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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Recognition & Awards

    EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Eden Park Illumination Featured in Wall Street Journal After Pivoting Technology to Address COVID-19

    Eden Park Illumination, a faculty-founded startup that launched at the  EnterpriseWorks incubator at Research Park, drew the attention of the Wall Street Journal for pivoting its UV light technology to address COVID-19. In the process, it has rejuvenated the company and has experienced unprecedented growth. Wall Street Journal reporter Ruth Simon profiled the company in her recent story, “Covid-19 Shuttered More Than 1 Million Small Businesses. Here Is How Five Survived.” Wrote Simon, in the Journal’s August 1 editions: “Eden Park Illumination Inc. had one product to sell before Covid-19: an ultraviolet light that distinguished real diamonds from fakes. The spread of a deadly virus across the globe shifted the focus of the tiny Champaign, Ill., startup to another ultraviolet light application that it had not planned to introduce for at least two years. This one would disinfect crowded spaces. Within weeks, the 10-person company began shipping prototypes. Eden Park has since delivered more than 1,000 of the lights and added a dozen workers, including a head of manufacturing.” Eden Park Illumination was founded by Gary Eden and Sun-Jin Park, then University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign electrical engineering faculty members (Eden is now an emeritus faculty member). It graduated from EnterpriseWorks in 2009. Eden and Park remain part of the company; it recently hired a new CEO, John Yerger. Now based on the west side of Champaign, the company manufactures flat panel, thin 222 nm UV lamps that “may provide immediate relief in mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks in populated indoor spaces, including factories, submarines, aircraft carriers, planes, waiting rooms, restaurants and more.” The company has also been profiled on Fox Business News with other mentions on ABC News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  For more about the company and its technology, visit the Eden Park website.

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    Community Events Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Interns Recognized at 2020 Summer Intern Award Ceremony

