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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Research Park

    Internships Media Mentions News Research Park

    Crain’s Chicago Business Shows How Cat and Deere Leverage UIUC, Research Park for Talent

    At the University of Illinois Research Park, it’s said (a bit tongue-in-cheek) that companies there receive every unfair recruiting advantage possible when it comes to access to the strong tech talent at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. John Pletz of Crain’s Chicago Business explores how this ecosystem is delivering computing talent to two Research Park companies, Caterpillar and John Deere. The premise? That a corporate presence in both Chicago and Champaign is keeping talent in the state. “Caterpillar and Deere are setting foot on campus more often and making jobs more appealing by setting up shop in Chicago. As a result, they’re having more success in meeting their own hiring needs while giving students with high-demand skills more reasons to stay in Illinois instead of leaving for the coasts,” Pletz writes. Companies are also going beyond the traditional mechanisms to engage with students, campus colleagues told Pletz. “While traditional recruiting strategies—such as attending career fairs or participating in hackathons—are great for keeping brands in front of the broad CS audience, we have noticed companies are also adding much more targeted activities to their recruiting arsenal,” says Cynthia Coleman, director of external relations for U of I’s computer-science department. Read the entire Crain’s Chicago Business story about Deere and Cat online HERE (access may be restricted by a paywall).

    Crain’s Chicago Business Shows How Cat and Deere Leverage UIUC, Research Park for Talent Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks News Research Park

    Immigration Specialist Matt Meltzer Joins EnterpriseWorks EIR Team

    Matt Meltzer, an immigration attorney and partner in Chicago-based Meltzer Hellrung, has joined the EnterpriseWorks Entrepreneur-in-Residence program. Meltzer is now available to meet with technology entrepreneurs and startup ventures. “As an entrepreneur, I deeply enjoy working with fellow entrepreneurs. The US immigration pathways for entrepreneurs are never easy; but with solid planning and creativity, we can work towards making a path possible,” Meltzer said. Meltzer is no stranger to the EnterpriseWorks and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign entrepreneurship community. He has led workshops and delivered lectures on topics related to employment authorization and immigration pathways for entrepreneurs. View a previous webinar below. The EIR allows entrepreneurs to seek help from experienced and successful members from the EIR over a variety of topics including business consulting, strategy assistance, marketing and communication help, investor preparedness. This program also hosts a series of events featuring the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. To learn more about the Entrepreneur-in-Residence program or request to meet with Meltzer, click here. BIOGRAPHY: Matt co-founded Meltzer Hellrung in 2014 with his business partner, Matthew Hellrung. Their vision was to combine exceptional, strategic, and programmatic legal guidance with best-in-class technology to provide a service that makes immigration management easier for companies and more transparent, intuitive, and reassuring for foreign national employees. In addition, Matt continues to strive to build a workplace that treats employees with dignity and invests in their long-term success. Matt’s clients range from entrepreneurs to small and growth-phase companies to multinational corporations. In his practice, he has built up a specialty working with emerging companies, including entrepreneurs, foreign companies entering the US market, and high-growth venture backed companies. Matt works closely with clients to help them assess immediate legal needs and build strategies that scale with continued growth. Matt advises companies regarding employee hiring and I-9 compliance, immigration policy, reorganizations and mergers, global immigration and expansion, and government inspections. View his complete bio here.

    Immigration Specialist Matt Meltzer Joins EnterpriseWorks EIR Team Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Chicagoland Billboard Campaign Features EnterpriseWorks Startups

    A marketing campaign presented by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hitting billboards across Chicagoland features several startups at EnterpriseWorks and Research Park. Those include: Network Perception: Now located in Chicago, Network Perception incubated at EnterpriseWorks. It has multiple UIUC faculty co-founders and its CEO is a former staff member. Prenonis: Now located in Chicago, Prenonis also incubated at EnterpriseWorks and has faculty co-founders. Tiesta Tea: This Chicago success story also got its start at EnterpriseWorks, where it was co-founded by one student from UIUC and one student from University of Illinois-Chicago. Ocient: in its early stages, Chicago-based Ocient opened an office at EnterpriseWorks.

