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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Research Park

    Events News Research Park

    FAST Center at Illinois Announces SBIR/STTR Sprint for AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command)

    The FAST Center at Illinois, in collaboration with AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command), is running a SBIR/STTR sprint in order to enhance the number, quality, and diversity of applicants throughout the state of Illinois.  Through this four-week SBIR/STTR sprint, entrepreneurs/inventors/companies will learn what makes the AFWERX/SOFWERX process different as well as how to build a competitive proposal package. Teams will watch half hour lectures, work in collaborative workshops, and submit materials each week for review. The Department of Defense seeks small high technology firms with the R&D capabilities, internal and external, to deliver a technologically advanced solution for its expressed need. It is vitally important to understand this landscape before investing time and money to seek funding.  AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command) have revolutionized the way the DoD does business with startups and small business entities. Find the topics here. The workshops will be facilitated by Alex Gorsuch, who leads the FAST Center at Illinois. Teams with be contacted by Alex before the event to ensure it’s the right fit. Register for the workshops here: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsfuyvqzkvHdYElKF-uKu2rGJAUOPMhmms Workshop Dates (all are at 1:00pm Central):  Wednesday, 01/13: AFWERX/SOFWERX SBIR Overview and Checklist, Topic Selection Wednesday, 01/20: Customer Discovery Plan, Key Personnel, Principal Investigator Selection, Technical Objectives and Tasks Wednesday, 01/27: Budgeting, Letters of Support, Timeline and Deliverables Wednesday, 02/03: Commercialization Plan, Dual Use, Phase 2, Phase 3, Slide Deck Other Important Dates:  01/21: SBIR DoD 21.1 Applications Open 02/18: SBIR DoD 21.1 Applications Close For more information or questions, please contact Alex Gorsuch, Visiting Associate Director of Entrepreneurship, at Gorsuch4@Illinois.edu

    FAST Center at Illinois Announces SBIR/STTR Sprint for AFWERX (Air Force) and SOFWERX (Special Operations Command) Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates Investments News Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Network Perception Raises $2.7 Million Seed Round

    EnterpriseWorks graduate Network Perception, a Chicago-based provider of a software solution for cyber- compliance and network security in the electrical utility industry, announced this week it has raised $2.73 million in seed funding. The round was led by Champaign-based Serra Ventures, Okapi Ventures, and Energy Foundry, with participation from Early Light Ventures, SaaS Ventures, Illinois Ventures (the venture capital arm of the University of Illinois), and Service Provider Capital. Jeff Bocan from Okapi Venture and Rob Schultz from Serra Ventures joined the NP Board of Directors. “We are very excited to welcome Okapi as new investors. Having their financial and strategic support both validates the market opportunity for our business and fuels our momentum to grow as a company,” said Robin Berthier, CEO and co-founder of Network Perception. The company intends to use the funds to scale its activity in the electric utility sector and beyond. Founded in 2014, Network Perception supplies critical infrastructure industries with a pioneering risk visualization technology empowering their cybersecurity and compliance teams. Network Perception was based at EnterpriseWorks in the University of Illinois Research Park from its founding until it moved its headquarters to Chicago. The company’s technology is based on research originally developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Hear about the history and future of Network Perception in this Startup Cafe presentation by CEO and co-founder Robin Berthier from Oct. 29, 2020.

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Network Perception Raises $2.7 Million Seed Round Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Serionix creates performance face mask

    Serionix, an EnterpriseWorks graduate, created an athletic performance face mask with MERV-13 equivalent nanofiber inserts. These inserts are able to trap small particles, including viruses.  The masks are not only effective, but they’re specifically built for performance athletic use. The masks are comfortable, breathable, and it’s easier to project your voice compared to other masks. Seronix says they’ve received great feedback from multiple athletes ranging from skiers, sprinters, and strongman competitors. Serionix plans to integrate their Colorfil technology with their facemasks in the future. The Colorfil technology can quickly soak up toxic chemicals and filters odors. The masks also change color from vibrant pink to dull yellow to show when the filter expires. The Serionix team is also working with NASA to use its lightweight Colorfil technology on NASA’s spaceships and spacesuits. Serionix is now seeking city approval for a significant expansion in downtown Urbana in order to grow its engineering, assembly, and warehouse operations. Serionix has partnered with Body n’ Sole and Champaign Outdoors, so you can purchase a mask in store or online by visiting their website. Read the full article by WCIA here.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Research Park

    New oversight for FAST Partnership Program

    Alex Gorsuch has joined the EnterpriseWorks staff as a Visiting Associate Director for Entrepreneurship. In this position, he manages the US Small Business Administration Federal And State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program in Illinois. The FAST program funds training programs and workshops, individual mentoring, grant preparation assistance, and technical assistance to technology startups locally and across the state with the support of SBIR/STTR federal award programs. Since its founding in 2003, EnterpriseWorks has helped R&D focused startups and small businesses to receive 471 SBIR/STTR awards totaling over $154 million. The University of Illinois Research Park is one of the 24 recipients nationwide for the SBA FAST Grant. Learn more about the FAST Partnership program here. Gorsuch is no stranger to EnterpriseWorks, having served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and a part of the iCorps teaching team. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Gorsuch is a multidisciplinary engineer, serial entrepreneur, startup mentor. Currently, Alex is the VP of electrical and systems engineering at Pivotal Biotech, Chief Technology Officer at Ascent Integrated Tech and H-Trap One, Chief Executive Officer of MagPi Innovations, and mentor to numerous startups.

