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    Research Park

    Investments, Research Park

    Nominations Sought for 2025 Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism

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    CHAMPAIGN – Nominations are now being accepted for the fifth Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism, recognizing an Illinois farmer for their role in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in the ag sector. View the nomination form here. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2025. Established in 2021 to honor the memory of GB Brandt, a legendary figure in the field of Illinois agriculture, the $10,000 cash prize will be awarded to a nominee who exemplifies an entrepreneurial spirit and advances innovation through their business practices, crop growing processes, or product usage. The prize is a partnership between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and The BRANDT Foundation. The winner will be announced and recognized at the AgTech Innovation Summit, an annual event produced by the University of Illinois Research Park, on March 6, 2025. Those eligible for the Brandt Prize include Illinois farmers, growers, and producers or those engaged with Illinois farmers, growers, and producers. Nominees should be connected with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and/or its affiliates, including University of Illinois Extension. A full list of eligibility criteria is available in the nomination form. Andrew and Karlie Bowman, the minds behind the popcorn brand Pilot Knob Farms, were the fourth annual recipients of the Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism in March 2024. Working with the University of Illinois, the Bowmans developed new popcorn hybrids, resulting in specialty red and blue “hull-less” popcorn. The Bowmans  also pioneered an automated in-store popcorn demonstration unit. Read the full story on the Research Park website. Past Brandt Prize Winners About The BRANDT Foundation The BRANDT Foundation was established in 2012 as a philanthropic extension of BRANDT, Inc. The Brandt family has always stood with their communities and as their company grew, so did the opportunities to give back. The BRANDT Foundation offers donations, grants, and support to the farms, charities, and organizations in the areas where the company does business. About the AgTech Innovation Summit The AgTech Innovation Summit is an interactive conference where participants learn and share knowledge about the current state of AgTech and get a look into the future through dynamic panels, inspiring keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. It is produced by the University of Illinois Research Park in partnership with the College of ACES and the Office of Corporate Relations. One of the premier AgTech hubs in the nation, Champaign-Urbana is uniquely positioned to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and industry for learning, networking, and advancing this sector. Contacts Karl Barnhart, The BRANDT Foundation, karl.barnhart@brandt.coLaura Bleill, Research Park, lwbleill@illinois.edu

    Nominations Sought for 2025 Glen “GB” Brandt Prize for Ag Entrepreneurism Read Post »

    Events, Research Park

    Registration Open for the 10th Annual AgTech Innovation Summit

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    CHAMPAIGN —  Registration is now open for the 10th Annual AgTech Innovation Summit, taking place Thursday, March 6, 2025. The event will highlight how agtech intersects with other industry sectors of strategic importance to our state and region: biomanufacturing, fintech, renewable energy, and the longer term promise of quantum computing. NEW this year — we will welcome agtech startups for a pitch competition — stay tuned as we roll out more information. The summit is part of Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week, which celebrates Champaign-Urbana’s robust AgTech ecosystem, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Parkland College, corporate innovation centers, startups, state-of-the-art facilities, student organizations, local ag companies, and the iFAB Tech Hub. Additional AgTech Week events include, the Center for Digital Agriculture Conference, Precision Fermentation Workshops at the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, and more. Participants in the 10th Annual AgTech Summit will have the opportunity to engage in dynamic panels, keynote presentations, and networking sessions focused on agtech’s current landscape and future developments. True to our land grant mission, this event is free thanks to our generous sponsors. Nominations are also open for the Glen “GB” Brandt Prize, to be awarded at the summit. This $10,000 cash prize honors GB Brandt’s legacy by recognizing individuals who demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit and advance innovation in business practices, crop-growing processes, or product usage. A more detailed agenda for the event will be coming soon. Registration is available online here. 