    The Research Park gathered virtually to celebrate the most outstanding interns across its 120+ companies on Thursday, July 28. Fittingly, the ceremony was held on National Intern Day. The students honored as finalists and winners encompass a variety of disciplines, majors, and colleges from across the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, exemplifying the nature of interdisciplinary work that happens at Research Park companies. The end of the academic year and summer has posed many unique challenges for Research Park interns, although they proved surmountable. In the midst of a pandemic, interns definitely had unconventional learning experiences at the Park in comparison to past summers. They formed connections with peers, co-workers, and supervisors while working remotely – without having the chance to meet in-person. Many of them were even in time zones around the world. These interns have impacted the Research Park and their employers through the countless projects they conceived, worked diligently on, and followed through to completion. Thank you to all the managers who took the time to nominate their students. Thank you to the panel of professionals who judged these awards. To watch the entirety of the Intern Awards ceremony, click HERE. Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup Grayson Schaer, Research Associate at EditekkUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Grayson is a joy to work with because he is a receptive listener and an effective communicator. Grayson is passionate about his work and a quick learner who adapts to various challenges very quickly. Although his undergraduate training was in Aerospace Engineering, he has touched on many areas in his time with us that go well beyond this focus.”   Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern Harry Zhao, Engineering Intern at CaterpillarUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Harry holds a high work ethic; he started on time even when working from home and finished all committed work on time. Harry also has a high potential to be a great leader. This summer, he was assigned three tasks in one week. However, he had long term insight and ask me to change the priority because one customer is desperate to get the correct result from a 1-click tool. The internship in Caterpillar prepares him for his future career and applies his STEM knowledge in real-world problems.” Anders Cox, Plasma Processing Intern at Starfire Industries LLCUndergraduate in Electrical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Anders embedded himself with one of our Ph.D. researchers and became both the ‘right’ and ‘left’ arms of two different projects. Anders worked as an intern last summer, through the fall and into spring, and his dedication and commitment to Starfire, its team, and our mission show that motivation, behavior, and work ethic are valued. Anders deserves this award for his technical contribution and the personal side.” Finalists: Domenic Di Girolamo, Actuarial Intern at State FarmUndergraduate in Actuarial Science | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Jessica Huang, Market Research Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterUndergraduate in Accounting & Information Systems and Information Technology | Gies College of Business   Most Outstanding Graduate Intern Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics “Eric is a conscientious student, bringing attention to detail, a strong work ethic, and a varied skill set to his position at AbbVie. He has contributed value in supporting and expanding his team’s ability to make decisions through the creation of a novel software package. Furthermore, he has supported the long-term use of his contributions with the creation of additional documentation and a more user-friendly interface for future data analysis. His advisor sums up Eric by stating: ‘As a former Professor of Preventive Medicine, I would certainly rank Eric in the top 0.5% of all graduate students that I have ever had.’” Finalists: Jialu Yan, Data Science Intern at CargillPh.D. in Physics Jack Massey, Actuarial Intern at State FarmMasters in Statistics Grant Greenberg, Neuroscience Bioinformatics Intern at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering   Best Technical Innovation Award Katherine Ritchie, Cancer Metabolic Modeling Intern at SimBioSysUndergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering “Ms. Ritchie’s work ethic, leadership, and behavior have been exemplary over the course of this internship. Despite having to work remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Ritchie has maintained a professional attitude and a dedication to maintaining an office environment. Ms. Ritchie is routinely early to meetings and has no trouble describing her work, presenting challenges she is facing, proposing solutions, and offering suggestions for the work of others in the company. Her diligence, intelligence, and commitment to understanding our workflow have earned the appraisal of the entire leadership team.” Finalists: Ali Taghibakhshi, Student Robotics Intern at John DeerePh.D. in Mechanical Engineering Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics   Best Non-Technical Innovation Nupur Bhardwaj, Human Resources & Community Intern at Motorola SolutionsUndergraduate in Marketing | Gies College of Business “Despite having to work independently and remotely, and Nupur has done a tremendous job with overcoming these obstacles. She has been a self-starter and comes up with all of the wonderful ideas for these events at Motorola Solutions. Nupur deserves this award because she stepped into a role we had never envisioned – creating community – which was very different than what she expected the internship would be. However, she not only embraced the role but excelled in it, far exceeding my expectations. Her efforts made the difference between having an okay internship experience due to COVID-19 and having an amazing internship experience in spite of the circumstances.” Finalists: Vishaank Ghai, Project Manager at COUNTRY Financial DigitaLabUndergraduate in Computer Science & Economics | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Anne Zulkarnain, UX/UI Designer at CargillUndergraduate in Industrial Design | College of Fine Arts   Most Competent and Collaborative Team Granular Flex Team: Jake Stahl, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business Market and Management | College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental SciencesJordan Breedlove, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business |College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences “Our Flex Team is

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EDA University Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Awarded $300,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration

    The EDA University Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received $300,000 from the EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance program to boost capacity and support for entrepreneurs and small businesses addressing the impacts of  the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the funds will support entrepreneurs advancing technologies to address challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the funding will be used to support informal tech education and training, for individuals as well as small businesses adjusting to the digital economy. “We are pleased to make this investment in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s EDA University Center to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by accelerating technology commercialization from research into COVID-19 and prototyping new products to respond to the needs of the pandemic,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. The EDA Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is based at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the University of Illinois Research Park. It assists small businesses and entrepreneurs in a region that covers downstate Illinois, roughly defined as the entire state south of I-80. More specifically, the funding will support: Programming and activities that help transition workers to digital jobs and small businesses to a digital marketplace, such as the recent Tech Training program. (This will focus on Central Illinois.) Prototyping assistance for entrepreneurs creating PPE or physical products – or pivoting their existing products – to serve or respond to COVID-19 needs.  Project requests can be made for up to $5,000 of resources; a form to request assistance will be forthcoming. Additional assistance for entrepreneurs and researchers to pursue commercialization and develop business opportunities. “We have observed many researchers across Illinois universities developing new technologies for testing, PPE, and medical devices to aid in treatment. Innovators throughout Illinois are also developing new uses for existing technology that respond to COVID-19 needs. We are grateful to have resources to help further these innovations so they translate into products, services, companies, and jobs that positively impact human lives and economic well-being,” said Laura Frerichs, Research Park’s Executive Director. The CARES Act provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, contact Laura Bleill, Director of External Engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park.

