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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Synchrony Opens Emerging Technology Center at Research Park

    SYNCHRONY OPENS EMERGING TECH CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS TO DEVELOP ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS Champaign, Illinois (April 12, 2018) – The University of Illinois today announced that Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer financial services company, has opened the Synchrony Emerging Technology Center at the University of Illinois Research Park. The Emerging Technology Center will focus on advancing Synchrony’s finance and technology capabilities as well as providing real-world skills for students in artificial intelligence, data science, human-centered design and other emerging technologies. Current projects include ‘Ensemble Methods,’ exploring the potential applications of machine learning to credit risk modeling, and the ‘Machine Vision’ project, aimed at transforming the in-store shopping experience by removing the need for the traditional checkout process. “Developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to reshape entire industries. The key for the financial services and retail sectors now lies in understanding how to best harness these technologies to solve real-world problems and deliver better hyper personalized customer experiences,” said Greg Simpson, Chief Technology Officer and Artificial Intelligence leader at Synchrony. “By bringing together the sharpest minds from Synchrony and the University of Illinois, we now have the ability to accelerate the development of these artificial intelligence solutions while building our pipeline of technology talent.” The students in the program will work closely with Synchrony technology experts to commercialize solutions for the company’s partners. Projects can range across multiple disciplines, such as basic market and technology research, big data analytics, proof-of-concept creation, data visualization, and software development. Synchrony VP of Technology Ujjval Patel will recruit and train student talent for the Emerging Technology Center. The new partnership builds upon Synchrony’s existing relationships with other educational institutions and complements the company’s four global Innovation Stations. “Synchrony is developing the future of finance, and what better place than the University of Illinois where it can leverage our expertise in data sciences and computing,” said University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chancellor Robert J. Jones. “Synchrony’s brand of financial firepower presents interesting opportunities that will engage University of Illinois faculty and students alike.” Press: Business Wire About synchrony Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering customized financing programs across key industries including retail, health, auto, travel and home, along with award-winning consumer banking products. With more than $130 billion in sales financed and 74.5 million active accounts, Synchrony brings deep industry expertise, actionable data insights, innovative solutions and differentiated digital experiences to improve the success of every business we serve and the quality of each life we touch. More information can be found at www.synchronyfinancial.com and through Twitter: @Synchrony.

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    News Research Park

    Research Park Resources Benefit Increased Startup Activity in Illinois

    The Illinois Innovation Index, published by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, has been researching innovation activity since 2013 in order to determine the standing of technology startup entrepreneurship in Illinois. Among their overall findings of increased active startups, capital raised, and NSF I-Corps participation, the University of Illinois Research Park is mentioned throughout the Index in a diverse variety of areas. The EnterpriseWorks Incubator, our established entrepreneurial hub, as well as the new Illinois University Incubator, which is the product of a new Illinois grant, work to support startup activity in both Champaign-Urbana and across the state. Research Park is also a member of the I-Corps Midwest Node, a collaboration among Midwest universities that aims to provide additional resources to new entrepreneurs. Keeping with this theme of partnerships, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chicago are also collaborating on a new Hyde Park innovation facility, which would, “develop and commercialize groundbreaking technology.” Two Research Park EnterpriseWorks startups, Amber Agriculture and OceanComm, are spotlighted in the Index for their successful use of entrepreneurial resources. Both startups won prizes at the Cozad New Venture Competition, as well as participated in the NSF I-Corps program. Amber Agriculture received funding from IllinoisVENTURES, a venture capitalist firm that, “provides proof-of-concept funding as well as seed and venture capital for University of Illinois companies.” OceanComm has gained funding support from SBIR grants. The Research Park AWARE program is praised for taking on issues of underrepresentation of women and minorities in entrepreneurship. AWARE works directly with these underrepresented entrepreneurs to provide mentorship, entrepreneurs-in-residence, proof-of-concept grants, and events. To access the full Illinois Innovation Index, click here.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    2018 Innovation Celebration Winners Announced

