Technology Transfer and
Economic Development
Full Report of Outcomes
September 2005
(Supporting data for UNI’s Report to the
Board of Regents)
University of Northern Iowa Technology Transfer and Economic Development Full Report of Outcomes Introduction The following sections represent UNI’s supporting data and a full listing of actions toward accomplishing the objectives outlined in the Technology Transfer and Economic Development Plan. UNI’s outreach programs strive to target technical assistance in areas of academic strengths, thus positively differentiating our technical assistance programs from other outreach programs in Iowa. Emphasis is placed on providing hands­on assistance to businesses and communities to meet the individual needs of each client. Through this approach we can best provide an outstanding return on investment to our state, benefiting, in very practical ways, students, faculty, businesses, communities and Iowa as a whole. This detailed portion of UNI’s technology transfer and economic development annual report is organized around UNI’s strategic plan. Outreach programs focus on five of the eight UNI goals in three primary categories: 1) business and community outreach services, 2) external relations and resources and 3) intellectual vitality. The following report summarizes specific actions taken in these three goal areas. While the list of actions does not include all the initiatives and projects pursued by our outreach programs, it provides excellent practical examples of our technology transfer and economic development results this past year. At the University of Northern Iowa, we are committed to improving the communities who entrust their students to us and to enhancing the economic well being of Iowa’s current and future citizens. This report reflects the collective actions taken by outreach programs to effectively solve problems of businesses and communities while actively integrating students and faculty into our economic development services.
KEY TO ACRONYMS USED IN THIS REPORT ABIL – Ag­Based Industrial Lubricants Research Program www.uni.edu/abil JPEC – John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center www.jpec.org BCS – Business and Community Services www.bcs.uni.edu MCC – Metal Casting Center www.mcc.uni.edu CEEE – Center for Energy and Environmental Education www.uni.edu/ceee MPDC – Management and Professional Development Center www.bcs.uni.edu/mpdc GeoTREE ­ Geoinformatics Training, Research, Education and Extension Center MIS – Materials Innovation Services www.rrttc.uni.edu/rrttc/mts IDM – Institute for Decision Making www.bcs.uni.edu/idm NRVC – Native Roadside Vegetation Center www.uni.edu/irvm/web/index.html IPC – Intellectual Property Committee www.grad.uni.edu/ip RRTTC – Recycling, Reuse, Technology Transfer Center www.uni.edu/rrttc ICILI – Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration www.bcs.uni.edu/idm/icili RBC­ Regional Business Center www.unirbc.org or www.myentre.net IRVM – Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management SBDC – Small Business Development Center www.unirbc.org or www.myentre.net IWRC – Iowa Waste Reduction Center www.iwrc.org SMS – Strategic Marketing Services www.sms.uni.edu STEP – Sustainable Tourism and Environment Program www.uni.edu/coe/hpel
2 Actions Toward UNI’s Technical Transfer and Economic Development Plan Goal Area 1: BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES: Expand the involvement of the University in addressing critical local, state, national and global needs that enrich the educational experiences offered by the University (Supports UNI Goal 3.0). Objective 1.1: Provide opportunities for faculty and students to identify and respond to the needs of communities and businesses through professional service, applied research and entrepreneurial activities. Benchmarks: Number of faculty and students participating in outreach services. Number of projects conducted by BCS programs involving active participation of faculty or students. Cumulative Outcome: Approximately 80 BCS outreach projects involved the active participation of 120 faculty members and more than 1,192 students. Action 1: Faculty participation in economic development projects UNI outreach programs actively engaged 120 faculty members from the following departments in projects for business and community clients across Iowa: chemistry, physics, earth sciences, accounting, marketing, economics, mathematics, geography, public policy, anthropology, sociology, community health, biology, business management, management information systems, industrial technology, environmental health and environmental science. RRTTC provided support for seven faculty members from the departments of Chemistry, Biology, CEEE, HPELS and Industrial Technology assisting their research and economic development projects. Action 2: Active student participation Students actively apply classroom learning to special projects for businesses, local government, community organizations and service agencies. UNI’s BCS programs also provided a connection to dozens of classroom projects, special research projects and case studies for businesses and communities. More than 890 students participated in classroom projects, which directly assisted 56 BCS clients. An additional 302 students were actively involved in special research projects and internships for businesses and communities. A core component of the RRTTC’s mission is to support students through interactive experiences outside of the traditional classroom. This year, 18 students were actively involved in RRTTC programs as research interns. Student majors include Biology, Health, Chemistry, Marketing, Environmental Science and Education. Action 3: Student chapter societies The Metal Casting Center personnel work closely with several student chapter societies by providing technical assistance and solicitation of material donations for fundraising activities.
2 The student chapters representing national technical societies include the American Foundry Society (AFS) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Funds secured in the projects permit students to attend regional and national conferences, allowing students to interact with leading professionals in the manufacturing and business community. Action 4: Applied research and student experiential learning examples Experiential learning projects were provided to approximately 300 students in the past year. Some of the internships and experiences were provided in the following professional areas: geographic information systems, management information systems, database development, industrial technology, community economic development, market research, Visual Basic, foundry processes, analytical instrumentation, statistical analysis, industrial technology, materials testing, water quality, environmental health, immigration issues and others. The CIPCO Business Enhancement Scholarship Fund provided cost­sharing opportunities for two participating businesses. Two student interns were placed in two small, entrepreneurial firms. MBA graduate students helped evaluate a current JPEC client to help improve business efficiency and profitability. Action 4: Applied research and student experiential learning examples The MCC employed two part­time undergraduate students and two part­time graduate students to perform and manage research and industrial projects for local and national companies, including companies not directly related to the metal casting industry. Through classroom activities and student association activities over 10 students participated in advanced metal casting projects utilizing the laboratory facilities and staff from the center. Since inception, the IWRC has provided 164 students with experiential learning opportunities and added 13 additional students this year. When seeking prospective students, IWRC staff look beyond the realm of environmental science and expand into all of the colleges within the university. Its students have represented a broad array of disciplines including economics, management information systems, public relations, industrial technology, physics, biology, environmental studies, general studies, accounting, environmental planning, communications, geography and chemistry. These students are exposed to hands­on training and cutting­edge technologies, and have been highly successful in securing well­paid positions due to their work experience at IWRC. The RRTTC provided experiential learning opportunities to 18 students in the past year. Topic areas included: chemistry, industrial technology, materials testing, water quality, environmental education, and community outreach. These learning opportunities have been described by many interns as highlights of their academic careers. Action 5: Market Research and Consulting Certificate Program An excellent example of extensive experiential learning is the Market Research and Consulting Certificate Program provided by Strategic Marketing Services. Enrolled students dedicate more than 600 hours of professional service to market research projects for private sector companies. In addition, the students participate in an advanced market research curriculum. Eighteen students participated in this program during FY 2005.
3 Action 6: Student entrepreneurship fostered The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) supported five students starting new businesses this past year. Additional student entrepreneurs received one­on­one counseling, as well as assistance with business plan preparation and market research. Planning and Growing a Business Venture, an academic class worth two credit­hours for business and non­business majors, was taught by JPEC staff in the Spring of 2005. Fifteen students participated in the class and wrote feasibility studies for their business ideas. The JPEC set up temporary incubator space to serve three students during the Spring of 2005. One student was able to launch his business and leave the incubator space. The temporary space will be available for student use until the first phase of the new Business and Community Services Building is complete. Eighty­seven students attended a variety of free workshops designed specifically for the entrepreneur. Workshops included: Business Plan Writing, Improve Your Business Writing, How To Start a Small Business, Networking, Business Idea Generation, Accounting for the Small Business, Intellectual Property, and Small Business Marketing. Action 7: Applied learning opportunities through NRVC Native Roadside Vegetation Center student employees and students in applied courses taught by NRVC faculty and staff develop techniques and skills such as seed and seedling planting, seed harvesting and cleaning, specialized equipment operation, fire management and natural areas management that enable them to contribute immediately in the job market.