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    EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Aspiring Universe founder’s study Highlighted By Forbes

    Kaiyu Guan, founder of EnterpriseWorks startup Aspiring Universe, was a principal investigator to the University of Illinois report, Redefining drought in the US corn belt. This report was featured in a Forbes article.  Stating the climate is now trending warmer and drier, global food security is now increasingly dependent on crops’ ability to withstand droughts, and producers aren’t focused on the right metrics when measuring crop-relevant droughts.  Kaiyu Guan said, “Plants have to balance water supply and demand. Both are extremely critical, but people overlook the demand of the equation, especially in the U.S. Corn Belt. If you only consider rainfall and soil moisture, that’s mostly describing the supply side. Of course, if you have low soil moisture, plants will be stressed by how much water they get. However, the demand side from the atmosphere can also severely stress plants. We need to pay more attention to that drought signal.” Aspiring Universe (ASP) is a farming financial risk modeling company. ASP helps financial institutes, public agencies, and individual producers to quantify, manage, and reduce financial risks in the farming-related business.  They aim to monitor and model every crop field’s financial risks in the United States and worldwide. ASP has developed revolutionary approaches to rate historical and real-time financial risks for each crop field and each farmer, by integrating advancing technology in three domains: satellite/corp modeling, artificial intelligence, and agricultural finance modeling.

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Aspiring Universe founder’s study Highlighted By Forbes Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup EarthSense wins AURP 2020 Innovation Award

    https://youtu.be/HuejQac0t84?si=MUmKrE5mHaEkmtr- EnterpriseWorks startup EarthSense won the 2020 Innovation Award from the Association of University Research Parks.  Each year, the Innovation Award is awarded to a business located in a research park, science park or innovation district.  The award recognizes a company which has developed a product or service through a substantial technology breakthrough or has potential for a significant positive impact on the economic, health or welfare status of a broad spectrum of humanity. 2020 has been a busy year for EarthSense, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign spinout that integrates autonomous robotics, machine-learning, and management. Its first product, the TerraSentia robot, uses a number of sensors to collect data on crop health, as well as machine learning-based analytics to convert this data into actionable insights for farmers. In January, John Deere invited EarthSense to be a Startup Collaborator for 2020. The Startup Collaborator Program “enhances and deepens collaborative relationships with startup companies” whose technology could add value for John Deere customers.  In May, EarthSense was selected to be part of the cohort for the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2); selected companies share a focus on developing technologies that support the agricultural sector while reducing environmental impact. While its focus remains agtech, EarthSense has long recognized that its technologies could have wide-ranging impact and applications. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, EarthSense is working to adapt its autonomous robots for cleaning in hospitals and public spaces. By reducing the need for sanitary workers, EarthSense’s robotic cleaning units can help lower the community transmission rates of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. In June, this effort received “RAPID” funding from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to accelerate technology development in hopes of deploying these sanitization robots as soon as possible. “We felt driven to respond to this staggering crisis by accelerating our plan to create products beyond agriculture,” said Girish Chowdhary, co-founder and CTO of EarthSense, Director of the Distributed Autonomous Systems Laboratory, and Donald Biggar Willet Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “The world needs to mobilize all possible resources to help healthcare professionals treat the unprecedented spike in people needing critical medical care. Autonomously sanitizing high-touch surfaces without “baking the whole room” will significantly improve our ability to help control COVID-19,” said EarthSense co-founder and CEO Chinmay Soman. About EarthSense EarthSense was founded when University of Illinois engineering professor Girish Chowdhary and then postdoc Chinmay Soman partnered to apply their autonomous robotics research to agriculture. The company received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to develop its first robot in 2018 and moved into the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park to further advance its technology, where it remains today.  EarthSense received seed venture capital funding from Illinois Ventures, an early-stage technology investment firm focused on research-derived companies from the University of Illinois, which is co-located at EnterpriseWorks at the University of Illinois Research Park. The company leverages 3D printing and local manufacturing in Central IL to produce their robots and deploy the to large corporate agriculture customers around the world.