    Chicagoland Billboard Campaign Features EnterpriseWorks Startups Read Post »

    Features Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    New Podcast: Finding Success as a Research Park Intern

    The most recent episode of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast features interviews with two of the winners of the 2022 Research Park intern awards.  Tune in to hear from David An and Natalie Xiong, two winners of this year’s annual intern award program. They discuss their perceptions of RP, memorable moments, skills gained, and advice for students listening who are curious about what Research Park has to offer. An was a data science intern at Ameren when he won the “Outstanding Undergraduate” award. Xiong, who won the “Outstanding Graduate Student” award, continues working at Riverbed, where she is a Data Science intern. Listen to the conversation that host Tanmay Shaw had with David and Natalie in to the latest edition of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast. To listen to the podcast, visit Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts. 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? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    HabiTerre Awarded $75,000 Arch Grants Prize

    EnterpriseWorks startup HabiTerre has won $75,000 in the Arch Grants startup competition. HabiTerre monitors, measures, and analyzes global and local resource levels and provide actionable insights for optimal management of land and water. It was founded at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Arch Grants is a St. Louis nonprofit that annually awards $75,000 equity-free grants to startups. It awarded 23 companies in 2022.  Co-founder Dr. Kaiyu Guan, CEO Nick Reinke, Senior Modeling Scientist Bin Ping and Chief Engineer Yizhi Huang represented HabiTerre at the Arch Grants gala on Friday, Nov. 18. As part of the Arch Grants award, each company will commit to operating their business from St. Louis for at least one year; HabiTerre plans to continue its presence at EnterpirseWorks.

    HabiTerre Awarded $75,000 Arch Grants Prize Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Identomat Named Top Startup at GITI 2022

    EnterpriseWorks cybersecurity startup Identomat was recognized as the top IT startup at the Georgian IT Innovations Conference earlier this month. Identomat has built an AI-powered Know Your Customer and identity verification for traditional & Blockchain spaces. GITI is an annual event held in Tlibisi, Georgia which focuses on digital transformation, GovTech, FinTech, Information, and Cybersecurity. It has become a flagship event  in the Central and East Europe, Baltic States, Caucasus, and Middle Asia region. More than 500 participants from over 20 countries attend. Identomat was founded in Georgia. Its US headquarters is located in Champaign at the EnterpriseWorks incubator. Find out more information about Identomat here.

    Identomat Named Top Startup at GITI 2022 Read Post »

    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    State of Illinois Announces SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Program Details

    The State of Illinois has announced plans to actualize a $5 million grant match program for businesses that have received federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The program was launched by Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) on Thursday, Nov. 17. The State of Illinois is currently accepting applications from businesses who have received a Phase I federal SBIR/STTR grant award. Eligible applicants can apply to receive up to $50,000 in matching grants, with the option to re-apply and receive up to five awards for each federal Phase I award received (one per fiscal year). Awards are non-competitive and will be granted on a first-come-first-serve and rolling basis. Interested companies can learn more about eligibility, restrictions, application process, award process, and reporting requirements here. A DCEO webinar about the program will  on December 7, 2022 at 12:30 PM. Details about how to access the webinar are provided online here. “The SBIR program is an ideal source of seed funding to innovative research at technology startup companies, especially those emerging from the strong research universities and federal labs in Illinois. The FAST Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides free assistance to entrepreneurs across Illinois to learn about funding opportunities and provide support for companies to write their proposals and form their operational plans to successfully meet their criteria of the awarding federal agencies,” said Laura Appenzeller, Executive Director of the University of Illinois Research Park. Illinois currently has more than 100 SBIR/STTR federal recipients who may be eligible for a state matching grant of up to $50,000 per project. The state-funded SBIR/STTR Matching Grant Program is designed to further increase capital for SBIR/STTR recipients in Illinois – stimulating high-tech innovation and commercialization for Illinois small businesses that are conducting cutting-edge research. “Illinois is known for our innovative spirit and leadership in emerging technologies,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This matching grant program will help spur innovation by providing Illinois small businesses with more capital for critical research and development efforts.” Federal SBIR & STTR programs provide grants for research and development (R&D) to small businesses to encourage private sector innovation in emerging technologies. R&D represents a critical business expense that can be costly and presents a potential risk for small businesses that don’t have large sums of capital. By providing grants that support R&D, these programs encourage innovation in emerging technologies that could benefit the federal government as well as the commercial marketplace. The full press release dated November 17, 2022 from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity may be viewed online here. 