    CHAMPAIGN, IL, March 30, 2018 – Over 300 people gathered at Parkland College for the 13th Annual Innovation Celebration on the evening of Thursday, March 29th to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, taken risks, and provided leadership to ensure the continuing economic success of Champaign County, the ongoing success of the University’s economic development mission, and the growth of entrepreneurial talent and energy in our community. Innovation Celebration is not merely an award for accomplishment, but a benchmark of success for those outstanding individuals, organizations and corporations who are nominated and selected to receive this prestigious award. Innovation Celebration is hosted by the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation in partnership with the University of Illinois, Parkland College, and community sponsors. For more information, visit www.innovationcelebration.com. Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture AwardServe as change agents by creating and implementing sustainable solutions to reshape society, benefit humanity, and address social concerns. Salt & Light  Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup AwardFormed by students in the last three years and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy. Mesh++: EnterpriseWorks startup  Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture AwardFormed in the last three years, and demonstrates a commitment to continuing success through entrepreneurial talent, creativity and energy. SNOOZ: EnterpriseWorks startup  Entrepreneurial Excellence: Paul Magelli Advocacy AwardActively engage, encourage, coach and mentor entrepreneurs in the community, and provide extensive support to help them achieve success. Stephanie LarsonCarly McCrory  Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management AwardDemonstrates expertise in assembling resources, creating an organization, and working to build and implement effective action plans. Cindy Somers – Spherion Staffing  Innovation: Economic Development Impact AwardHas made a significant economic development impact in the community and continues to demonstrate their commitment to Champaign County. Busey  2018 Innovation Transfer Award—University of IllinoisRecognizes an individual or group from the University of Illinois whose research has resulted in either a discovery or a work with the potential for significant societal impact. Dr. Donna Cox – Advanced Visualization Lab at National Center for Supercomputing Applications  2018 Alexis Wernsing Innovation Award—University of IllinoisRecognizes an individual or team from the University of Illinois that has channeled their experience living with a disability into positive change through the creation of new products, environments, or protocols that enhance quality of life. Mark McCarthy – Access Illinois  2018 Innovation in Engagement Award—Parkland CollegeRecognizes an individual or group at Parkland College who has shown support of the college’s community engagement mission. Adam Porter – Perimeter Road Sound Recordings    Press: Businesses, individuals feted at 13th annual Innovation Celebration – The News-Gazette 13th Annual Innovation Celebration held in Champaign – FOX 55/27 Illinois Here’s who won awards at this year’s Innovation Celebration – Smile Politely

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    EnterpriseWorks Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EarthSense Receives 2018 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize

    Champaign, IL — EarthSense, a company that develops ultracompact autonomous robots for crop breeders, agronomists, and growers, is the recipient of the second Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize. The award, generously funded by University of Illinois alumni and their families, rewards University of Illinois entrepreneurs focusing on agricultural innovations. Family members Penny DeYoung and Ed Moore presented the award to EarthSense during the Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit on Feb. 28 in Champaign. EarthSense provides herbicide-free superweed eradication using TerraSentia, an ultracompact autonomous robot. TerraSentia also delivers under-canopy plant health and trait information. In 2018, more than 25 TerraSentia robots are in paid trials. The team who developed the TerraSentia’s robotics and machine-vision technology includes CEO Chinmay Soman and CTO Girish Chowdhary, an assistant professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The company occupies a lab at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the Research Park. The Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund was established in 2016 with a generous gift to EnterpriseWorks. Its goal is to encourage startup companies engaged in development of new innovative technologies that may lead to increased productivity and/or efficiency in farming, or to create new agricultural opportunities, including new processes, new crops, and new food production systems. In addition to the prize given at the AgTech Innovation Summit, a second Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund award is at stake as part of the Cozad New Venture Competition, the university’s signature competition for student startups. It will be awarded in April. The award honors the legacy of Edwin E. Moore (1924), who graduated from the University of Illinois College of Agriculture and began farming in Will County. Throughout his agricultural career, he and wife, Iva, used innovative farming practices for both crop production and livestock management. Two of their four children became farmers, Edwin and Thomas (1953, College of Agriculture), and continued use of innovative farm practices. Subsequent generations of Edwin Moore’s family have continued to pursue farming and ag related careers capturing the same innovative spirit.

