Technology Transfer and
Economic Development:
Full Report of Outcomes
(Supporting data for UNI’s Report to the
Board of Regents)
October 2003
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 4esources 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. In addition to highlighting specific outcomes in technology transfer and economic development, this report briefly summarizes some of our contributions to Iowa’s targeted industry clusters. 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.
1 KEY TO ACRONYMS USED IN THIS REPORT ABIL – Ag­Based Industrial Lubricants Research Program www.uni.edu/abil MCC – Metal Casting Center www.mcc.uni.edu MPDC – Management and Professional Development Center www.bcs.uni.edu/mpdc BCS – Business and Community Services www.bcs.uni.edu MTS – Materials Testing Services www.rrttc.uni.edu/rrttc/mts CEEE – Center for Energy and Environmental Education www.uni.edu/ceee NRVC – Native Roadside Vegetation Center www.uni.edu/irvm/web/index.html IDM – Institute for Decision Making www.bcs.uni.edu/idm NIP – New Iowans Program www.bcs.uni.edu/idm/newiowans IPC – Intellectual Property Committee www.grad.uni.edu/ip RRTTC – Recycling, Reuse, Technology Transfer Center www.uni.edu/rrttc ITOP – Iowa Training Opportunities Program RBC­ Regional Business Center www.unirbc.org IWRC – Iowa Waste Reduction Center www.iwrc.org SBDC – Small Business Development Center www.unirbc.uni.edu JPEC – John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center www.jpec.org SMS – Strategic Marketing Services www.sms.uni.edu
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 85 BCS outreach projects involved the active participation of 91 faculty members and 927 students. Action 1: Faculty participation in economic development projects UNI outreach programs actively engaged 91 faculty 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. 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 675 students participated in classroom projects, which directly assisted 60 BCS clients. An additional 250 students were actively involved in special research projects and internships for businesses and communities. Action 3: Student chapter societies The Metal Casting Center personnel works closely with several student chapter societies by providing technical assistance and solicitation of material donations for fund raising activities. 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 Extensive learning projects were provided to approximately 150 students in the past year. Some of the internships and experiences were provided in the following professional areas:
3 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 MCC has assisted students in the Art Department in casting unique artistic work for class projects. One project included a lost foam casting of a carved tree trunk placed in a wooden frame shaped as a house. This piece of work resides in the front foyer of a national bank located in Bettendorf and has received numerous accolades. The MCC employed five full­time undergraduate students and one co­op student to perform and manage research and industrial projects for local and national companies, including companies not directly related to the metal casting industry. Additionally, one full­time graduate student and one undergraduate, assigned to the MCC faculty advisor, conducted experiments in the development of new liquid metal filters for gray and ductile iron castings. Since inception, the IWRC has provided 138 students with experiential learning opportunities and seven additional students this year. When seeking prospective students, IWRC staff people 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 John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in partnership with the UNI College of Business Administration and AAQ of St. Louis, a 2001 Fortune Top­20 growth company, developed an infrastructure to support virtual internships. This unique, cutting­edge virtual internship program beta­tested and utilized a software developed by Teralogix Corporation, an AAQ company, to provide a reliable project management infrastructure designed to support geographically dispersed team members. A student intern team of seven members used this project management infrastructure to work on AAQ and Teralogix company projects such as the development of a specific website and market research. The RRTTC provided experiential learning opportunities to eleven 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. Eleven students participated in this program during FY 2003. Action 6: Student entrepreneurship fostered The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) supported eleven students starting new businesses this past year. Student entrepreneurs received one­on­one counseling, as well as