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    Community Features News Research Park

    Illinois AgTech Accelerator Director Jack Marck on Latest Research park Podcast

    The most recent episode of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast features Jack Marck, the Managing Director of the Champaign-based Illinois AgTech Accelerator. Host Tanmay Shaw discusses the benefits that the Accelerator offers agtech companies that are in the ideation stage. The Illinois AgTech Accelerator is unique in its approach because of how tailored the program is to the individual needs of startup companies selected for the program. The Accelerator focuses on fewer companies than other programs so that it can prioritize their specific issues, provide funding and help them develop an effective strategy to move forward. (Read more about the latest accelerator cohort here.) The episode also delves into the origins of the program and how Champaign was considered to be a prime spot to build an accelerator. Marck emphasizes how Champaign is unique in the collection of all the great ag-focused resources that it has to offer. University of Illinois’ strength in STEM and agriculture makes it a perfect place to recruit bright minds that can bolster innovation in the sector. “The confluence of natural resources, what the University has built over the last several hundred years…you start keeping a tally of all this, [Champaign] really is in a class by itself,” said Marck when reflecting on all the assets the community brings to the Accelerator. Marck also talks about success stories in the AgTech Accelerator and how going globally has been a great experience because of its ability to make a tangible impact on other communities that are also focused on AgTech initiatives. With a food crisis on the horizon, Marck says that innovation in this sector is critical to survival and it is inevitable as well as essential that changes are made. To listen to the podcast, visit Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts. 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? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

    Illinois AgTech Accelerator Director Jack Marck on Latest Research park Podcast Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    SimBioSys Awarded $2M Phase II NCI SBIR Contract

    SimBioSys®, the precision medicine company behind TumorScope®, the 4D tumor modeling platform for treatment planning, announced today it has been awarded a $2M Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. SimBioSys is a startup based at EnterpriseWorks, the incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign. Heterogeneity among cancers and differences within individual tumors continue to challenge the efforts to develop effective therapies and design clinical trials. Therefore, SimBioSys’ goal with PhenoScope™ is to provide a cutting-edge extension of their TumorScope platform to capture tumor heterogeneity and develop the next generation of multi-modal biomarkers to support cancer research in academia and biopharma. “It’s an exciting time in cancer research due to the explosion of cancer phenotyping datasets, yet the computational complexity of analyzing and connecting such data across scales is hindering progress,” said Dr. Joseph Peterson, CTO of SimBioSys. “PhenoScope builds on our strong 4D tumor modeling fundamentals to further support our collaborators and researchers at earlier stages of the cancer care industry.” PhenoScope integrates data from multiple biological scales including genomic, cellular/pathway, microscopic tissue environment, and organ scales with clinical outcomes data. This multi-scale interconnection will enable study of diverse biological characteristics that affect tumor phenotype, from mutations and response to drugs and spatial heterogeneity. The technology combines state-of-the-art machine learning, dimensionality reduction techniques, novel spatio-temporal simulation algorithms, and supports numerous public data repositories. Platform users will have new means of assessing factors contributing to a cancer’s phenotypical behavior, thereby allowing elucidation of new pharmacodynamic, prognostic, predictive, and surrogate biomarkers. “It’s fascinating how PhenoScope connects complex cancer datasets and allows the visualization of such data in a 4D manner,” said Tricia Carrigan, SVP of precision medicine at SimBioSys. “We now have a tool that enables us to determine drug dosing and biomarker relationships more precisely before ever dosing a patient, which will play an important role in drug development.” The company successfully completed a Phase I contract in 2021 centered around the development of the prototype cloud- and web-based version of PhenoScope. During the Phase II contract, SimBioSys will expand access to PhenoScope and novel datasets to a broader user base.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Hypercell Technologies Selected as Standout Startup for FoodBytes! Program

    Hypercell Technologies, an EnterpriseWorks startup developing technologies to control infectious disease in production animals that can put human health at risk, was selected as one of the 45  outstanding startups in the Rabobank’s FoodBytes! food and innovation platform. “The 45 startups selected to participate in the FoodBytes! by Rabobank ag and innovation program in 2022 provide a neat snapshot into trending topics in food and agriculture, from personalized nutrition and upcycling to robotics and farm biologics,” wrote Food Navigator USA. Rabobank’s FoodBytes! is a platform that discovers the best and brightest emerging companies that are addressing the world’s biggest food challenges. The program manages to bring together the most promising startups, corporations and investors to create more sustainable solutions for the agricultural industry. Hypercell is developing molecular diagnostics and biotherapeutic treatments  to reduce the risk of another pandemic. Hypercell was selected for the FoodBytes! Program for its innovative way of developing technology that optimizes farming production decisions. The 45 startups are selected based on a variety of themes and criteria including meeting new consumer demands, developing technologies that optimize food production decisions and reimagining workplace conditions and operations.  The chosen companies participated in programming with access to industry executives, mentorship and relationship building with potential corporate partners and investors.

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