4 Objective 1.2: Assist companies and communities to adapt to and prosper in the changing economy of Iowa and the nation through:
· Market research and analysis;
· Innovative educational and technical assistance related to energy, the environment and environmentally sound practices;
· Hands­on community and economic development guidance;
· Research and promotion of agriculturally­based lubricants;
· Metal castings and foundry technical assistance;
· Guidance and direction to businesses and communities as they welcome immigrants and refugee populations;
· Promote and provide information and expertise related to native roadside vegetation on new highway development and existing roads;
· Local foods and institutional food services. Benchmark: Number of business and community clients served and the geographic coverage of UNI’s outreach services. Cumulative outcome: BCS outreach programs have assisted more than 3,550 businesses and 468 communities in all 99 counties in Iowa. Market research and analysis Action 1: Market research assistance for existing business and industry Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) assisted 21 companies with 55 projects in marketplace intelligence and analysis. Some of the strategies employed by SMS include competitive intelligence, market definition and attractiveness, customer satisfaction and loyalty, market positioning and outlining specific growth strategies. Action 2: Assisting entrepreneurs The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) provided market research and analysis to small businesses and fledgling entrepreneurs across Iowa. Approximately 67 JPEC clients required market research and analysis, which was used in the development of business plans and feasibility studies. Fifteen clients were students involved in an academic course taught by JPEC staff designed to help students write a feasibility study. The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center manages and administers the Cedar Valley Venture Fund and the Wellmark Community Ventures Fund. Both funds provide financial investment into Iowa small businesses. Business Plans are gathered and analyzed initially by JPEC staff. The Cedar Valley Venture Fund made three new investments this year and one follow­on investment. Action 3: Internet­driven market research The RBC offered four market research workshops in Decorah, Waukon, Cresco and Waterloo respectively, serving 86 businesses. Of the 14 chats hosted online at www.myentre.net, two were offered on market research. Presenters for the online chats included the state director of the Iowa SBDC system and a senior partner at a Midwestern marketing firm.
5 Innovative educational and technical assistance related to energy, the environment and environmentally sound practices Action 4: Student/faculty interdisciplinary research on water quality in Iowa lakes The CEEE secured support from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, and NASA to fund 19 undergraduate students and 10 faculty members in the summer of 2004 to continue the sixth summer of the Iowa Summer Lakes Study. This program conducted research on polluted lakes and wetlands in Black Hawk, Tama and Delaware counties. In collaboration with UNI’s Geography Department, students were introduced to state­of­the­art technology on hyperspectral remote sensing in 2004, and the research was continued and expanded in FY 2005. This component seeks to explore whether the combination of hyperspectral remote sensing, ground based field spectrometry, Geographic Information System (GIS), and water sampling and analysis can simplify and accelerate the protocol for assessing water quality with an acceptable degree of accuracy for Casey Lake and Silver Lake. Success in this goal strives to fulfill a vital need in the state for cost­effective and rapid monitoring of water quality of lakes in Iowa. The program has offered more than 70 undergraduates unique research experiences on a multidisciplinary environmental research team. Action 5: Pollution prevention Pollution prevention and economic development go hand in hand. The IWRC continues to provide free and confidential compliance and pollution assistance that saves businesses money. The IWRC has provided compliance assistance or conducted on­site reviews with 2,883 businesses. The Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program (IAEAP) has assisted 1,439 businesses with on­site reviews, air permitting, small unit exemptions and emissions inventory questionnaires. The IWRC strives to provide assistance to all areas of Iowa, whether urban or rural. As seen on Map 2, businesses in all 99 counties of Iowa have received this assistance. For example, its Mobile Outreach Pollution Prevention (MOPP) program has conducted demonstrations in 63 Iowa counties. IWRC’s programs and services have received national attention and awards through the years, and have become highly regarded as models for replication across the country.
6 Action 6: Economical approaches to solid waste problems The RRTTC continues to provide assistance to Iowa companies and communities regarding the development of economical approaches to solving intractable solid waste problems and providing research and guidance on public health concerns as they relate to solid waste concerns. This assistance is in the form of brief consultations, student internship projects and in­depth research projects, which emphasize sustainable by­product re­utilization and industrial ecology. Action 7: Small business assistance for OSHA compliance The UNI SBDC and the IWRC are partners in the national Small Business Compliance Alliance (SBCA) program. SBCA provides small businesses nationwide with technical assistance in the areas of OSHA, EPA and IRS compliance. Working with the Iowa SBDC, a program model to teach small businesses about OSHA requirements was delivered to 18 existing companies in Black Hawk County. Action 8: Education and technical assistance through publications and database programs The RRTTC provides education and technical assistance in a variety of ways including the distribution of an annual report, research and industry updates and event notices. Over 160 publications and reports are available detailing RRTTC research and student internship findings. This information is shared via personal consultation, via the RRTTC and MIS websites and through contributions to the Iowa Recycling Associations newsletter “I Recycle.” Through these means RRTTC information reaches several thousand individuals each year. The IWRC created a Golf Course Pollution Prevention Guide and distributed it to all Iowa golf courses to help inform them of important environmental regulations and pollution prevention techniques. The IWRC has also developed a database program to help Iowa salvage yards develop and implement a storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) in compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Action 9: Iowa Electrathon, Iowa Junior Solar Sprint, and Iowa Energy Poster Contest The CEEE administers three educational outreach programs, all of which are sponsored by Iowa Energy Center. Iowa Electrathon is also supported by Alliant Energy, and Iowa Junior Solar Sprint by MidAmerican Energy. High school and college students from across the state design, build, test and race their own battery powered Electrathon vehicles. Winners are those that travel the greatest distance in one hour around a track. Iowa Junior Solar Sprint targets middle­school students, who design, build, and race model electric cars equipped with photovoltaic (PV) panels; sunlight on the panels generates electricity to power the engine. The past year Solar Sprint participated in the State 4­H Conference, with 60 students participating. The Iowa Energy Poster Contest, sponsored by Iowa Energy Center, accepts entries from 1 st through 6 th grade students across the state. Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson presented awards to the winners at this year’s ceremony at the Capitol in Des Moines. Action 10: Tenth anniversary program on energy and the environment To celebrate CEEE’s tenth anniversary, a series of presentations was offered to the public on energy and environmental issues. In one presentation, the architect and engineer who designed the CEEE in 1994, known as Iowa’s first “green building,” conducted guided tours of the
7 building followed by a presentation to the public on CEEE as an example of sustainable building design. Another significant achievement was the installation of a 950 W photovoltaic array on CEEE grounds, providing the building with an in­house renewable source of electricity. Action 11: Environmental issues instruction The RRTTC provides environmental issues instruction regarding environmental science and environmental health curricula including solid waste, waste management and health impacts, through the participation in outreach programs and sponsoring student internships. For example, the RRTTC is a co­sponsor of the Iowa Children’s Water Festival—a one­day event for Iowa fifth graders that educates students about the impact of water in their daily lives – particularly in areas regarding environmental impacts, wastewater management, health and water quality. More than 2000 Iowa 5 th graders attended this award winning festival in 2005. Action 12: Statewide conferences on energy and environmental education The CEEE hosted two statewide conferences in 2005. The first, in partnership with the Iowa Farmers Union, educated Iowa farmers about wind and energy crops. The second, in partnership with the Iowa Environmental Council, was the Governor’s Environmental Educators’ Conference. Action 13: Technical services to industrial field partners ABIL’s focus has always been on applied research and technology development. The Program supports a variety of technical service initiatives, primarily to industrial partners cooperating with ABIL in the evaluation of soybean oil­based lubricants. Technical assistance includes on­ site training, system flush and installation of soy products, sample pull, quality assurance, troubleshooting of potential problem areas and finally, monitoring of progress on an array of soy formulations. Field qualification studies provide users the opportunity to assess actual performance of biolubricants, often leading to their approval and adoption. The Program currently offers service and support to approximately 10 cooperating partners. Hands­on community and economic development guidance Action 14: IDM clients served through partnership program Since its inception in 1987, IDM has provided hands­on assistance to 468 communities and economic development organizations in 96 Iowa counties. Eighty percent of these communities are below 10,000 in population. Forty­eight community and regional organizations participated in IDM’s annual partnership program which provides diagnostic analysis, economic development technical assistance and mentoring services. Other services in the areas of marketing and related research, community visioning, economic development education and organizational development were offered to partners at reduced fees. IDM continually achieves results at the community level and receives many testimonials from client communities outlining their success and the importance of IDM’s assistance in direct relationship to economic development projects. Action 15: Unique assistance to economic development groups IDM fills niches to assist economic development groups with multiple implementation projects that are tied to development of strategic plans for economic development. IDM’s planning services for FY 2005 held steady while research and special projects nearly doubled. IDM experienced an increases in the demand for educational and organizational management technical assistance and workshops. Some examples of projects include designing and