4 assistance with business plan preparation and market research. The JPEC provided financial support for Junior Achievement’s high school small business development program. Action 7: MyEntreNet student counseling associates assist small rural businesses Students from the University of Northern Iowa’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization were competitively selected in 2002 to offer research, technology and counselor associate assistance to rural entrepreneurs through the new MyEntreNet Rural Business Accelerator Program. Twenty­two SIFE members engaged in a training program over four weeks to learn how to provide on­line chat counseling, conduct and respond to research assistance requests or offer hands­on technology assistance in local communities to small groups of entrepreneurs. Students traveled to rural communities to meet with entrepreneurs and engage in small group computer training sessions. Some students hosted live on­line chat sessions on topics of interest to rural business and a third group provided business research support online in response to posted on­line questions. Over 40 rural businesses in northeastern Iowa received assistance from SIFE students in the spring of 2003. Action 8: Student/faculty interdisciplinary research on water quality in Iowa lakes Grants from the Carver Charitable Trust and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium funded 16 undergraduate students and nine faculty to determine causes of pollution in Silver Lake in Delhi, Iowa, and to recommend remediation strategies. Based on this research, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has promoted Silver Lake as its number one priority for restoration in Northeast Iowa, the first lake in this region to be so designated. The research team has worked with the mayor, farmers and citizens of Delhi, as well as with county, state and federal agencies in this collaborative effort. Action 9: 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 the participation of 11 institutions and approximately 200 farmers. These institutions are: Allen Hospital, Rudy’s Tacos, University of Northern Iowa, Bartels Lutheran Home, Western Home, Roots Market, Garfield's Café, Waverly Municipal Hospital, Wartburg College, Covenant Health Systems, and Mercy Health Systems (Mason City). The amount of money generated from the food purchases has grown an average of 16 percent per year. Cumulative farmer earnings over the period 1998 – 2002 amount to $785,070. This retains money that would otherwise have left the counties and state. Action 10: Rebuild Cedar Falls: saving money through energy/efficiency Students and staff at CEEE, in close partnership with the Cedar Falls Utilities and UNI’s Department of Residence, have worked since 1995 to reduce energy costs in Cedar Falls through energy efficiency. The program now saves the community $120,000 per year. Electricity consumption has been reduced by 3.4 million kilowatt hours per year, equivalent to the amount of gasoline required to drive 300 cars for 20,000 miles each. With the installation of low­flow showerheads on campus, UNI is saving charges for 19 million gallons of water per year (enough to fill 220 million cans of pop). The program has also been successful in reducing air pollution: carbon dioxide emissions by 4,000 tons, sulfur dioxide by 47 tons and nitric oxide by 20 tons.
5 Action 11: Identifying and responding to community and business needs NRVC student employees and students in applied courses taught by NRVC faculty develop techniques and skills such as planting, specialized equipment operation, fire management and natural areas management that enable them to contribute immediately in the job market. Research opportunities available to faculty through transportation­related funding are communicated through NRVC staff. 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;
· Job training workshops through collaborative efforts to assist lower­ skilled incumbent workers;
· Guidance and direction to businesses and communities as they welcome immigrants and refugee populations.
· information and expertise related to native roadside vegetation on new highway development 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 4,000 businesses and 448 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 18 companies with 29 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 31 JPEC clients required intensive market research and analysis, which was used in the development of business plans and feasibility studies. Eight small business owners and 17 UNI students attended a marketing/market research workshop taught by the JPEC. Action 3: Internet­driven market research The UNI SBDC delivered nine market research training workshops to small businesses (primarily women­owned) in five counties during the past year. Workshops, attended by 163 participants, focused on Internet­driven market research and business web development.