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    News Research Park

    Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit Returns to Champaign

    Experts at the intersection of agriculture and technology will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 28 during the third annual Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit hosted by the University of Illinois Research Park. The Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit provides attendees a look at cutting-edge trends and insights into this ever-evolving field. It features panelist from across the AgTech ecosystem, from innovators to academics, leading ag corporations to growers, investors and startups. Speakers include the founder of Amber Agriculture, named the top startup of the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) by Engadget. Panels include:– The Landscape of Investment in AgTech– Plan, Plant, Spray, Harvest, Till: Growers Talk Back– Disruptive AgTech Startups– IoT (Internet of Things) and the Future of Farming– Behind the Curtain: How Companies Evaluate Technology The complete agenda is available online HERE. Attendees also include AgTech startups from all over the Midwest, many of whom are participating in the Midwest I-Corps Node Industry Connect program. The event will take place at the I-Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. While full-day registration is closed, walk-ins will be accepted starting with the panel at 1:30 p.m. The AgTech Innovation Summit is programmed by the University of Illinois Research Park in partnership with the Office of Corporate Relations and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. It also has generous sponsorship from John Deere Technology Innovation Center. For more information, contact Laura Bleill, lwbleill@illinois.edu.

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    News Research Park

    Booming UI Research Park Running Into Potential Growing Pains

    If counted as a company, the Research Park is now the third largest employer in the county, falling just behind Carle Hospital and the University of Illinois, The News-Gazette reported in its Sunday edition. Employment at the park is up 17 percent since 2016, with more than 2,000 employees at the numerous companies the park is home to. “In the last five years, the Research Park grew at a faster clip than ever before with new building after new building,” said Research Park Director, Laura Frerichs. The Fox/Atkins Mixed Use building, which was just completed right before the new year in December, is already 75 percent full, with recent grand openings of Monsanto, Brunswick, and Synchrony Financial filling up the space, with more companies to join. Additionally, the Mixed Use buidling will be the first Research Park building to offer retail spaces. As the Research Park grows, organizers are looking to make the park more than just an office park, with restaurants and shopping available to do outside of work, which would provide food options right in the park to employees, such as University students who might not have a car. According to Frerichs, while the park doesn’t know who these retailers will be yet, there are local restaurants who are looking at the park as an additional location to serve their customers. The Research Park continues to expand so quickly, it is facing some growing pains. The feed mill, a University research facility, is located a block south from the I Hotel and Conference Center, which is not an ideal location for the expanding park. However, Research Park developer, Peter Fox, has hired an engineering consultant to begin working on a plan that would build a new feed mill, to be located near Curtis Road and Race Street in Urbana. Read this full story at the News-Gazette.