8 implementing self­directed fundraising strategies, executive search and selection processes, organizational restructuring, providing expertise in individual site development, helping communities address the need to retain and recruit a professional workforce, strategic leadership and developing existing business initiatives. Action 16: Special research and marketing projects for economic development IDM continues to fulfill many requests from Iowa communities on a variety of topics related to their marketing and recruiting efforts. Some of the topics that IDM researched in FY 2005 include: value­chain industry clusters, existing business initiatives, economic impacts, commuting patterns, entrepreneurial inventories, regional development, smart buildings and industry growth rates. IDM created two economic development guidebooks to assist local and regional developers; Existing Industry Initiatives Toolkit and a Location One Information System Guide. IDM provided regional assistance to five regional groups during FY 2005. The technical assistance services ranged from developing targeted regional marketing plans, entrepreneurial development, benchmarking, outlining consensus­based marketing protocols to research and company contact information. IDM also continued to revise and update its Industry Profiles. The one­page format includes a description of the industry, the transition from SIC codes to NAICS codes, industry characteristics, leading companies and industry location factors. IDM assisted IWD to improve the delivery of labor market information. The availability of labor market information is a critical component in Iowa’s economic development efforts. During 2005, IDM assisted IWD with several projects that will improve the use of labor market data by economic development organizations and business. IDM continues to provide IWD with recommendations on how it could enhance and expand the data and services that it provides to businesses and communities. IDM conducted 28 economic impact studies during FY 2005. The impact studies are provided to communities as part of a utilities partnership program. IDM’s targeting research remains an effective resource for communities to realize the greatest benefits from its marketing efforts. Targeting seeks to identify specific industries or industry clusters that best match the competitive advantages of a community or region. IDM completes five to six targeting studies each year. Action 17: Materials testing services The RRTTC provides hands­on community and economic development guidance through the Materials innovation Service (MIS), a program developed in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Economic Development ­ Recycle Iowa. Through MIS, Iowa companies have affordable access to the standardized mechanical, physical and chemical testing of metals, polymers and cementitious materials. MIS also acts as a consulting agency, collaborating with business and industry to provide innovative testing and manufacturing solutions that meet each client’s particular needs. While the MIS specializes in assisting companies in by­product reuse and recycling, it has a wide variety of capabilities meeting the needs of many diverse clients. During the past year MIS provided over 75 mechanical and physical tests, which consisted of over 3092 hours of testing. Action 18: MyEntreNet Community Empowerment Training offered to rural leadership IDM and RBC/SBDC partnered to provide Community Empowerment training to three entrepreneurship task forces, located in Howard, Winneshiek and Allamakee counties. Community Empowerment training provides rural leadership with the training and tools needed to successfully foster entrepreneurial development. Ongoing annual retreats and Business
9 Resource Team visits position the community to successfully sustain their initiative. A community partners portal at www.myentre.net will soon offer networking and shared program and training materials. Research and promotion of agricultural­based lubricants Action 19: Enhance economic development/commercialization: The ABIL Program has a successful history in applied research and has uniquely focused its research activities on value­added products with commercial and economic development potential. Technical and field support often results in user conversion to soy products. Action 20: Commercialization through partnerships Starting in FY 2003, and continuing through 2005, ABIL and TrusJoist (a Weyerhaeuser company) continued to cooperatively explore treatment of wood composites with various soy­ based oils (using a soy impregnation process) as an alternative to creosote and other controversial wood preservatives. Metal castings and foundry technical assistance Action 21: Metal casting assistance The MCC has active contracts with 5 companies for research and testing on a fee­for­service basis. The MCC also had active outreach projects this year with 2 Iowa foundries and contacts with 20 other Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska foundries for technology transfer through association participation. Action 22: Partnerships with suppliers The Metal Casting Center is continuing its collaborative partnership with nine national and international foundry suppliers including companies such as Ashland Chemicals, HA International, Fairmount Minerals, American Colloid and Unimin Corporation. The relationship with these industrial partners allows technology transfer of new processes and materials directly to the Iowa foundry industry. Action 23: Metal Casting Center conducts energy fair Guidance and direction to businesses and communities as they welcome immigrants and refugee populations Action 24: Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration assists businesses and industries The Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration (ICILI) (formally the New Iowans Program) has developed a program to help Iowa businesses and industries ensure that immigrant and refugee employees become well trained for their positions and oriented to the mission and goals of their respective employers. The program directly assists employers in creating workplace environments that effectively and efficiently accommodate for the unique challenges and needs of New Iowans, while addressing the questions, uncertainties and expectations of traditional workers and managers related to their new coworkers.
10 Action 25: Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration publications The UNI ICILI has distributed over 10,000 copies of Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Citizens and Communities since its first publication in 2001. The publication has been distributed to economic development professionals, elected officials, local government professionals and community groups. The guide serves as a reference for Iowa communities and businesses as they accommodate immigrant and refugee newcomers living and working in Iowa. Approximately 8,000 copies of Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Managers and Supervisors – The Best Practices of Iowa Employers, Immigrants and Refugees in the Workplace, assisting employers, managers and supervisors with the unique challenges associated with hiring, training and integrating immigrant and refugee workers, have been distributed across Iowa and beyond. The guide’s purpose is to promote proactive engagement of newcomer workers to ensure the vitality of Iowa business and the state’s long­term economic and social health. This handbook also serves as a learning tool in ICILI’s workshops for employers. Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Christians and Churches was produced with funding provided by Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa. This handbook has been distributed to some 4,000 congregations and parishes throughout Iowa. A joint ICILI and Global Health Corps publication, A Health Provider’s Pocket Guide to Working with Immigrant, Refugee and Minority Populations in Iowa, has been published and has been distributed to health care professionals, clinics and hospitals throughout the state. Additional ICILI publications with Project EXPORT include Caring for Diverse Seniors: A Health Provider’s Pocket Guide to Working with Elderly Minority, Immigrant and Refugee Patients, Reaching Out to Elderly Minorities, Immigrants and Refugees: A Senior Medicare Patrol Guide, and Orthodox Jewish Patients in Hospital Settings: A Health Provider’s Pocket Guide. Action 26: A Rural Service Provider’s Guide to Serving Immigrant Entrepreneurs The RBC is working in partnership with ICILI to publish, A Rural Service Provider’s Guide to Serving Latino/Immigrant Entrepreneurs. The publication, due to be distributed later in 2005, is based upon research conducted by ICILI concerning the immigrant experience with Iowa service providers. The RBC is compiling the research into a guide for rural service providers to assist them in understanding the needs and barriers facing immigrant entrepreneurs. Promote and provide information and expertise for production of native and seed and use of native vegetation on roadsides of new highway development and existing roads Action 27: Research and promotion of Iowa­Origin Source Identified seed The Iowa Ecotype Project of the NRVC promotes the growth of Iowa­origin Source Identified seed as a value­added agriculture opportunity for Iowa farmers seeking alternatives. In addition, applied research in population genetics is conducted and supported by the NRVC to verify the value of Source Identified native seed.