6 Action 4: Business topical classroom outreach The RBC continues to offer a rigorous array of classroom trainings and workshops to the small business community in northeastern Iowa. There were 57 classes offered in FY 2003, serving a total of 713 small business owners with training is such areas as OSHA, IRS, QuickBooks, Web Technologies, ACCESS, EXCEL, Smart Start and Business WORD. Innovative educational and technical assistance related to energy, the environment and environmentally sound practices Action 5: Student/faculty interdisciplinary research on water quality in Iowa lakes The CEEE secured support from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium to fund 14 undergraduate students and nine faculty members in the summer of 2003 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). Having completed its fifth summer of operation, the program has offered more than 60 undergraduates unique research experiences on a multidisciplinary environmental research team. Extensive work was conducted on chemical and biochemical analyses of pollution in these surface waters. Based on this research, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has promoted Silver Lake as its number one priority for restoration in Northeast Iowa, the first lake in this region to be so designated. Moreover, the CEEE has created a comprehensive Geographical Information System (GIS) to characterize mosquito habitats in Black Hawk and Buchanan Counties, including those most likely to vector disease, particularly West Nile virus. Action 6: IWRC collaborates with state agencies The IWRC relies heavily on its partnerships with several state agencies, primarily the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED). Referrals come from IDNR field office inspectors who have discovered violations at a small business. These businesses are advised to work with the IWRC to correct these violations and avoid costly fines. The Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) has established a Business Assistance Team within their agency to assist new businesses locating in Iowa with permitting needs and resource referrals. This program also houses the Recycle Iowa office, promoting market development for recyclables. IWRC coordinates many of its activities closely with IDED as one of its resource referrals and as the technical manager for the Iowa Waste Exchange, of which Recycle Iowa is the administrator. To date, the IWRC has collaborated with 29 community colleges (seven in Iowa) to transfer the Spray Technique Analysis and Research (STAR) Training Program. This collaboration entails community college instructors’ training at the IWRC’s applied research facility followed by the purchase of necessary equipment by either the community college itself or, in some instances, the IWRC. Finally, IWRC staff travel to the community college to aid the instructor in initial training. Communication with STAR training instructors at the community colleges is ongoing. The IWRC also continued to work extensively with Iowa community colleges to assist them with environmental compliance, due to an initiative by the Environmental Protection Agency to target
7 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 22 on­site environmental assessments to 11 different community colleges in Iowa. Action 7: 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 2,214 businesses. The IWRC strives to provide assistance to all areas of Iowa, whether municipal 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 conducts county­level tours in a different region of Iowa each year. IWRC’s programs and services have received national attention and awards through the years, and have become highly sought as models for replication across the country. Map 2. Number of IWRC On­Site Reviews by County 8 8 24 15 41 20 36 19 16 25 62 14 29 23 12 3 9 12 3 18 3 18 13 5 30 15 13 6 18 46 25 13 17 22 14
32 23 17 21 54 33 22 100 11 24 19 225 18 62 33 12 30 159 5 16 12 17 14 11 14 19 8 12
4 11 7 8 2 10 2 2 4 14 22
35 24 11 38 21 22 6 20 147 31 7 23 17 86 36 5 16 15 28 12 10 11 24 10
24 July, 2003 Action 8: 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 9: Small business assistance for OSHA compliance The UNI SBDC is a partner in the Small Business Compliance Alliance (SBCA) program. Working with the Iowa SBDC, a program model to teach small businesses about OSHA requirements was delivered to 11 existing companies in Northeast Iowa communities in the spring of 2003.
8 Action 10: Education and technical assistance through publications 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 150 publications and reports are available detailing RRTTC research and student internship findings. This information is shared via personal consultation, via the RRTTC and MTS websites and through contributions to the Iowa Recycling Associations newsletter “I Recycle.” Through these means RRTTC information reaches several thousand individuals each year. Action 11: Electrathon project Electrathon is administered by the CEEE, with funding support from Alliant Energy. Students from across the state design, build, test and race their own battery powered vehicles to see which can cover the most ground in one hour of racing. Each car is permitted to use 64 pounds of lead batteries, so efficiency of operation is of prime importance in determining success. Students, teachers and others associated with the Electrathon develop a real appreciation for zero emission vehicles and can be expected to be among the early adopters of hybrid cars when they become widely available. Action 12: Environmental Issues Instruction The impact of the CEEE is substantially multiplied when Iowa’s teachers introduce their students across the state to environmental issues. Environmental Issues Instruction (eii) is a highly effective program that employs teachers to help their peers become more knowledgeable about environmental issues and learn classroom techniques that resonate with students. Since 1989, the program has focused on a number of environmental issues, instructing more than 1,000 Iowa teachers and many thousands of K­12 students in a process that builds awareness and then understanding of issues, ultimately leading to responsible action. The IWRC, in partnership with the CEEE, completed three “Business Behind the Scenes” games for students in middle school and high school. The Clean Scene, Rev It Up and Fine Print teacher’s packets are now available from the Iowa Waste Reduction Center. The games simulate ownership of a small dry cleaning, automotive repair or printing business, respectively, and are targeted for use by business, math and environmental science teachers. The games inspire environmental stewardship and have been correlated to the national standards. Action 14: Technical services to industrial field partners While it is a science and technology­based program, UNI­ABIL provides a variety of technical services to industrial field partners to facilitate the commercialization of soy­based lubricants and greases. Technical assistance includes on­site training, flush and installation of soy products, sample pull, quality assurance, troubleshooting of potential problem areas and monitoring of progress on an array of soy products. Due to field support, many of the products are now industry­approved with several end users converting exclusively to soy­based industrial lubricants and greases. The Program currently offers service and support to approximately 75 clients. In addition, the Program offers fee­based standardized testing services to clients from all disciplines under a test program that includes Performance testing, Analytical testing, Tribology testing, and Biodegradability.