    EDA University Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Awarded $300,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration Read Post »

    Community News Partnerships & Acquisitions Recognition & Awards Research Park

    New Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation Has Significant Ties to Research Park

    Champaign – The National Science Foundation has awarded a $15.5 Million grant to four Illinois universities, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to create an Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI). The aim of the IMSI is to bring powerful mathematical ideas to bear on key contemporary scientific and technological challenges. Laura Frerichs, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park, has been selected for one of the seven IMSI Board of Trustees. In addition to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IMSI will include a collaborative group of mathematicians and statisticians from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The $15.5 million grant will be provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the next five years. “The project builds on the leadership of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Matt Ando, associate dean for life and physical sciences at the College of LAS, who played a key role in forming the institute. “The university’s outstanding record of success with interdisciplinary institutes, such as the Beckman Institute and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and the innovative record of the departments of Mathematics and Statistics in workforce development, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Research Park, were important strengths of the proposal.” Researchers at the new IMSI will build a platform that efficiently applies mathematical and statistical techniques into solutions for urgent real-world applications. Some of these applications include climate change, health care, quantum information theory, artificial intelligence, data science, economics, and materials science. IMSI will also have a sustained focus on communication with researchers in other fields, and in educating the public about how mathematics and statistics can be used for everyday problems and social issues. IMSI will sponsor outreach and workforce development programs aimed at K-12 students, teachers, undergraduates, and graduate students. With the goal to introduce participants to career opportunities in mathematics and statistics, especially to communities who traditionally have been underrepresented in STEM. To read more about the IMSI grant, click here.

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    News Recognition & Awards

    COUNTRY Financial® Project Leveraging DigitaLab Interns Selected by 50+ Insurer CIOs for Novarica Impact Award

    July 7, 2020 (BOSTON) — COUNTRY Financial® will receive an Impact Award from the Novarica Insurance Technology Research Council, a peer community of hundreds of insurer CIOs. More than fifty CIO council members reviewed dozens of case studies to select the winners for the 9th annual awards. COUNTRY Financial leveraged its DigitaLab, a partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to move two apps to new strategic cloud platforms while developing student intern talent. The project saved nearly $40,000 in vendor costs and enabled platform consolidation. “Novarica’s research shows that more than half of insurers say talent is a top challenge, but many have difficulty prioritizing it against other pressing needs. COUNTRY’s Impact case study shows how insurers can cultivate talent for recruitment while simultaneously leveraging it for innovation and delivering real business results,” says Matthew Josefowicz, President/CEO of Novarica and moderator of the Council. “Utilizing our DigitaLab partnership to re-platform to the cloud allowed our interns to innovate and contribute nearly 550 hours of programming and technology implementation, which is a key reason they look to us for an internship experience,” said Brad Hildestad, Chief Information Officer at COUNTRY Financial. “Their work assists us in delivering faster solutions to our clients and positions COUNTRY Financial to successfully scale our work during weather-related claims when our clients need us most.” COUNTRY Financial’s case study, along with case studies of seven other winners, and more than 20 additional cases considered for Impact Awards, was published this week in Novarica’s 9th Annual Impact Case Study Compendium, online at https://novarica.com/compendium2020/. Novarica has published more than 220 case studies through this program since 2012. About the Novarica Impact Awards The Novarica Research Council Impact Awards are the largest purely peer-juried awards in insurance technology. CIO council members vote annually to recognize the efforts of their peers to use technology to drive business value in digital, data/analytics, core systems, and IT operations. No vendors, consultants, journalists, or members of the Novarica team participate in the selection committee, making the Novarica Impact Awards distinctive in being a purely peer-juried award. The Novarica Insurance Technology Research Council is a free, moderated, knowledge-sharing community of more than 300 insurer CIOs and senior executives. In addition to recognizing successful initiatives through the Impact Awards, members participate in anonymized studies and private, vendor-free events. More information at https://novarica.com/council/ The Council is managed by Novarica, a research and advisory firm that helps more than 100 insurers make better decisions about technology projects and strategy through published research, advisory services, strategic consulting, and special programs. https://novarica.com/ About COUNTRY Financial® COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home, business, farm and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities. Press Contact Emily Lecaque media@novarica.com 833-668-2742