11 Action 28: Promotion of native roadside vegetation for new highways The NRVC is promoting the use of native vegetation as a positive feature of new highways in cooperation with the Highway 20 Coalition. NRVC provides information and expertise to Iowa counties and the Iowa DOT in establishing native vegetation on roadsides. . Action 29: Local foods & institutional food services: a match for Iowa’s future In partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa, CEEE staff work to link local food buyers with local farmers to encourage purchases of locally grown food. The CEEE works one­on­one with food service managers in participating institutions to assist in this linkage. The program has been in operation since 1998, with current participation of 23 institutions and approximately 200 farmers. The amount of money generated from food purchases in the 2004/2005 academic year (about $500,000) more than doubled the amount generated in the previous year. Cumulative farmer earnings over the period 1998 through mid­2005 amount to $1,630,000. This retains money that would otherwise have left the counties and state. Objective 1.3: Expand professional and management development training and learning opportunities for private businesses and public sector agencies. Benchmark: Number of training workshops conducted and number of participants. Cumulative Outcome: More than 247 workshops have been conducted, which served nearly 3052 participants from 260 businesses (many are repeat customers). Action 1: Professional development workshops The Management and Professional Development Center (MPDC) conducted 87 workshops enrolling 1402 business professionals from 60 businesses during the past year. Two open enrollment certificate programs were offered: Leadership Development and Business and Management Essentials. Customized certificate programs were also designed and delivered to individual businesses in eastern Iowa. The MPDC works with an advisory board comprised of eastern and central Iowa business professionals. Action 2: Training consortium The MPDC provides professional development opportunities through its Management Training Consortium. Current membership in the consortium includes 23 eastern Iowa businesses interested in professional development and management training. The Consortium Advisory Board provides direction to the MPDC related to changing business and industry needs and types of training needed. Training workshops are then designed and delivered to meet the needs of business and industry. Action 3: Heartland Economic Development Course The Heartland Economic Development Course, administered by IDM and accredited by the International Economic Development Council, offers one week of intensive training in the basic concepts, information, methods and strategies for local economic development. IDM is partnering with the statewide professional development organizations of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. IDM is responsible for course curriculum development, facilities and course logistics, maintaining International Economic Development Council (IEDC) accreditation, promotion of the course and financial management. Since April 2000, 114 new economic development professionals from Iowa have attended the Heartland Economic
12 Development Course that is designed to meet the steadily increasing need for continuing education in the field of economic development. Action 4: Small business training The RBC/SBDC continues to offer a rigorous array of classroom trainings and workshops to the small business community in northeastern Iowa. A total of 51 classes were offered this past year, serving 629 small business owners with training in such areas as OSHA, IRS, QuickBooks, Web Technologies, ACCESS, EXCEL, Smart Start, and Smart Start II. Action 5: MyEntreNet In 2001, the University of Northern Iowa made a long term investment in rural economic vitality with the development of a technology driven rural business accelerator program called MyEntreNet. MyEntreNet is based on a simple premise that innovative, talented entrepreneurs exist outside of urban regions and, if given access to advanced technical/marketing assistance, community support networks and financial resources, they will create, successfully operate and expand businesses in rural parts of the state. Through a four phased approach of Community Empowerment, Business Assistance, Capitalization and Networking, MyEntreNet offers the following benefits:
· Creates community­based support networks for entrepreneurs,
· Provides start­up and existing companies with advanced technical assistance and training,
· Assists potential and existing entrepreneurs in identifying and accessing capital and
· Connects rural entrepreneurs with services, people and information through technology. To date, the economic impact from MyEntreNet participants has been excellent. Since 2001, one in five participants have opened or expanded a business. Each of these new or expanded rural ventures have, on average, created 3.8 new full time jobs and leveraged $150,000 of new commercial investment in their communities. Work is underway to launch a statewide RFP to select four new regions to participate in MyEntreNet in 2006. Action 6: Training assistance with American Foundry Society Collaboration with the American Foundry Society (AFS) technical committee is strongly encouraged at the Metal Casting Center. The MCC staff and administration are working with their respective AFS committees and conducting short training seminars on their committee’s activities. This approach disseminates research information in the technical societies and provides a quick avenue to deploy the research findings and technologies to foundries in Iowa and neighboring states. The Cast Metals Institute, the education arm of the American Foundry Society, continues to partner with the Metal Casting Center providing industrial training in new and existing technology for the industry. The Center’s unique blend of classroom space with exceptional laboratory facilities is ideal for technology transfer. Action 7: Workshops on topics related to native vegetation NRVC faculty, staff and consultants conduct workshops in Seedling Identification; Native Seed Harvest, Cleaning and Conditioning; and Fire Management of Vegetation for county, state and federal agency/organization personnel. In addition, the annual Roadside Conference is designed to provide information on current technologies and techniques.
13 Action 8: Technology transfer manuals NRVC personnel develop manuals for agencies addressing specific roadside management activities and provide information on current effective technologies and state of the art equipment. We are currently developing a Prairie Reconstruction and Restoration for the Upper Mid West for the Natural Resources Conservation Service with earmark funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Objective 1.4: Expand entrepreneurial and small business opportunities and technical assistance for UNI students and faculty and for the citizens of Iowa. Benchmark: Number of entrepreneurs and small businesses served. Cumulative Outcome: Nearly 1,250 entrepreneurs, students and small businesses were assisted by UNI outreach programs, and UNI’s business accelerator graduated five businesses to commercial space. Action 1: Technical assistance and training The RBC/SBDC provided one­on­one technical assistance to 349 small businesses through the Small Business Development Center and Iowa Women’s Enterprise Center programs. Existing business clients made up more than 60% of all clients served this past year. A total of 51 classes and workshops were offered this year, up from 47 last year, serving 629 businesses. A total of 978 businesses were served with either technical assistance or training, an increase of 26% over last year. RBC/SBDC consultants offered 3,163 hours of workshop training and 1,715 hours of one­on­one technical assistance to these companies during FY 2005. In an era of level funding, the ability of these programs to serve more clients is directly attributable to the use of technology resources and a partnership model of service delivery. Action 2: RBC/SBDC Business Incubator Program The RBC/SBDC Business incubator in downtown Waterloo continues to recruit and serve new technology and service businesses. The incubator currently has a waiting list of potential tenants. Since 2001, the incubator has served 26 participants and launched 24 new service or technology companies. A total of 42 new full time jobs have been created and new commercial investment of $1,853.000 has been leveraged by these firms. Graduates of the incubator program have provided infill throughout the central business district of downtown Waterloo. Action 3: Venture Capital Conference Annually, the JPEC is a co­sponsor of the Iowa Venture Capital Conference (IVCC), which offers learning opportunities for private businesses and public sector agencies in Iowa. Each IVCC conference has several keynote presentations and breakout sessions dealing with numerous issues important to entrepreneurs, investors, and development agencies. Four UNI students attended this conference with JPEC financial support and the JPEC was a preseter. Action 4: Student business plan competition The JPEC is a co­sponsor of the Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition. Student business owners receive technical assistance for their business concepts and are assisted with developing these ideas into viable businesses. Three winners are selected from the competition and each receives a $5,000 award to be used as seed money for their business. The JPEC had four student submissions at the regional level.
14 Action 5: Entrepreneurial education and assistance The JPEC sponsors free workshops that presents UNI students, faculty/staff and occasionally small business owners with information about subjects of their choice, with at least half of the topics being small business­oriented. Topics are chosen each semester and qualified speakers present information on the chosen topics. Seven topics were offered this year and approximately 150 attendees participated. Action 6: Minority entrepreneurship Start­up Presentation ­ In August 2004, a presentation on entrepreneurship was presented at the Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC). This presentation was made by JPEC staff to minority, single­mothers to about the basics of starting a small business. Business Planning Guidance ­ From August through October and again in January, the JPEC staff provided assistance to the African American Historical and Cultural Museum in Waterloo on business development planning and writing a business plan. Action 7: Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Iowa Conference The JPEC is a co­sponsor of and hosted the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Iowa Conference, which offers learning opportunities for Iowa college students about entrepreneurship. This year the conference was held at North Iowa Area Community College and four UNI students attended. Several keynote presentations and breakout sessions dealing with numerous issues important to young entrepreneurs were presented. Action 8: Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization The JPEC also serves as the advisor for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) on the UNI campus. Twenty­five students were involved in UNI CEO. The organization sponsors workshops, engages in hands­on small business assistance, and provides social activities. Action 9: JPEC Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award The JPEC honors a UNI College of Business Administration major, who owns and operates his/her own business or makes significant contributions to entrepreneurship, with the Student Entrepreneur of the Year award. The award is given on the basis of demonstrated quality academics and industriousness in entrepreneurship. Action 10: Scholarship for incubator tenant A tenant in the temporary Student Business Incubator received a scholarship to help assist in the development of a business concept through the support of the JPEC. Action 11: JPEC office interns Six interns were hired through the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. Two students were placed in small businesses, two students were employed in the JPEC business office, and two students worked in the Business and Community Services office to assist with technology issues and in designing an interactive website for Iowa’s venture funds. Action 12: Entrepreneur in Residence The college of Business Administration hired an Entrepreneur in Residence for the 2004­2005 academic year.