9 Hands­on community and economic development guidance Action 15: IDM clients served through partnership program Since its inception in 1987, IDM has provided hands­on assistance to 448 communities and economic development organizations in 96 Iowa counties. Seventy­six percent of these communities are below 10,000 in population. Thirty­six community and regional organizations launched IDM’s annual partnership program which provides diagnostic analysis, economic development technical assistance and planning services. Other services in the areas of marketing and related research, visioning, economic development education and organizational development were offered to partners at reduced fees. IDM continually strives to achieve results at the community level and receives many testimonials from client communities outlining their success and the importance of IDM’s assistance. Action 16: Demand for local community planning and marketing assistance declines The number of “planning and marketing” clients served by IDM declined during FY 2003. The need for communities to expand the breadth and depth of community participation and address a number of complex issues will go unmet. Communities report cutbacks in budgets and the inability to pay for services. The decline, by over 53% from previous years, was also due to budget cuts, staff reductions and the transition to fees for services. Services to small communities were especially impacted by these cuts. Action 17: Special research projects 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 2003 include: value­chain industry clusters, economic impact approaches, commuting patterns, regional development, bio­based products, industry growth rates and industries that use large amounts of electricity. IDM also continued to revise and update its Industry Profiles. The one­ page 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 2003, IDM assisted IWD with several projects that will improve the use of labor market data by economic development organizations and business. IDM completed an inventory and assessment of the state’s labor market data collected by IWD’s Policy and Information Division. This analysis provided IWD with recommendations on how it could enhance and expand the data and services that it provides to businesses and communities. IDM also continued to assist IWD’s Workforce Research Bureau with ongoing methodology enhancements to its laborshed studies that are completed for Iowa communities. IDM completed a survey and follow­up interviews of economic development professionals to identify how laborshed data is being used in their economic development activities. The survey results were used by IDM and IWD to develop a Laborshed Best Practices Guide for economic professionals. The SBDC began work on a new distance learning delivery model during July 2002, providing rural entrepreneurs quality access to resources and training via the Internet. The goal of the new program, called the MyEntreNet Rural Business Accelerator Program (RBAP) is to develop a replicable model for distance learning, serving rural entrepreneurs with high tech/high touch assistance, resulting in the launch and growth of successful rural companies.