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    EnterpriseWorks Features News Recognition & Awards

    ATSP Innovations, EnterpriseWorks Graduate, Selected for NASA Phase 1 Awards

    ATSP Innovations, an EnterpriseWorks graduate, announced on June 30, 2020, that the company was selected for a Phase I SBIR and a Phase I STTR by NASA.  These awards will be used for “Creep-Resistant Aromatic Polyester Thermosets for Thin-Ply Composites” and “Ultra-High Temperature Elastomer Sealing Materials”. ATSP Innovations was founded in 2010 and is engaged in developing and commercializing a new family of resins (Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyesters, i.e. ATSP) that demonstrate robustness in multiple environments and can be introduced to a variety of high-demanding applications.  In 2019, the company was awarded a Phase I SBIR from NASA for its “Extreme Environment Tribological Characterization of Advanced Bearing Materials”. ATSP was also awarded a Phase II SBIR grant totaling more than $480,000 from the National Science Foundation in 2012. The company was co-founded by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Prof. Emeritus James Economy, a faculty member in the Department of Material Science and Engineering, and Prof. Andreas Polycarpou, a former W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. Learn more about their selection in ATSP Innovations’ News.

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    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EarthSense Creating Autonomous Disinfecting Robots to Fight COVID-19 Transmission

    EnterpriseWorks startup EarthSense has received accelerated funding from the National Science Foundation to support the development of autonomous sanitizing robots that can help reduce the transmission of COVID-19, the company announced on June 3. By using innovative robotics and machine learning, EarthSense plans to have robots autonomously build maps of hospital rooms and disinfect them with Ultra Violet (UV) light. EarthSense autonomous sanitizing robots can have applications in offices, schools, and other public areas to reduce community transmission and help relax social distancing measures sooner. The $256,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Award will engage EarthSense as well as other University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty experts in robotics.  Girish Chowdhary, co-founder and CTO of EarthSense, and Donald Biggar, Willet Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said, “We felt driven to respond to this staggering crisis by accelerating our plan to create products beyond agriculture. We are making every effort to rapidly deploy our autonomous COVID sanitizing robots. The accelerated funding from the National Science Foundation is a critical validation of our approach to help manage COVID-19 and future diseases.” EarthSense was recently selected for the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator and received a Phase II SBIR award. EarthSense was founded in 2016 by Chinmay Soman and Girish Chowdhary. The company develops ultra-compact autonomous robots. TerraSentia, its first robot, is revolutionizing agriculture by improving the quantity, accuracy, cost, and speed of in-field plant trait data collection. Visit EarthSense’s website to learn more.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EarthSense Selected for Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator

    EarthSense, a growing agtech startup at EnterpriseWorks, has been selected by the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) to join the program as a member of IN2’s seventh cohort.  Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), this program will allow the EarthSense team to work with crop geneticists in the Danforth Center. EarthSense’s phenotyping data will be validated and commercialized in order to help crop breeders use the next generation of crop breeding technologies. According to Chinmay Soman, CEO and co-founder of EarthSense, “Working with world leading scientists at the Danforth Center and the entrepreneurial ecosystem put together by Wells Fargo and NREL will help accelerate our impact on agriculture, starting with better seeds for farmers.” The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis is where EarthSense will conduct its research and development activities. They have received up to $250,000 in technical assistance with the opportunity for follow-on funding and resources from the Danforth Center, Wells Fargo, NREL, and more IN2 partners. An IN2 Channel Partner was responsible for nominating EarthSense for this program. Other recent accomplishments by EarthSense include receiving Phase II SBIR funding from the National Science Foundation, being selected to participate in John Deere’s 2020 Startup Collaborator program, and being featured in the New York Times. EarthSense was founded in 2016 by Chinmay Soman and Girish Chowdhary. The company develops ultracompact autonomous robots that use machine vision and machine learning to collect and convert field data into useful information. TerraSentia, their first robot, is revolutionizing agriculture. To read on about EarthSense’s accomplishments and their selection for the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator, visit their company website.

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    EnterpriseWorks Graduates Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Co-founders of Quicket Solutions Recognized as Crain’s 20 In Their Twenties

    The two co-founders of Quicket Solutions, a graduate from the EnterpriseWorks incubator at Research Park, have been recognized as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’s 20 In Their Twenties.  Christiaan Burner graduated from the Gies College of Business and Akshay Singh graduated from The Grainger College of Engineering. The beginnings of their successful data cloud software company began during their tenure in EnterpriseWorks. It has been recognized for its noteworthy accomplishments, innovation, high performance, and the potential to achieve even more in the technological world. Now it is located in downtown Chicago with a team largely consisted of the University of Illinois alumni.  Quicket is cloud-based data software to increase efficiency for handing out tickets, organizing the government data, and document hearings and payments. Through this software, police departments are able to digitize data, reduce ineligibility, and perform duties more efficiently. Transitioning from a paper system to a digital world provides ease and efficiency in the government workloads.  For more information on Quicket Solutions, visit here.

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    Community News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Local Inventors and Entrepreneurs Innovating for COVID-19

    In addition to companies seeking support from federal loan programs to help sustain their businesses, local entrepreneurs and inventors are creating new products and technologies to help fight COVID-19. Serionix’s novel material filters toxic particles in space. Soon, its creators will know if it protects against the coronavirus in masks. Serionix co-founders Will Zheng and James Langer and their doctoral advisor James Economy from the University of Illinois Department of Materials Science, spent years developing a self-sterilizing material that can filter harmful particles, which is now being applied to face masks. Serionix was a winner of the Cozad New Venture Challenge and graduated from the EnterpriseWorks incubator, the company is now manufacturing its products in Urbana. Read more here. Three Nick Holonyak Jr., Micro and Nanotechnology Lab (HMNTL) faculty members have received NSF Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program grants, all of which aim to shorten the amount of time it takes to process a COVID-19 test. A team led by Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering, has proposed the development of a point-of-care device that uses nasal fluid samples to detect the presence of COVID-19 within 10 minutes. A team led by Prof. Brian Cunningham combines capturing intact COVID-19 viruses with custom-designed DNA nanostructures so they can be immediately counted with a newly-invented type of biosensor imaging.  A team with Prof. Yi Lu (founder of Glucosentient and Andalyze at the Research Park) is working with Lijun Rong from UIC to develop a biosensor that could detect and differentiate infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the SARS-CoV-2 that have been rendered noninfectious by patient’s antibodies or disinfectants. This would allow patients to receive proper treatment in a timely manner, and would allow people who aren’t infected or contagious to be released from quarantine. The SBIR/STTR Technical Assistance program through EnterpriseWorks and the IL University Incubator Network (IUIN) is providing free 1:1 assistance with companies pursuing federal funding opportunities to address COVID-19 opportunities. Examples of federal funding opportunities can be found here, and from G2G.

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