15 Action 13: Regional Angel investment networks The JPEC staff prepared a lessons learned/best practices document for other Iowa regions interested in starting their own angel networks. Action 14: Business topical classroom outreach The JPEC staff prepared a Certificate in Entrepreneurship for Non­Business Majors in an effort to make entrepreneurship campus­wide at UNI. The proposed certificate is in the approval process. Action 15: Technical assistance for metal casting potential end­users The Metal Casting Center not only assists the metal casting industry directly, but also provides business and technical assistance to potential end­users of castings. Numerous companies have sought assistance and expertise in converting other metal forming products into castings. After suggesting several potential casting processes and the anticipated capital investment, the MCC staff assists the company in locating pattern shops and foundries based on MCC designed casting specifications. Action 16: TEA 21 native seed purchase The Roadside Program of the NRVC annually receives a grant from the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to purchase native seed for Iowa counties participating in Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management programs. This program provides marketing opportunities for Iowa native seed growers, and since Iowa Source Identified Seed has first priority for purchase, growers are encouraged to utilize seed developed by the Iowa Ecotype Project. Objective 1.5: Integrate technology into technical assistance outreach services. Benchmark: Percentage of programs actively integrating technology in outreach programs. Cumulative Outcome: All UNI outreach programs have integrated technology into their technical assistance, achieving a 100 percent participation rate. Action 1: Spray Technique Analysis Research and training To date, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) has collaborated with 38 community colleges, 6 in Iowa, to transfer the Spray Technique Analysis and Research (STAR) training program. This collaboration entails community college instructors training at the IWRC applied research facility followed by the purchase of necessary equipment by the IWRC. Finally, IWRC staff travel to the community college to aid the instructor in his/her initial training. Communication with STAR training instructors at the community colleges is ongoing. Branching from the STAR program at the IWRC, a program tailored specifically towards military personnel has added to the training transfer. Since inception, the STAR4D® program at the IWRC has been working with the Camp Dodge military facility in Johnston, Iowa. To date, seven painters from the facility have gone through the STAR4D® training program. As a result, Camp Dodge has reduced their paint usage by 1,170 gallons annually saving them $31,590 in paint costs. Other purchase costs have been reduced to an estimated savings of $23,400 annually. While costs have decreased, production outputs have increased. Before working with STAR4D®, Camp Dodge could finish six vehicles per eight hour shift. After sending their painters through the program, that number jumped to ten or more vehicles per shift.
16 Action 2: IWRC provides on­site environmental assistance The IWRC continued to work extensively with Iowa community colleges this past year to assist them with environmental compliance due to an initiative by the Environmental Protection Agency to target colleges and universities for enforcement. One of these community colleges is now proceeding to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) as a result of IWRC assistance. The IWRC has now provided 40 on­site environmental assessments to 16 different community colleges in Iowa. IWRC has a subcontract with ISU to develop the environmental model for the Small Business Compliance Alliance (SBCA). The SBCA is a partnership with Small Business Development Centers and other small business assistance providers to provide more coordinated services and increase referrals to its programs. Partner states include Maine, Kentucky, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Action 3: Technical problems in metal casting The Metal Casting Center provides Iowa foundries with affordable access to the latest casting technology and testing services in the nation. Over the past three years, the binder and molding aggregate testing services program has grown substantially and has evolved into one of the best sand testing laboratories in the country. The Metal Casting Center also has a well­equipped hot metals laboratory that can be utilized by Iowa foundries to verify production changes or investigate innovative technologies. Action 4: Integrating technology into small business technical assistance The Regional Business Center continues to bring cutting edge technology and technology resources to small business owners. The RBC Business Information Center (BIC) is the only public, business computer lab and business resource library available in the Cedar Valley. The lab allows small businesses to test drive software and receive technical assistance with technology and web development challenges from SBDC and SCORE counselors. The technology resources have been upgraded periodically by the SBA through their BIC program grant which the RBC received in 2001. The SBA de­funded the Business Information Center this year and has gifted the remaining equipment and software to UNI. The RBC/SBDC intends to keep the technology resources available until the equipment becomes obsolete or requires maintenance in excess of it’s value. Approximately 150 small business owners make use of the facility each year, both for classroom instruction and individualized research. The JPEC has 120 handouts on various informational topics for small businesses on its website and has regularly been contacted for follow­up from these handouts or received compliments on how useful the handouts were to entrepreneurs. Several were added to the site and many are in the editing process. Action 5: Use of financial projection software The JPEC utilized software packages in helping clients develop projected financial information for budgeting purposes and financing requests. Action 6: Development of an interactive website for use by Iowa’s Venture funds Student interns developed the basic skeleton and functionality for a website to be used for venture funds in Iowa to collaborate and share information. Action 7: MIS assists with manufacturing technology projects
17 The MIS has had a successful ongoing relationship with Standard Golf in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Standard Golf is the leading supplier of golf course accessories; their markets span the globe, and include countries such as China, Japan, Germany and Brazil. Over the past year MIS has worked with Standard Golf on a number of projects. Action 8: NRV Center hosts workshops The NRV Center hosts workshops to train agency personnel and private individuals in techniques used by staff members in planting, growing and harvesting native seeds and reconstructing prairies. Action 9: GeoTREE training of federal, state and local government agency personnel The Geoinformatics Training, Research, Education and Extension Center (GeoTREE) has trained personnel in federal, state and local government agencies such as Black Hawk County, INRCOG and DNR) and assisted local government with geospatial methodologies to solve local or regional problems. . Goal 2: External Relations and Resources: Establish strong and mutually beneficial relationships with external constituencies (Supports UNI Goal 8.0). Objective 2.1: Augment University­based funding with additional support from federal, state, private and business sources to further develop the University’s expertise in technology transfer, economic development and faculty entrepreneurial activities. Benchmarks: Amount of funding generated from non­UNI sources. Percentage increase in externally generated funds from corporate sponsors, foundations, federal grants and fees for services. Cumulative outcome: UNI outreach programs generated nearly $10 million in non­general fund sources. UNI outreach programs increased the percentage of externally supported funds by 20%, even though overall program funding was about four percent less than the previous year. Action 1: ABIL leverages state funding During FY 2005, ABIL generated almost $1.4 million above its base state funding of $50,000. Funding was awarded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ($376,844) and Department of Energy ($982,000), in addition to existing project grants from the Iowa Energy Center ($53,800), and Iowa State University­CIRAS ($20,000). Supplemental funding from corporate sponsors, and modest fees­for­service generated from emerging assessment capabilities, provided the balance of support to the program. Action 2: IWRC leverages state and federal funding The IWRC continues to successfully augment its state funding with support from federal and nonprofit sources. For every dollar invested in state funding, IWRC secured an additional $2 in federal and nonprofit funding. Of the overall IWRC annual budget, $3,938.685 is federal funding and $1,276,346 is state funding.