10 Action 18: Materials testing services The RRTTC provides hands­on community and economic development guidance through the Materials Testing Service (MTS), a program developed in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Economic Development ­ Recycle Iowa. Through MTS, Iowa companies have affordable access to the standardized mechanical, physical, and chemical testing of metals, polymers and cementitious materials. MTS 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 MTS specializes in assisting companies in by­product reuse and recycling, it has a wide variety of capabilities meeting the needs of a many diverse clients. Research and promotion of agricultural­based lubricants Action 19: Enhanced 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 client conversion to soy products. During FY 2003, ABIL continued to build a relationship with the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), one of four Class I rail lines in the U.S operating 21,500 track miles in 22 states. In 2002, NS converted a portion of their rail services (Region 7) to ABIL­developed soy grease. In 2003, NS (end­user), Portec Rail Products, Inc. (distributor) and ABIL worked cooperatively to field qualify both winter­grade and all­purpose soy formulations, while Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc. (ELM) (license­holder), Biobased Industries, LLC (Iowa­based, on­farm grease blender), and Portec worked to fill Region 7 orders. As a result of this collaboration, the year culminated with NS approving (company­wide) all soy product categories and formally announcing their decision to convert 100% of their operation(s) to soy grease. In addition, Kansas City Southern (KSC), a major railroad comprised of four primary railroads operating 3,130 track miles in 10 central and southeastern states (between Kansas City and the Gulf of Mexico), has announced its intention to begin using SoyTrak™. During FY 2003, ABIL strengthened its relationship with the Crete Carrier Corp. (Lincoln, NE), an affiliate of the Acklie Group (the sixth largest trucking firm in the U.S.). In June of 2002, Crete agreed to an expanded field test of Heavy Duty (HD) soy truck grease involving one terminal (200 trucks). As a result of this successful field evaluation, in 2003 Crete approved the soy product company­wide and has requested assistance in converting 16 terminals (approximately 5,000 semis). Each truck using soy grease displays a (1’x1’) decal promoting the use of soy­based products. Today, Crete’s purchase orders average quantities of 12,000 pounds per month (144,000 pounds per year). ABIL fully formulated seven soy­based fluids for various metalworking applications and is field qualifying those products in cooperation with 58 industrial partners. Some of these products are commercially available and are of serious interest to major distributors. This is a product area where ABIL is experiencing market pull; it is also a product area that requires more sales training and maintenance in application environments, i.e., requiring more technical training and assistance, quality assurance and monitoring services as supported by ABIL. It is expected that company­wide conversions will begin in FY 2004.
11 Action 20: New business formation Upon conclusion of a USDA­sponsored special project allowing ABIL to explore on­farm grease production, Blake and Curt Hollis (sponsors of one pilot plant unit) decided to proceed with the concept as a for­profit venture entitled Biobased Industries, LLC. To provide a basis for this venture, Biobased Industries received a $50,000 award through USDA rural development, and the ABIL team invested six months of training, loan of facilities and equipment, and ABIL continues to provide quality control and testing. Biobased Industries has secured a grease­ blending agreement with ELM, Inc. and is currently producing soy­based rail lubricants. Action 21: Commercialization through partnerships Throughout FY 2003, ABIL and TrusJoist (a Weyerhaeuser company) cooperatively explored treatment of Parrallam® PSL wood composite products with various soy­based oils as an alternative to creosote using a soy impregnation process. The project is entering into field test stages. Metal castings and foundry technical assistance Action 22: Metal casting assistance The MCC has active contracts with 11 companies for research and testing on a fee­for­service basis. The MCC also had active outreach projects this year with 12 Iowa foundries and contacts with 20 other Iowa foundries on problem solving and consultation. Action 23: 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 24: Industries of the Future Roadmap – Metal Castings The Metal Casting Center published the Industries of the Future Roadmap – Metal Casting with the Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) at Iowa State University. The roadmap was created to provide long­term vision to ensure the state’s foundry industry viability and global competitiveness. The Metal Casting Center is actively developing a consortium between the state’s three universities and the Iowa foundry industry to create synergy and identify critical elements in the roadmap that require immediate research attention. Using this approach, potential, high­risk research projects can be developed and submitted to the Casting Metal Coalition to enhance funding to complete the project. The objective of the consortium is to unify the Iowa foundry industry, the state’s research universities and supporting facilities to actively pursue and address the roadmap issues in products and markets, materials technology, manufacturing technology, environmental technology, human resources, profitability, and global competitiveness. Action 25: Industries of the future – Best Practices workshops and technology showcase Best Practices, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), worked with industries to identify plant­wide and specific opportunities for energy savings and process efficiency. The UNI Metal Casting Center offered two free Best Practices workshops to provide an awareness program on exemplary practices used in the
12 foundry industry. One workshop was held on the UNI campus in October in conjunction with the AFS Hawkeye Chapter and the other in early November in Davenport. The workshop was designed to address three critical areas: maintenance, melting and sand. Each session addressed technical issues and new technologies to increase productivity, improve efficiency and reduce waste. Action 26: Metal Casting Center conducts energy fair The Metal Casting Center also used an innovative approach to conduct an energy fair for the Department of Energy. Presentations were broadcast via the Internet in addition to the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), allowing viewers to participate in sessions of interest to them without leaving their workplaces. Presenters from all three Iowa Regents universities and five industrial suppliers were connected to UNI using the ICN and then broadcast on the Internet using the UNI Center for Educational Technology’s equipment and facilities. Among the advantages of this format were as follows:
· Interested metal casters from around the country could view without having travel expenses.