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Monsanto Opens Innovation Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Champaign, Illinois (February 1, 2018) – The University of Illinois today announced that Monsanto (NYSE: MON), a global agriculture company headquartered in St. Louis, and The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto, have opened the Monsanto Innovation Center at the University of Illinois Research Park. When fully staffed, the Monsanto Innovation Center will employ more than two dozen students who will enhance and augment a robust agricultural innovation portfolio with additional enabling capabilities like IT, data science and engineering. Students will focus on cutting-edge, real-world, social, scientific challenges in areas like advanced analytics, operations research, phenomics, genomics, plant science and precision breeding technologies. The center will employ students who are studying disciplines such as electrical engineering, UX design, mechanical engineering, software engineering and imaging sensor science. The Center will use digital tools and data to drive agricultural innovations which increase efficiency and reduce the amount of water, land, and energy necessary to meet the world’s food, fuel and fiber needs. “At Monsanto, we are a company built on innovation. We believe connecting new talent and ideas accelerates the discovery needed to feed and sustain our world,” said Mike Graham, vice president of Global Plant Breeding. “The Monsanto Innovation Center will cultivate future scientists who have the opportunity to shape how data science is applied to modern agriculture.” “Continued advancement of research and educational programs at leading universities is essential to the future success of modern agriculture. Additionally, it’s critical we support the training and development of the next generation so they can apply their education and implement new technologies to help solve agricultural challenges,” said Sam Eathington, chief science officer at The Climate Corporation. “It’s for this reason we have invested in the new innovation center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to help deliver on this promise.” The Center has hired both graduate and undergraduate students from across campus, representing at least four different colleges and multiple disciplines. It is focused on fostering a collaborative, entrepreneurial and solution-based framework where students will engage with innovative projects designed to help facilitate professional development. “The Monsanto Innovation Center at Research Park represents the next frontier of a relationship that spans decades,” said University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chancellor Robert J. Jones. “Tapping into the talent base of our students is a win-win. For them, getting to address some of the complex problems facing society is part of the fabric of what it means to get an Illinois education.” The Center opens with seven highly-skilled student interns. It will continue to recruit top University talent to fill roles as additional projects come to fruition. “Monsanto and the University of Illinois have deep ties thanks to a long-lasting, strong relationship. We anticipate that will only continue thanks to this unique opportunity to grow a footprint directly on campus in the Research Park,” said Blake Giles, site director of the new Monsanto Innovation Center.About Monsanto Company Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo. About The Climate Corporation The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, aims to help all the world’s farmers sustainably increase their productivity through the use of digital tools. The integrated Climate FieldView™ digital agriculture platform provides farmers with a comprehensive, connected suite of digital tools. Bringing together seamless field data collection, advanced agronomic modeling and local weather monitoring into simple mobile and web software solutions, the Climate FieldView platform gives farmers a deeper understanding of their fields so they can make more informed operating decisions to optimize yields, maximize efficiency and reduce risk. For more information, please visit www.climate.com and follow the company on Twitter @climatecorp. Read about the Monsanto Grand Opening In the Press: Feedstuffs The Daily Illini AgDaily News Business Wire Watch a video of the Ribbon Cutting 

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    Events News Research Park

    Brunswick Officially Opens Illini Joint Explorations in Technology Lab

    Brunswick is first company to move into Research Park’s new Mixed Use Building at 1904 S. First Street, Champaign Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) recently celebrated the grand opening of new quarters for what has been known as the Brunswick Innovation Laboratory in Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. But with its new building, the lab also now has a new name – the Brunswick I-JET Lab. Inspired by the students and the staff who work there, the facility’s new name incorporates the acronym for Brunswick Illini – Joint Explorations in Technology lab. The new name fits with the changing times and the Company’s evolving business model, explained Brunswick Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Schwabero, who led a contingent of the firm’s top executives who attended the event. “Brunswick will mark its 175th year in business in 2020,” Schwabero noted.  “You don’t stay in business that long without being innovative, agile and resilient.  Technology and innovation have always been important to us, and never more so than today as we see consumers desiring even more in the way of features and connectivity in both marine and fitness.” “It also is fitting that ‘Illini’ has a prominent position in our facility’s new name,” explained Brunswick Chief Technology Officer David Foulkes.  “Obviously, the close ties to the University of Illinois, with its resources, staff and gifted students, are truly unique. These strengths, along with those of other companies within the park, offer an atmosphere conducive to collaboration and learning. “Further, the ‘JET’ portion of the name aptly describes the urgency and energy with which those at the Brunswick I-JET Lab approach their duties and responsibilities,” Foulkes said. Foulkes pointed out that research and development is a continuous effort throughout Brunswick to drive innovation.  These efforts have been solidly productive as the Company continues to outpace its competition in the introduction of new products to market as well as securing patents on its technologies and features.  In 2016, Brunswick ranked among the top 25 Illinois-based companies in securing patents. The Brunswick I-JET Lab works closely with Brunswick corporate and divisional resources to further accelerate Brunswick’s progress in areas of high interest, including the Internet of Things, advanced analytics, and a range of human-machine interaction and enhanced user-experience technologies. More than 100 companies, including industry leaders such as Abbott, John Deere and Yahoo, have facilities within the 200-acre research park, which is adjacent to the university’s campus. “It feels good to have a place to call home,” Schwabero concluded.  “Our name is on the building and on the door, but what truly excites us is the work that is being done inside by the talented and dedicated researchers and students.” The newly constructed building is at 1904 South First Street.   Beginning last April, the Brunswick I-JET Lab had occupied temporary quarters. Brunswick is the first company in the Research Park’s new growth facility to mark such an event. (SOURCE: BRUNSWICK)

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