18 Action 3: RBC leverages public and private support for programming The RBC/SBDC received approximately $240,000 in federal and state funding support this past year in addition to the SBA appropriation of $100,000 to operate the UNI SBDC. These funds provided operational support for the center and programs. An additional $31,000 in private funds were raised through outside training offerings from MyEntreNet, incubator rental fees and local workshop revenue. Action 4: RRTTC augmented university­based funding RRTTC has augmented its university­based funding through additional research dollars for projects supported by the National Institutes of Health, The Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Working with other departments, the RRTTC provided a leverage point for resources and participated in collaborative efforts. RRTTC collaborative projects include the Iowa Department of Economic Development–Materials Innovation Service contract in the amount of $28,652. RRTTC also received funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research regarding nitrate/nitrite level exposure, methemoglobin level, measures of immunocompetency, individual health status, and general dietary status. Collaborators include the Black Hawk County Health Department, Covenant Health systems and faculty from the UNI Department of Biology. Action 5: UNI­funded research provides additional support for multiple agencies Principal investigators from RRTTC­funded projects are encouraged to use their research results as a basis to obtain additional funds from other agencies. These additional funds include grants from the Department of Economic Development, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and cooperative projects with industry groups and agencies such as the Black Hawk County Health Department. Action 6: Fees for service fund programs Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) received self­generated revenues of $380,808 and technology transfer funds of $93,306 in the past year. SMS, combined with the Management and Professional Development Center, generated nearly $600,000 in private revenues in the past year. Action 7: IDM expands fee­based services During the past fiscal year, the Institute for Decision (IDM) continued its fee­based partnership program and pursued many fee­based research projects and contracted projects. For every dollar of state support, IDM generated an additional dollar of support through contracts, grants and fees. IDM was forced to generate revenue to replace some of the 66 percent funding cut in General Assembly funding. The result has been that fewer of Iowa’s smaller communities have been served. IDM has continued its partnership with investor­owned utility companies (Alliant, Aquila and MidAmerican Energy), the Iowa Area Development Group, IDED and the Greater Des Moines Partnership to conduct economic impact analyses for economic development projects in Iowa. Action 8: Grants received to address environmental issues (CEEE)
19 Federal grants totaled $20,000 for the Iowa Summer Lakes Study funded through NASA. State contracts totaled $324,804, and included grants from the Leopold Center, Department of Natural Resources, Resource Enhancement And Protection Conservation Education Program (REAP­ CEP), the Iowa Energy Center and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium. Foundation/Private sector grants totaled $102,149 with grants from John Deere, the Leighty Foundation, Alliant Energy, the Roy J. Carver Trust, and Practical Farmers of Iowa. Generated revenue amounted to $42,013. Including in­kind support, total funds received by the Center amounted to $519,966. Action 9: MCC leverages state funding The Metal Casting Center received industrial funding of $94,513, resulting in a $1.42 revenue return for every $1 in state funding. For Iowa companies, MCC offered discounted consultation and project development services, subsidized by state appropriations. Action 10: Funding to support NRVC programs and activities Federal grants and appropriations include (1) Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century ­ $760,000 for renovation of NRVC, and $200,000 ­ $460,000 annually for distribution of native seed to Iowa counties; (2) Federal Highway Administration grant of $160,000 for a three­year applied research project on native regional ecotypes (completed this year); (3) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for Plant Conservation Initiative ­ $45,000 (completed this year); (4) U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for development of prairie reconstruction and restoration video and manual and reasearch on prairie reconstruction ­ $360,000; (5) U.S Department of Agriculture for construction of a greenhouse ­ $250,000 State grants and appropriations through the Living Roadway Trust Fund include (1) $75,000 annually to operate Roadside Program; (2) $32,000­$35,000 annually for Iowa Ecotype Project; (3) $10,000­$15,000 annually for roadside promotion and publications; (4) $12,000­$18,000 annually for Roadside Conference and training workshops; (5) Iowa DOT research grant to determine optimal seeding time and best seed mixture for prairie establishment in roadsides. Sale of Commercial Production Rights to native seed growers generated $32,000 over the last two fiscal years. An additional $12,500 was received for production rights this year. America’s Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie, a $650,000 film documentary, was completed with $650,000 raised over the past 10 years through private contributions and grants from foundations and agencies. Additional funds are being sought for national broadcast of the Lost Landscape film on PBS. Action 11: JPEC pursues grants and federal funding UNI alumni made contributions to JPEC to expand programming for student entrepreneurs and to seed new ventures. In addition, a federal appropriation was received in October 2004 for the development of a new student business incubator. JPEC obtained corporate sponsorship for the Iowa Venture Capital Conference from several Iowa economic development agencies, utility companies, and professional firms and private gifts were received from several individuals in support of various JPEC programs. Action 12: Business and Community Services awarded funding from NASA Business and Community Services received a grant from NASA to serve the needs of existing businesses and entrepreneurs and to provide innovative economic development services for communities. Funding helped support market research projects, temporary student
20 entrepreneurs, creation of a professional development certificate program and regional development efforts. Objective 2.2: Raise awareness and appreciation among local and regional constituencies for the programs and services provided to businesses and communities. Benchmarks: Percentage increase in special promotional efforts conducted. Level of awareness in Iowa – periodic survey. Cumulative outcome: Public relations and promotional efforts increased by 15 percent in the past year. Public awareness surveys were conducted in some of Iowa’s targeted market areas, which demonstrated a heightened awareness of UNI’s outreach programs. Action 1: One­Stop Initiative The Board of Regents asked each of the three Regents Universities to create a one­stop location and contact person for external requests for business and community assistance and for reporting progress. UNI had already started to move in that direction with the creation of its Business and Community Services (BCS) Division. BCS, IDM and JPEC Director, Randy Pilkington, serves as the primary point of contact for UNI. Presentations have been made by the Regents one­stop contacts to IDED, Professional Developers of Iowa and other organizations. Action 2: Statewide newsletters Eleven BCS outreach programs publish a newsletter. In all, 30 newsletters were mailed or emailed to more than 20,000 business, community and school leaders across Iowa and beyond. The ABIL Advocate is designed to both advocate for soy lubricants as viable renewable alternatives and keep constituents up to date on activities of the ABIL Research Program. The Advocate is mailed to 7,500 domestic subscribers quarterly. In addition, the ABIL website functions to make accessible over 14 years of vegetable oil research at www.abiluni.org or www.uni.edu/abil. The IWRC publishes a newsletter, The Closed Loop, with a circulation of 2,572, primarily in Iowa. The IWRC also distributes a monthly electronic newsletter titled EnviroWire as an outreach to Iowa community Chambers of Commerce and economic development groups. This newsletter has 198 recipients, and contains articles providing environmental information that they may distribute to their members. In addition, the bi­monthly electronic newsletter In The Loop provides 198 recipients with information about current environmental issues in Iowa and the nation. The IWRC website for the period of July 1, 2004­June 30, 2005 received 219,233 visitors. This is an average of 600 visitors per day. A total redesign of the web site was launched previously. The new site was designed for ease of use and navigation. IDM produces a monthly electronic newsletter that is emailed to over 4,000 community and economic development professionals. IDM also provides valuable information on its user­ friendly website.
21 The RBC/SBDC publishes MyEntreNews, an email newsletter/listserv customized to the needs of the clustered MyEntreNet community members in rural parts of Iowa. The SBDC publishes the UNIRBC Newsletter for over 500 email­subscribed entrepreneurs monthly. The JPEC sends an electronic newsletter to JPEC advisory board members and other appropriate/interested parties. The MCC publishes a bi­annual newsletter highlighting the research and business activities performed during the six­month period. The newsletter also provides technical briefs and solutions that are common among foundries to solve technical problems, improve efficiency and increase productivity. Overall, more than 500 newsletters were mailed to foundries, manufacturing facilities and designers across Iowa. The Roadside Program of the NRVC publishes a quarterly newsletter, Roader’s Digest, distributed to 1,350 recipients. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center distributes a monthly email titled EnviroWire as an outreach to Iowa community Chambers of Commerce and economic development groups. This newsletter contains articles providing environmental information that they may distribute to their members. Action 3: Presentations BCS outreach programs presented to 125 different statewide, regional and national audiences during the past year, reaching more than 8,000 participants. Most of the presentations were professional associations actively involved in economic development and technology transfer, with 70 percent of the attendees from Iowa. During the FY 2005, RRTTC staff, researchers and students gave 36 professional presentations. These presentations were delivered to a wide range of audiences encompassing the local, state, national and international sectors. The Director of the RRTTC provided a keynote address at the European Union Euro Summer School “Closing water and resources cycles: options for gas treatment” that was held in the Netherlands in June, 2005. During the FY 2005, IWRC staff gave 23 presentations to UNI Capstone classes, businesses, professional organizations and community groups. During 2005, ABIL staff presented research findings to conferences and at technical sessions including Iowa State University’s “Biobased Industry Outlook Conference,” the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a Farm Bureau event, and the Waterloo, Iowa, chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). ABIL was featured in two trade magazines and highlighted in several more news articles. In addition, ABIL sponsored a trade booth for Senator Grassley’s ambassador’s tour and several county­level ISU Extension events, and provided presentations and facility tours for several agricultural interest groups. The staff of the Metal Casting Center has delivered technical presentations and seminars to regional, national and international technical societies, reaching an estimated audience of close to 1,000 foundry and manufacturing professionals. The presentations provided awareness of