· Participants needed only stay “tuned in” for the specific sessions of interest to them.
· Multiple persons from the same company could view a given presentation without incurring travel expenses or lost time due to travel.
· Presenters could participate live without the expense of travel to a central location. Action 27: Development of biopolymer­based sand binder system Hormel Foods has commercially introduced a new water­based porcine sand binder system addressing the environmental issues confronting the metal casting industry. The Metal Casting Center is assisting Hormel Foods in developing expanded binder capabilities and documenting the processing and physical characteristics of the protein­based binder system. Working with the Metal Casting Center, Hormel Foods is developing marketing and sales strategies exemplifying the environmental and casting advantages of the binder system for the foundry industry. Action 28: Enhanced molding sands to improve surface quality of castings Recently, certain commercially available sands have been increasingly more difficult to obtain because of environmental issues, forcing metal casters to use different foundry grade sands. In an effort to sustain the supply of quality sand to the metal casting industry, the Metal Casting Center and Fairmount Minerals have been working on ways to improve the performance of molding sands to improve casting quality while maintaining or reducing sand costs. Job training workshops through collaborative efforts to assist lower­skilled incumbent workers Action 29: ITOP successfully trained incumbent workers Iowa Training Opportunities Program (ITOP) assisted 52 companies by training more than 594 of their incumbent workers. The program’s focus was to enhance the skills of a company’s existing workforce through short­term and highly focused training. ITOP’s training curriculum was in the areas of Computer Numerical Control (CNC), Understanding Bindery Operations and Quality Systems Technician. Follow­up surveys were conducted with the employers and trainees. After just 90 days, 40% of the trainees received a wage increase and 11% had a change in job classification. The ITOP grant concluded in November, 2002.
13 Action 30: Collaboration key to successful training In order to deliver the training, ITOP formed a partnership with eight community colleges and three IMEP Account Managers. ITOP also collaborated with the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). This collaboration ensured that ITOP’s training program supplemented other state worker training efforts rather than duplicating efforts already within the state. Officials from IDED and IWD also served on the ITOP Advisory Board. Guidance and direction to businesses and communities as they welcome immigrants and refugee populations Action 31: New Iowans Program assists businesses and industries The NIP 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 will directly assist 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. These workshops are provided in cooperation with Marshalltown, Hawkeye and Northeast Iowa Community Colleges. Action 32: New Iowans publications NIP has distributed over 9,000 copies of Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Citizens and Communities since its first publication in 2001. Authored by NIP Director Dr. Mark Grey, 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. During 2002, two new guidebooks were published. Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Christians and Churches was published in collaboration with Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa. The purpose of this guide is to aid Iowans in learning more about the state’s growing immigrant and refugee population. Readers are guided in discovering ways to welcome these newcomers, accommodate them into communities and churches, provide important social linkages for the newcomers and maintain/reestablish the viability of their organizations. Welcoming New Iowans: A Guide for Managers and Supervisors – The Best Practices of Iowa Employers and Immigrants and Refugees in the Workplace assists employers, managers and supervisors with the unique challenges associated with hiring, training and integrating immigrant and refugee workers. The guide’s purpose is to promote proactive engagement of newcomer workers to assure the vitality of Iowa business and the state’s long­term economic and social health. In 2003, an additional handbook was published in a collaboration between NIP and the UNI Global Health Corps: A Health Provider’s Pocket Guide to Working with Immigrant, Refugee and Minority Populations in Iowa.
