Research Park

This week, BAYER brought its fun and educational science-themed mobile escape room to Research Park. “Breaking Through Impossible – The Escape Game” is an agriculture-themed game that revolves around rescuing a biotech breakthrough. It is completed by solving puzzles and deciphering clues through collaborating with a team. It was open from April 23 through April 25, 2024, and was free for participants. “Previous stops have been events like SXSW and in cities such as Austin, San Francisco, Berlin, Boston, and New York, so we are thrilled to welcome this unique interactive escape room to Champaign,” said Laura Appenzeller, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park. “While it’s open to people of all ages, high school and college students are particularly encouraged to participate.” The escape room was located directly outside Bayer’s Innovation Center at1904 S. First Street, next to the I-Hotel and Illinois Conference Center, in a bright blue shipping container. Teams of up to six people experienced the escape room, working together to solve a puzzle that took around 30 minutes to complete Find more information about the escape room on the Leaps by Bayer website or read WCIA News’ event coverage.

The Research Park is now home to a new address for growth-stage life sciences startups. The University marked the opening of LabWorks and its first tenant, a graduate from the EnterpriseWorks incubator, at a celebration and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, April 9. LabWorks offers turn-key wet lab and office suites for growth-stage startup companies in Research Park, enabling startups to establish roots and continue growing in the Champaign-Urbana community. “Things like this help this university stay relevant,” said Kim Kidwell, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives. Kidwell emphasized LabWorks’ key role in bridging the gap and enabling startups to get on the ground after their time in EnterpriseWorks. In 2021, the Research Park was awarded $550,000 funding through the Rebuild Illinois Wet Lab Capital Program (via the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) to create turn-key lab spaces for growth-stage agriculture and life science companies, and shorter-term leasing to industry partners/collaborators. In addition to the state’s contribution, LabWorks is a partnership between the University of Illinois Research Park and building landlord GRE UIRP LLC. In November 2023, the Champaign City Council approved a $100,000 investment in LabWorks, providing resources to bring the project to completion. “We have done what many communities are trying to duplicate. But the heart is here, with the heart of the state, with the heart of the region, and because of this kind of innovative work, will be the heart of the nation,” said Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons. Epivara is the first company to relocate into LabWorks. Founded by College of Veterinary Medicine Professor Jay Ko, the move to LabWorks signifies Epivara’s growth plans following its graduation from EnterpriseWorks. Wilson acknowledged the milestone of Epivara’s graduation from the EnterpriseWorks incubator into a location that will facilitate additional growth as an important accomplishment for the Champaign-Urbana community. “If we want companies like Epivara to remain in our community, in our region, and in our state, we have to continue to invest in the facilities they need at every stage of their growth, said Gerald O. Wilson, PhD, MBA, director of entrepreneurship. “Representing the culmination of a partnership between the University of Illinois Research Park, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and City of Champaign, LabWorks is a symbol of an understanding that these kinds of investments are an imperative in our economic development efforts at the university, municipality, and state-wide levels.” Learn more about the LabWorks ribbon cutting and Epivara grand opening in a recent News-Gazette article. About Epivara Founded in 2016 by Dr. Jay Ko of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine, Epivara is innovating better ways that pets are spayed and neutered worldwide. Epivara’s mission is to make life better for animals and humans through innovative science and compassionate care. The company has developed EpiFix, a low-cost injection to spay and neuter pets efficiently. Currently, this is the only alternative to spay and neuter surgery that works safely and permanently within seconds. Learn more at epivara.com. About LabWorks LabWorks provides affordable turn-key life science laboratory/office suites for growth-stage life science and agriculture companies in the Research Park. The $1.3 million build out was completed thanks to resources from the Rebuild Illinois Wet Lab Capital Program; the City of Champaign; the University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers LLC; and landlord GRE UIRP LLC. See more pictures of the LabWorks space on the Research Park website.