22 developing new technologies, environmental concerns and energy­related issues to improve process efficiency, increase productivity and reduce foundry waste products. IDM staff delivered 14 presentations to state, regional and national economic development associations and organizations in FY 2005. JPEC staff made presentations as follows: Ø Iowa Venture Capital Conference breakout session speaker Ø UNI biology class presentation on how to start a small business and career paths for biology majors Ø Bunger Middle School business class presentation on starting a small business for 20 students and 2 faculty Ø COPC Presentation in August 2004 Ø Seven workshop topics were held at various date and times over the course of the fiscal year Ø Freshman summer orientation at the Student Organizations and Activities Fair NRVC staff made more than 18 presentations (national, regional, state and local) on center activities as well as program and technology techniques. There were 6 major showing of the film American’s Lost Landscape. RBC/SBDC staff delivered 22 presentations to public and private sector audiences on topics closely tied to UNI’s outreach programs. This past year the RBC/SBDC delivered the keynote for the SE Iowa Regional Business Breakfast to an audience of nearly 400 companies on “Rural Entrepreneurship” Action 4: National publications The JPEC has received coverage of its programs and events in the national newsletter for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, based in Chicago. In May 2005, the internationally­distributed lubricants industry magazine, Lubes­n­Greases, published an article written by ABIL staff­member Wes James, titled, “Soy Lubes: No. 1 With a Bullet.” The article gave the University, IDM, and ABIL national exposure, highlighting the adoption of soy­based lubricants by nationally­recognized bullet manufacturer, Hornady Manufacturing Co. Action 5: Active involvement in statewide associations. BCS outreach program staff members are active members of statewide associations involved in promoting economic development and technology transfer. Examples of UNI leadership positions in state associations include the Professional Developers of Iowa Board, Iowa Chamber of Commerce Executives, Biowa, Bioscience Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Industries of the Future, Iowa Business Council, the Iowa Recycling Association, Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operators, Beautify Iowa, Solid Waste Association of America, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and others. The RRTTC is actively involved in several associations including the Iowa Recycling Association (IRA), Iowa’s statewide recycling association. The RRTTC Program Manager serves as association President. The RRTTC is also actively involved with several outreach programs and has relationships with several other state and national agencies including the Iowa
23 Waste Exchange, Recycle Iowa, Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, National Recycling Coalition and the Solid Waste Association of North America. NRVC staff are active participants in Iowa Academy of Science, Iowa Prairie Network and Association for Integrated Roadside Management. Action 6: CEEE expands educational outreach CEEE programs involve public outreach and education in the areas of energy and environment. The most prominent programs include the following: Buy Fresh Buy Local; eii Teacher Workshops for Environmental Education; Iowa Electrathon; Junior Solar Sprint; Energy Star/Change A Light; Teacher Workshops on Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling; Iowa Energy Poster Contest; Collaboration and Dissemination Initiatives in Waste Reduction, Iowa Summer Lakes Study. While it is difficult to quantify audiences for these programs, CEEE estimates that about 400 UNI students, 7,700 K­12 students, 460 K­12 teachers, 200 farmers, 20 farmers markets, 23 food­buying institutions and about 10,000 adult citizens directly participated in CEEE’s programs in FY 2005. A much larger audience was informed about CEEE programs through mailings, workshop and conference presentations, displays, signage and other media. Action 7: ABIL benefits from corporate relationships ABIL has historically received strong support from area business and industrial partners. John Deere, Portec Rail Products, Inc., Hawkeye Tool and Die, and several others supported the Program in 2005 with in­kind support and staff expertise. Such industrial support leverages state and federal funding while supplying the Program with local contacts and resources. Action 8: MCC and industry clients benefit from corporate relationships MCC’s success and recognition at the national and international levels have resulted in attracting industry leaders such as John Deere, General Motors, Hormel Foods, Pechiney Electrometallurgie, Selee Corporation, Fairmount Minerals, HA International and Ashland Chemicals. Its relationships with these companies have positioned the MCC to establish long­ term research and testing service agreements. The developing portfolio of industrial partners also positions the MCC to actively pursue federal funding for the upcoming fiscal year to address immediate research and educational needs of the metal casting industry. One of the most successful projects the Center has completed to date is the research using Causticized Lignite as an environmentally friendly replacement for traditional carbonaceous material additions to foundry sand systems. Causticized Lignite was proven to be effective in reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants such as Tetrahydrofuran, MethylEthylkeytone, Benzene, Toluene and other Volatile Organic Compounds or Hazardous Air Pollutants by as much as 85 percent. Lowering the hazardous air pollutants by substitution of materials will allow foundries to save millions of dollars at each facility that otherwise would have been spent on engineering changes and capital equipment to reduce emissions to the environment. Other industry driven projects included:
· Improving bentonite activation
· Optimization of new sand additions for green sand systems
· Use of Polysaccharides as a foundry binder system.
· Evaluating replacement minerals for zircon sands
· Development of a new method to estimate the thermal conductivity of molding sands
24 Action 9: MCC expands educational outreach to community organizations. Hawkeye Community College and the Metal Casting Center have collaborated to support the EMC 2 program sponsored by John Deere. High school juniors and seniors attend class during the summer to obtain credit for a manufacturing degree from either Hawkeye Community College or through transfer of credits to one of the state’s three Regents Universities. The Metal Casting Center assists the program by conducting a 40­hour class in Fundamentals of Foundry Engineering Technology. The program is innovative in that students use the MCC to cast parts for a vise and then use the castings for their other courses in Machining Principles conducted at Hawkeye. At the end of the program, the students produce a working vise. The program illustrates manufacturing principles with an actual project. Action 10: Community and campus planting projects Faculty and staff of the NRVC provide consultation in planning and directing prairie planting projects in the community and on the campus, such as Big Woods Lake prairie planting with Cedar Falls Rotary, Waterloo Soccer Complex, Waterloo gateway planting, UNI athletic field seeding, UNI Museum prairie landscaping and the UNI gateway planting and Cedar Falls Visitor’s Center. Action 11: Lost Landscape film project The Prairie Institute of NRVC produced a documentary film, /America’s Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie/, for national broadcast on Public Television and for distribution to schools, libraries and museums throughout the Midwest. A premiere showing was held April 20, 2004 on the UNI campus with additional showings at Grinnell College, University of Iowa, the Minnesota State Historical Society and the Roadside Conference held in Harlan during 2004. During 2005, it was broadcast three times on Iowa Public Television during their fund raising festival, at the Iowa Academy of Science annual meeting, Okoboji Arts Center, Midwest Environmental Education Conference, Wild Ones Regional Conference Minneapolis, and various other smaller groups. Action 12: BCS building groundbreaking A ceremony for the groundbreaking of the new Business and Community services building was held on June 18 th to raise awareness of the benefits to the community and its contribution to a “public campus.” A JPEC student intern spoke on the benefits of a new student business incubator. Action 13: Distribution of advertisements and brochures Several ads were placed in the school newspaper advertising the opportunity for students to take the academic class, Planning and Growing a Business Venture Updated brochures were designed for the JPEC and for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Flyers about the Certificate in Entrepreneurship for business majors and a program being developed for non­business majors have been distributed to incoming freshmen as well as to clients visiting the office. New brochures were developed for the CIPCO Enhancement Scholarship fund. Students were also actively recruited online about internship opportunities available through the JPEC.