14 Action 33: New Iowans homepage maintained by business and community services UNI’s Business and Community Services maintains the New Iowans Homepage ( www.bcs.uni.edu/idm/newiowans) as a resource for citizens and communities seeking information about immigration/refugees and NIP programming. Promote and provide information and expertise for native roadside vegetation on new highway development Action 34: 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. Action 35: 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 then provides information and expertise to Iowa DOT in establishing native vegetation on the roadside. Action 36: Assisting communities with plantings for gateway enhancement NRVC staff work with communities in developing gateway prairie plantings along roadways into the community to enhance the initial impression that visitors have of the community. 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 295 workshops have been conducted, which served nearly 3,400 participants from 150 businesses. Action 1: Professional development workshops The Management and Professional Development Center (MPDC) conducted 133 workshops enrolling 2,144 business professionals from 50 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 and an advisory focus group, both 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 21 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.
15 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, 81 new economic development professionals in Iowa have attended the Heartland Economic Development Course that is designed to meet the steadily increasing need for continuing higher education in the field of economic development. Action 4: MyEntreNet The UNI RBC launched a beta test of a community­wide rural business accelerator program in four eastern Iowa counties in FY 2002. A beta test of MyEntreNet principles was conducted with funding from USDA and the Iowa SBDC in FY 2003. Forty community leaders from three counties participated in training/planning sessions to address entrepreneurship development. Ninety­eight entrepreneurs were served with technical assistance and training. To date, these efforts have fostered the creation of 24 new or expanded rural businesses from these participants. A total of 82.5 new full time jobs and over $2,000,000 in new capital investment has been leveraged. Action 5: Foundry training The Metal Casting Center conducted four one­day foundry basics courses for new hires at the John Deere foundry. The foundry basics course is an integral training component for John Deere’s new foundry employee ten­day training orientation. The goal of the university­ supported industry training is to foster an expanded knowledge of John Deere operations and provide the new employees with hands­on experience in foundry training at the same time. The John Deere new employee­training program has been a training course for over eight years and is continuing to be strong. Action 6: Training Assistance with American Foundry Society Participation with the American Foundry Society technical committee is strongly encouraged at the Metal Casting Center. Both of the MCC project managers, working with their respective AFS committees, conduct 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. Because of the economic condition of the national foundry industry, the American Foundry Society decided they would no longer conduct educational courses at their facilities. A three­day AFS sponsored course titled “Nonferrous Gating Practice” was conducted at the Metal Casting Center in April 2003. The evaluation team determined that UNI was one of the best facilities in which to conduct their educational courses and will utilize the Center’s facilities for courses that require a laboratory. 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
16 federal agency/organization personnel. In addition, the annual Roadside Conference is designed to provide information on current technologies and techniques. 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. 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 1,500 entrepreneurs, students and small businesses were assisted by UNI outreach programs and UNI’s business accelerator remained full with a waiting list of nine businesses. Action 1: Technical assistance and Training at the Regional Business Center/SBDC One­on­one technical assistance services were provided to 327 small businesses at the SBDC, while another 713 companies were served through 57 workshops and training programs. In all, 1,040 small Iowa businesses were touched by the services of the Center, down 14% from FY 2002 due to continued budget constraints. SBDC consultants offered 3,609 hours of workshop training and 1,374 hours of one­on­one technical assistance to these companies during FY 2003. Action 2: RBC Business Accelerator Program Eighteen entrepreneurial enterprises have enrolled since the program’s inception in 2001. Of these, 16 have launched new business ventures. Fifteen of the launched businesses are still operating and one is for sale. Of the 15 actively functioning, two are non­profits. All for­profit tenants and graduates are generating income as of June 2003, and all provide full and part­time employment. In just its second year of operation, the Waterloo Accelerator/Incubator Program’s enterprises have attracted a total of $1,464,893 in invested capital, a ten­fold increase from the first year. These enterprises provided 32.5 full­time equivalent jobs and contract work for approximately 10 other individuals. The Accelerator is currently fully enrolled, with nine enterprises waiting to enroll, and two businesses participating “virtually” in post­graduate assistance. All tenants are paying a monthly participation fee, which generates $20,400 in annual rental income for the RBC facility. Other miscellaneous fees are charged on a per use basis. The remainder of the RBC Small Business Accelerator program funding is dependent upon SBDC funding on an annual basis. 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 and development agencies. Twelve UNI students attended this conference with JPEC financial support.