    Registration Open for the 10th Annual AgTech Innovation Summit Read Post »

    Events, Research Park

    CABBI Celebrates Grand Opening of State-of-the-Art Greenhouse at Research Park

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    CHAMPAIGN — On Friday, November 15, 2024, CABBI leadership and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign officials gathered to celebrate the opening of the Plant Biology Innovation Greenhouse at 1902 S Fourth St. in the Research Park. The $252.5 million, U.S. Department of Energy-funded, facility marks a major milestone for the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) mission to drive scientific discoveries and technologies that support an economically viable and sustainable domestic biofuel and bioproduct industry. “This state-of-the-art facility is a testament to our commitment at this university to advancing research and innovation that addresses grand challenges in our world, sustainable energy solutions being among those,” said John Coleman, Provost and Executive Chancellor for Academic Affairs at U. of. I “This greenhouse will provide researchers with the advanced tools and intellectual environment they need to continue to make valuable advances in their work.” The newly completed greenhouse incorporates energy-efficient design and cutting-edge technology, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. It includes a solar panel array, a plant phenotyping facility, walk-in growth rooms, and space for future expansion. “We’re really excited about having this stable isotope facility because it allows us to deeply investigate the interactions between plants, microbes, and soil,” said Wendy Yang, Professor of Plant Biology and Geology and CABBI’s Sustainability Theme Leader. The greenhouse will serve as a research hub for faculty and students from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, the Grainger College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It will also provide undergraduate experiential learning opportunities through CABBI’s Research Internship in Sustainable Bioenergy, RISE. Since its groundbreaking in September 2023, the CABBI greenhouse has been heralded as a game-changer for sustainable bioenergy research in Illinois and beyond. The innovative structure exemplifies the university’s commitment to tackling global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge facilities. The event featured remarks by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John Coleman, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Susan Martinis, and Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller, along with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the facility’s official opening.

    CABBI Celebrates Grand Opening of State-of-the-Art Greenhouse at Research Park Read Post »

    Community, EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

    New Podcast Episode: Yummy Future

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    In the November Innovations @ Research Park podcast episode, host Tanmay Shah talked to Yummy Future CEO Jack Cui about the company’s journey, Cui’s entrepreneurship journey, working with autonomous robots, and more. Jack Cui is the CEO and co-founder of Yummy Future, an autonomous coffee shop that offers a taste of the future by servicing customers through an autonomous robot.  The company also provides robotic solutions for food and beverage businesses, lowering costs and enhancing efficiency. “I couldn’t imagine a robot able to do such a delicate task. So I showed him [Garrett Yan, Yummy Future co-founder], and  I said, ‘Why don’t we start a business, a robots servicing business,’ Cui said when describing how the idea of Yummy Future started. The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. 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).

    New Podcast Episode: Yummy Future Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks, Graduates, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

    EnterpiseWorks Graduate Prenosis Earns Spot on TIME’s Best Inventions List

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    Prenosis, EnterpriseWorks startup graduate, has earned a place on TIME’s Best Inventions of the Year list for its innovative Sepsis ImmunoScore. Sepsis ImmunoScore is an AI diagnostic tool transforming sepsis care—a critical need in U.S. hospitals, where nearly 1.7 million patients are affected annually. The system analyzes 22 health metrics, including vital signs and blood measurements, to provide a rapid sepsis risk score, helping doctors diagnose and predict severe cases within 24 hours. “The Sepsis ImmunoScore is setting a new standard of proactive sepsis care—where faster and more accurate prediction and diagnosis is essential to saving lives,” CEO and co-founder Bobby Reddy Jr. said in a press release. “We are honored to be recognized by TIME for the potential of our work to improve patient outcomes and to bring precision medicine to acute care.” Reddy was also recently honored as one of Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, a recognition given to executives, founders, creators, and strategists driving change and innovation in the Chicago area. Prenosis was an EnterpriseWorks tenant from 2017 to 2018. Founder Rashid Bashir, Dean of Grainger College of Engineering and Research Park Board of Managers member, developed these technologies with his research group in the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, along with Bobby Reddy Jr. While at the Research Park, the Prenosis team earned a second-place prize in the 14th Annual Dale V. Cozad New Venture Competition. For more information, visit the Prenosis website