25 The JPEC regularly uses the electronic advertising options offered by UNI such as UNIonline and MyUNIverse for both students and faculty/staff. Objective 2.3: Solicit external input and advice regarding UNI’s business and community services outreach programs. Benchmark: Percentage of programs utilizing advisory councils. Cumulative Outcome: All UNI outreach programs actively incorporate advisory councils or committees to evaluate progress and provide input. Action 1: Examples of advisory council participation UNI economic development and technology assistance programs expanded their emphasis on building new partnerships through expanded advisory council memberships, pursuing joint projects with Regents Universities and Iowa community colleges and assisting state agencies and departments. As a result of this emphasis, partnering projects with Regents Universities, community colleges and state agencies have increased again this past year. The RRTTC seeks input regarding the Center’s activities from the RRTTC Advisory Committee and from the members of the business and education community served. The Center continues to partner with other UNI programs as well as other Regents institutions, community colleges, state organizations and agencies. IWRC has an advisory board that meets annually and is comprised of representatives from the Iowa General Assembly, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, private industry and community colleges. The IWRC program, New Environmental Technologies for Small Business (NETSB), utilizes input from a technical advisory committee consisting of representatives from Iowa State University, UNI Department of Biology, UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education, Iowa Department of Natural Resourcrs, Kirkwood Community College and Cedar Falls Utilities. The JPEC has an advisory council that brings together UNI faculty and staff with successful entrepreneurs, attorneys and financial sector representatives. IDM has an active 21­member advisory council with representatives from local economic development groups, a community college, ISU extension, U. S. congressional representatives, the Iowa General Assembly and utility companies. ABIL staff meets quarterly with an 11­member advisory board representing program stakeholders, representatives of supporting entities, and several key companies in the lubricants industry. Action 2: Technical societies and consortium relationships Metal Casting Center personnel actively participate in several regional and national technical societies and serve on numerous technical committees to expand and build new industrial partnerships. MCC participates or serves in the following organizations and on their respective
26 committees: American Foundry Society (AFS), ASM International, Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). The RBC/SBDC has created a new Rural Roundtable, made up of economic development professionals from 12 northeastern Iowa counties this past year. The Rural Roundtable serves as an advisory board to the RBC/SBDC concerning rural entrepreneurship issues and supports the continued development of MyEntreNet networking between providers in that region. Goal 3:Intellectual Vitality: Create and maintain an intellectually stimulating environment for all members of the University community (Supports UNI Goals 1, 2 and 3). Objective 3.1: Integrate the University’s applied research, technology transfer and economic development programs into the relevant academic programs. Benchmark: Percentage of colleges, departments and outreach programs participating in research and/or technical assistance programs. Cumulative Outcome: Each college and nearly 90 percent of academic departments directly participated in applied research and technical assistance projects throughout Iowa. Examples of student and faculty participation in research and/or technical assistance programs: Eighteen MBA students conducted their “capstone” projects for area businesses. These projects included process analysis, marketing plan development, accounting process audit, e­commerce marketing plan preparation, financial analysis of operating costs for a new product line and others. IDM provided research and assistance opportunities for seven faculty members in the academic disciplines of economics, mathematics, marketing, geography and public policy. Many of these research projects incorporated student group projects and were applied at the community or business level. Some of these projects included:
· Analysis of value­chain clusters in Iowa
· Economic impact analysis of local economic development projects
· GIS overlays for determining laborshed information for Iowa communities
· Evaluating a cost­benefit model for an Iowa utility provider
· Immigrant and refugee entrepreneurial research
· Economic development education
· Updating the Iowa Workforce Development workforce model and modifying the model to be user friendly
· Strategies planning for a development corporation The RRTTC provided applied research funding and student internship support for projects focusing on the development of economical approaches to solving intractable solid waste problems and providing research and guidance on public health concerns as they relate to solid
27 waste concerns. Faculty and students from several departments and programs, including Biology, Chemistry, Marketing, Health, CEEE and Industrial Technology have been involved in projects within the past year. The projects are multidisciplinary and can be integrated across the curriculum, enhancing the students’ classroom learning experiences. The MCC utilizes both graduate and undergraduate students in its research efforts with industry. Students are exposed to cutting edge technology while forming relationships working with industry leaders. Additional programs have been facilitated to allow greater freedom in undergraduate research. MPDC provided opportunities for faculty to work with the private sector to gain knowledge that can be used in the classroom. More than 18 faculty members served as instructors for MPDC programs and classes. CEEE led a multidisciplinary research team comprised of 19 undergraduate students and 10 faculty members in the summer of 2005, to determine causes of pollution in Casey Lake (Hickory Hills Park on the border of Tama and Black Hawk counties), Silver Lake in Delhi, Iowa (Delaware County), and three Black Hawk County wetlands (Beaver Valley, West Lake and Railroad Lake). In its six summers of operation, the program has offered more than 70 undergraduates unique research experiences on a multidisciplinary environmental research team. Recently, in collaboration with the NASA Kennedy Space Center, we have added hyperspectral remote sensing as a new research component. This initiative provides an invaluable opportunity for students and faculty to gain hands­on experience in a cutting edge technology. NRVC’s applied research projects on regional native prairie ecotypes, involving common garden studies and DNA analysis, involve cooperative research with Biology faculty and students. Three recent M.S. theses in Biology and Environmental Science have consisted of research regarding NRVC technology transfer questions: (1) introduction of forbs into native grass plantings, (2) germination and establishment of prairie cordgrass and (3) effect of cover crops on prairie roadside plantings. A new thesis project was initiated the summer of 2005 to study the effects of varying amounts of side­oats grama and mowing on a prairie establishment. This project is being done at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Objective 3.2: Integrate experiential learning opportunities, focused on technology deployment and business development, with students’ academic degree programs. Benchmark: Number of experiential learning opportunities provided. Cumulative Outcome: UNI outreach programs provided direct experiential learning opportunities for 302 students and special research projects and classroom projects for another 890 students. Examples of student experiential learning: In 2005, ABIL provided experiential learning opportunities to seven UNI undergraduates. Student interns assisted with applied chemistry and basic analytical research, industrial technology, instrumentation, and public relations. Students frequently participate in field
28 projects with industrial partners, as well as with the monitoring and reporting requirements of those field activities. This year, several students were included in on­site training sessions for operation of specialized analytical instrumentation. IDM provided direct experiential learning experiences for 10 undergraduate students and one graduate student in the areas of community economic development and data analysis. Many of the experiential learning experiences included internships at the community level. Thirteen students participated in experiential learning at the IWRC this past year. These students were integral to IWRC’s applied research, watershed projects, Geographical Information Systems, website maintenance, database management, air­permitting efforts and public relations. IWRC interns comprise a variety of disciplines including MIS, geology, communications, industrial technology and public relations. Two UNI students were employed in the JPEC business office. The students were assigned tasks according to their majors and abilities. Two interns hired by JPEC worked in the Business and Community Service Office on information technology related material. The JPEC hired and placed two interns at small, entrepreneurial firms through the CIPCO Enhancement Scholarship. Three students were provided incubator space and consultation for their small business. MBA students preformed analysis and research for a venture client to help her business run more profitably and efficiently. The JPEC provided financial support for two officers in Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization to attend the annual conference in Chicago in November. SMS provided direct experiential learning experiences for 18 students. These included experience in marketing and market research. SMS introduced and now offers a Certificate in Consulting – Market Research. RRTTC student interns participate in experiential learning through “hands­on” research, outreach programs and internships with Iowa business and industry. Working in the laboratory students learn first hand about in­depth research and the development of new technologies. While working with Iowa companies and organizations, students are involved in many projects including the development of recycling programs and development of programs to address additional waste management issues regarding environmental health. The RRTTC has sponsored over 128 internships to date with 18 students participating in experiential learning opportunities through the RRTTC within the past year. Participation in RRTTC internships provide students with experience and knowledge they can use as they continue their educational careers, secure jobs and become concerned citizen leaders. UNI students assist the RRTTC in providing environmental education opportunities to Iowa’s 5 th graders as part of the Iowa Children’s Water Festival, held each year in Ankeny, Iowa. In 2005, over 2000 Iowa 5 th graders learned about the interaction of water in their daily lives through “hands­on” activities, exhibits and entertainment. Through the NRVC, experiential learning opportunities are provided to student employees and to students in applied courses. These opportunities enable students to develop techniques and skills that enable them to compete effectively in the job market of their chosen profession.
29 Objective 3.3: Foster the development of faculty and staff through the intellectual properties protection process. Benchmark: Number of intellectual property disclosures. Cumulative Outcome: Intellectual properties policies were updated and improved during the past year and professional staffing was added to the Intellectual Property Committee to provide faculty and staff with advice and assistance in pursuing patent disclosures, applications and licensing agreements. Action 1: New disclosures and patent applications The UNI Intellectual Property Committee (IPC) to date has reviewed disclosures leading to 19 patents, 3 provisional patents, 34 international patents and 9 license agreements. In FY 2005 there were four new disclosures, completion of one provisional patent and one full patent, four international patents, five phase I marketing analyses and one memorandum of understanding. Total revenue from royalties on UNI license agreements for FY 2005 was $55,433. Action 2: Seed production rights, trademark and intellectual property The Iowa Ecotype Project of the NRVC has developed and commercially released the production rights of foundation stock of Iowa Source Identified seed to native seed growers, via the UNI Research Foundation. In addition, NRVC staff have developed and registered a federal trademark for the Iowa Ecotype Project via the UNI Intellectual Property committee. Action 3: : Intellectual Properties staff mines campus research UNI’s IP Marketing Specialist met personally with nearly 50 faculty and staff this past year to cultivate research and determine patent potential and explored private sector partnerships for university intellectual property projects. Action 4: Intellectual Properties opportunities cultivated and marketed on campus UNI's Intellectual Properties Marketing Specialist provided one­on­one assistance to 12 faculty members and 3 staff members this past year regarding patent development, licensing opportunities and marketing analysis. Four other projects are advancing in partnership with private businesses.
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