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    Community Events News Research Park

    Big Data Summit Goes Virtual

    Champaign, IL – The eighth annual Big Data Summit hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park is going virtual on Thursday, November 12. This year’s Summit will be focused on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. This interactive conference offers participants the opportunity to learn and share knowledge about key aspects of big data and its business applications through dynamic panels, networking opportunities, and inspiring presentations including a presentation from our keynote speaker Phil Hajduk, Vice President of R&D Information Research at Abbvie. Attendees will hear from industry experts including scientists from Corteva, Jarai Carter on AWS DeepRacer, Ken Taylor’s experience with All Covid Tests (ACT) Pipeline, SimBioSys’ Chief Scientific Officer John Cole, Amobee VP of Engineering Larry Lo, Ensaras President Nina Kshetry, and more. The Data Science User Group will be hosting a kick-off event for the Summit on Friday, November 6 from 12 to 1 pm. The aim of the user group is to build a community of interest around data science to foster learning, collaboration, and networking. Students, academics, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals are all invited to join this event. Following the event will be the Big Data Student Career Mixer from 4 to 5 pm. The Student Career Mixer is intended to bring together students with a common interest in big data and data analytics. It also allows students to connect with companies who have opportunities in big data. The agenda is available online here. The event will take place virtually through Zoom. Register online here. 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 researchpark5.wpenginepowered.com. Find the Research Park on Twitter at @UIResearchPark.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup PSYONIC wins Product of the Year at Fourth Revolution Awards

    EnterpriseWorks startup PSYONIC received the Fourth Revolution Awards’ Product of the Year honors during a virtual ceremony held Oct. 13. PSYONIC was also a finalist in the Rising Star of the Year category along with former EnterpriseWorks startup, Cast21. Former EnterpriseWorks student startup, Mesh++ was awarded Rising Star of the Year. The Fourth Revolution Awards celebrates regional manufacturing for its leadership and innovation as the industry stands on the brink of a new technological revolution. The ceremony culminates in the presentation of eight awards to deserving leaders, companies, and industrial initiatives that have made significant contributions to the Midwest region’s manufacturing ecosystem.  PSYONIC makes advanced bionic limbs that are accessible to all people with amputations. PSYONIC launched the Ability Hand (Patent Pending), its first product, in 2019 which was an advanced bionic hand that was the fastest on the market, easy to control, provided touch feedback, and was robust to impacts. Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, CEO and Founder, received his PhD in Neuroscience and MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Cast21 is introducing a medical cast for treating broken bones to increase patient comfort and decrease medical complications. This product is completely waterproof, and its open design allows enables doctors to see the break site and dress accompanying wounds. Ashley S. H. Moy, CEO and Founder, received her BS in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mesh++ brings WiFi everywhere, regardless of preexisting infrastructure. Their efficient routing protocol allows for small, solar-powered routers to support high-speed access without the need for electrical, ethernet, or physical supports. They hope to bring online resources to outdoor spaces around the world. Danny Gardner, CEO and Founder, received his BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcIB5_MhQck&feature=youtu.be&t=2075

    EnterpriseWorks Startup PSYONIC wins Product of the Year at Fourth Revolution Awards Read Post »

    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Verizon Accelerates 5G Research and Development with 5G Innovation Hub at University of Illinois Research Park

    CHAMPAIGN — Verizon Business continues to accelerate the development of real-world 5G use cases with the rollout of its latest 5G Innovation Hub at the University of Illinois Research Park. Students, startups and large corporations will now be able to develop and test 5G-enabled solutions at the Research Park’s headquarters.  The Research Park, a technology innovation hub for startups and corporate R&D operations, is home to more than 120 companies employing students and full-time tech professionals. It is located on campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service at the Innovation Hub will drive new research and development around using 5G for machine learning, IoT, robotics, artificial intelligence, guided vehicles, drones, manufacturing process automation, virtual reality, data analytics and more. “Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband’s super-fast speeds, increased bandwidth and low latency can enhance applications for industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing,” said Tami Erwin, EVP and CEO of Verizon Business. “The Research Park is an ideal location for our latest 5G Innovation Hub serving as an environment that cultivates startups, and inspires collaboration among various corporate partners and students to spur creativity and accelerate the innovation process.” “The importance of 5G innovation and its impact to our campus and private sector partners in the Research Park is immeasurable,” said Dr. Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “This will accelerate the ability of our Research Park corporate partners and startups to develop technology that will harness the potential from 5G’s capabilities. We are proud to have the first such innovation hub at a university research park or incubator, and believe it will enhance our technology community and campus as a whole.” This engagement is part of Verizon Business’ broader strategy to partner with enterprises, startups, universities, national labs, and government/military to explore how 5G can disrupt and transform nearly every industry. Verizon is building 5G Ultra Wideband right – 25 times faster than 4G LTE*, super-low latency, and massive bandwidth.  The network will support the technology innovations that will improve how we live, work, and play. Verizon operates six 5G Labs in the U.S. and one in London that specialize in developing uses cases in industries ranging from healthcare to public safety to entertainment.  In addition, Verizon is setting up 5G Innovation Hubs on premise for several customers as part of an ongoing initiative to partner on 5G-related use cases to help customers transform their industries. 5G Ultra Wideband is currently available in parts of 36 cities. Learn more about Verizon 5G technology here. View photos of the grand opening here. Watch the grand opening recap video here.

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Genective Named Finalist in Agrow Crop Science Awards

    Genective, an agtech company that opened its new global headquarters at Research Park in March, is a finalist for Agrow’s Crop Science Awards 2020 in the “best industry collaboration” category. Genective was nominated together with collaborator AgBiome.    The award winners will be announced on Nov. 4. Learn more about the awards on Chemical Week.

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