    EnterpiseWorks Graduate Prenosis Earns Spot on TIME’s Best Inventions List Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks, Events, Research Park

    Cache Energy expands with new manufacturing hub in Champaign

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    EnterpriseWorks startup Cache Energy has expanded its operations into a 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 301 E. Mercury Drive in north Champaign. The new facility will serve as a dedicated manufacturing warehouse, where Cache will build its limestone-based long-term energy storage from scratch, including mechanical and electrical components. Currently, the company can produce one ton of energy storage material per hour, and it plans to expand further in the coming months. “The whole purpose of getting this warehouse was expanding our manufacturing and making Champaign-Urbana the hub in the Midwest region where we manufacture and ship around our products,”Arpit Dwivedi, founder and CEO, said. With this expansion, Dwivedi anticipates creating 20 to 25 new jobs in the Champaign-Urbana area. Cache Energy develops safe-to-install and transportable long-duration energy storage solutions utilizing technology inspired by thermal power plants, allowing an easier transition to clean energy. Its scalable, cost-effective storage can support the shift to renewable energy by storing grid electricity and capturing biogas energy from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, which would otherwise go to waste.

    Cache Energy expands with new manufacturing hub in Champaign Read Post »

    Community, Research Park

    Research Park Seeks Rezoning to Meet Industry Needs and Capabilities

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    CHAMPAIGN — In response to dynamic market conditions, the University of Illinois Research Park filed a rezoning application with the City of Champaign to reclassify two properties  currently zoned CO, Commercial Office to the I1, Light Industrial. The City of Champaign’s Plan Commission will meet on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. to approve the request and forward it to the City Council. This reclassification will position UIRP to meet evolving industry needs through future land development, Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller told The (Champaign) News-Gazette. “We want to be able to have the right type of development for our future to respond to both business attractions that is interested in being part of our tech community here in Champaign-Urbana, but also to be able to support our entrepreneurs,” she said.  The rezoning request covers two development parcels within the Research Park, encompassing areas east and west of Fourth Street between Hazelwood Drive and Gerty Drive. “Most of the growth of the research park has been office space and we are seeing a growth of new types of industries,” Appenzeller said. “And increasingly, these small businesses that we’re working with are looking to scale technologies to get closer to manufacturing.” The rezoning will enable the Research Park to support startups transitioning from incubator spaces to small-scale manufacturing and remove competitive disadvantages to attract new companies. “It does allow us to be more conducive to flexible users that might be in these new emerging technology areas,” Appenzeller said. “When you’re in multi-state competitions, you’re always trying to make sure that you’re prepared, and that was what led to this.” At the public hearing on Nov. 20, the commission will then forward its recommendation to the City Council, The City Council is tentatively scheduled to take final action on this rezoning at its Dec. 3 meeting.

    Research Park Seeks Rezoning to Meet Industry Needs and Capabilities Read Post »

    Partnerships & Acquisitions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

    Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller Named to IQMP Leadership Team

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    CHAMPAIGN — Laura Appenzeller, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park, has been named to the leadership team of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Appenzeller will serve as Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer for the first-of-its-kind project, while retaining her position with the Research Park as Executive Director. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is connected to IQMP through its leadership team, researchers in quantum science and role in supporting the newly formed IQMP LLC. Harley Johnson, a Founder Professor in Mechanical Science and Engineering, is serving as Director and CEO of the IQMP. Brian DeMarco, the IQMP’s Associate Director and Chief Technology Officer, is a professor in the U. of I. physics department and Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST) housed in the Grainger College of Engineering. His research team has advanced the frontier of quantum science for over 20 years. “The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park will bring innovation, job creation, and economic development to the South Side of Chicago and extend across every corner of our state. I’m thrilled to see such talented individuals step into leadership roles that will guide the day-to-day operations of the campus,” said Wilbur C. Milhouse III, Chair of the IQMP’s Board of Managers and chairman/CEO of Milhouse Engineering & Construction and a former member of the University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers. A separate company of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, IQMP’s governance structure utilizes Research Park’s model as a foundation and developed in the same spirit as a dynamic public-private partnership. While Appenzeller will leverage her extensive experience in advancing complex organizations encompassing federal, state, university and private sector partners for IQMP, she remains rooted in her role at UIRP. “I have full confidence in the Research Park team to handle day-to-day management and provide excellent customer service, while also advancing our strategic direction,” Appenzeller said. “This symbiotic relationship will result in long-term impact on both campuses.” IQMP will support the full ecosystem of companies, researchers, suppliers and other partners working to facilitate the development of quantum technologies, and will build on historic investments by Governor Pritzker and the state to further establish Illinois as a global hub for this emerging technology. Read more on WCIA’s website, or on the Crain’s Chicago Business website.

    Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller Named to IQMP Leadership Team Read Post »

    Community, EnterpriseWorks, Events, Graduates, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

    Inaugural Founders Week at Research Park Celebrates Illinois Entrepreneurship 

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    The inaugural Founders Week, held Oct. 17-19 at Research Park, was an inspiring celebration of innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Entrepreneurship is a team sport,” said EnterpriseWorks Director of Entrepreneurship Gerald Wilson. “Founders Week is a recognition that we are all co-founders of the future of Illini Entrepreneurship.” Wilson was a key proponent in organizing the event, working closely with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Illinois Ventures, the Technology Entrepreneur Center, and more partners across campus. Founders Week highlighted the university’s role in fostering groundbreaking ventures, which consistently ranks in the top five nationally for number of companies founded, founders, and capital raised. The event brought together founders, Illini Angels, active investors, ecosystem leaders, faculty, and students interested in entrepreneurship. View the event booklet for more event highlights and relevant resources Thursday, October 17 The Founders Week celebration kicked off with a Summit on Capitalizing New Ventures on Thursday, Oct. 17. Speakers led discussions on capital formation, attraction, and allocation to fund companies. The Summit was followed by a Founders Sandbox at, including a pitch workshop. Simultaneously, a campus tour took attendees through spaces on campus that are inventing the future, including the Institute of Genomic Biology, the Integrated Biology Research Lab, and EnterpriseWorks. That evening, the first “live” TechRise pitch competition in central Illinois invited historically underrepresented founders to compete for a $25,000 cash prize. Finalists included: Thursday’s events concluded with EnterpriseWorks’ 20th Anniversary Homecoming Dinner. Friday, October 18 On Friday morning, Illini Angels held its meeting to foster community for experienced entrepreneurs and investors who invest in and mentor Illini founders. If you are interested in learning more about or joining this group, contact Paul Magelli. Later that morning, the Founders Technology Showcase began. This all-day event included panels, fireside chats, and more highlighting the hottest technologies being spun out of university research labs. Following the Founders Technology Showcase, a networking reception and startup expo allowed participants to meet more companies and turn Illini pride into a connected community Saturday, October 19 The final day of Founders Week included an Illinois Football Tailgate at EnterpriseWorks preceding the Illinois football game against Michigan at 2:30 p.m. Find more event photography in <href=”https://researchpark.illinois.edu/image-gallery/founders-week-2024/”>this media gallery.

    Inaugural Founders Week at Research Park Celebrates Illinois Entrepreneurship  Read Post »

    Research Park, Social Events

    Founders Week 2024

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    Founders Week 2024 Research Park hosted its inaugural Founders Week celebration from October 17-19, 2024. This event celebrated our collective achievements in entrepreneurship, highlighting innovative ecosystems that foster groundbreaking ventures, empower countless entrepreneurs, and define the future of Illini Entrepreneurship. Participants included Illini Angels (alumni in angel investing and venture capital), angel groups, investors actively supporting startups in Illinois, entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders, faculty, and students interested in entrepreneurship.

    Founders Week 2024 Read Post »

    Research Park

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