that we can develop innovative IT solutions that will help solve some of the most pressing challenges facing our customers and society today.” A team of sixteen students in computer science and related fields will work part-time at the new Dow Innovation Center, which opens in the spring 2013 semester. The operation is in the Research Park, which is located on campus to better connect industry with researchers and students. “This environment will provide students the opportunity to enhance their University of Illinois education with real-life experiences that impact industry and address major global product solutions,” said Lawrence Schook, University of Illinois Vice President for Research. The new Dow office is located at 2021 S. First Street in the Research Park. Fox/Atkins Development owns the building and successfully worked on an agreement for Dow to lease space in the faciltiy and begin operations quickly. Construction was completed within a one-month time period to prepare the suite and allow Dow to open the facility for the beginning of the spring semester. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is also part of the Strategic University Partnership launched by Dow in 2011 to focus research capabilities with 11 of the leading chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering departments in the country.  About DowDow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean Dow AgroSciences and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information can be found at www.dow.com. About the University of IllinoisThe University of Illinois is a world leader in research, teaching and discovery. Distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty, the University of Illinois has a commitment of excellence in teaching, research, public service and economic development. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign serves the state, the nation, and the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and addressing critical societal needs through the transfer and application of knowledge. About the Research Park at the University of IllinoisThe Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with faculty and students at Illinois to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research and easy access to University labs, equipment, and services. The Research Park is home to more than 90 companies and growing, employing over 1,400 people in high-technology careers.  At any given time, over 400 student interns are gaining valuable work experience while making real contributions to internal corporate R&D and product development programs. Publicly-traded firms in the Research Park include: ADM, Abbott Laboratories, Caterpillar, Deere & Company, Neustar, Pearson, Raytheon, Riverbed, Sony, State Farm, and Yahoo. It was named 2011 Outstanding Research Park of the Year by the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). The Research Park has been developed through a public-private partnership between the University of Illinois and Fox/Atkins Development, LLC.  About the National Center for Supercomputing Applications NCSA, located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, provides powerful computers and expert support that help thousands of scientists and engineers across the country improve our world. For 25 years, NCSA has been a leader in deploying robust high-performance computing resources and in working with research communities to develop new computing and software technologies. Building on this history of leadership, NCSA and its partners are at work on the Blue Waters project, which will provide the national research community with a sustained-petaflop supercomputer.