17 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. Action 5: Entrepreneurial education and assistance The JPEC is the sponsor of Selected Topics for Students, a speakers series that presents UNI students, faculty/staff and occasionally small business owners with information about subjects of their choice, with half of the topics being small business­oriented. Three­to­five topics are chosen each semester and qualified speakers present information on the chosen topics. Nine workshops were offered this year, some were co­sponsored by the UNI Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, with 159 students and 47 faculty/staff/small business owners participating. The JPEC is the sponsor of Small Business Topics for Northeast Iowa small businesses. This series presents information on a number of topics of interest to the small business owner. The topic this past year was legal aspects of a closely held business. Eleven small business owners and two students participated in this workshop. Action 6: Minority business development The JPEC and KBBG­FM (radio – 88.1 FM) partnered to provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs via a radio show offered on the second Monday of each month and broadcast twice that day. Each show presented information about starting and running a small business. Many of the topic areas provided information important to a business plan. The JPEC, the SBDC and KBBG­FM use this radio show as a promotional tool for the KBBG/JPEC/SBDC Minority Business Plan Competition. In 2003 The Frog Prince company was awarded a grant for market research to be conducted by UNI’s Strategic Marketing Services. Action 7: Collegiate Entrepreneurs Iowa Conference The JPEC is a co­sponsor of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Iowa Conference, which offers learning opportunities for Iowa college students about entrepreneurship. Several keynote presentations and breakout sessions dealing with numerous issues important to young entrepreneurs are presented. More than 300 students from all of Iowa’s colleges and universities attend this annual event. The JPEC also serves as the advisor for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) on the UNI campus. Twenty­five students were involved in UNI CEO. Action 8: 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, with the Student Entrepreneur of the Year award. The award is given on the basis of demonstrated quality academics and industriousness in entrepreneurship. . Action 9: John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Day The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted a special day to recognize entrepreneurship at the University of Northern Iowa. This day offered keynote addresses by Mr. John Pappajohn and three UNI alumni plus two workshops. More than 400 UNI students and 30 faculty/staff/small business owners attended the presentations.
18 Action 10: 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 11: Iowa Ecotype project The Iowa Ecotype project of the NRVC, through the production of native Iowa Source Identified foundation seed, provides economic opportunities and materials for native seed growers to participate in the development and marketing of an alternative agriculture value­added product. Action 12: 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 29 community colleges, 11 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 either the community college itself or, in some instances, 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. Action 2: IWRC provides on­site environmental assistance The IWRC also 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 22 on­site environmental assessments to 11 different community colleges in Iowa. IWRC has a subcontract with ISU to develop the environmental model for the Small Business Compliance Alliance. The Compliance Alliance is a partnership with Small Business Development Centers and other small business assistance providers to provide more coordinated
19 services and increase referrals to its programs. The partner and participant states are Maine, Kentucky, Delaware and Pennsylvania. 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 enormously 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 business computer lab hosted 11 technology training workshops last year, although only one will be offered this year due to the budget cuts. Accelerator tenants benefit from high­speed connectivity and on­site technical assistance with technology issues. Iowa’s only SBA Business Information Center (BIC) served more than 150 small business owners in the last year with computers, Internet access and reference materials. There will not be a staff person in the BIC this year, but clients will be encouraged to explore resources on their own. UNI SBDC’s distance learning model is a highly interactive, individually customized web application. It is tied to rural classroom training that moves participants into an on­line learning community, continuing after the classroom training is complete. Action 5: RRTTC grants and research projects The RRTTC’s grants and research projects provide funding for infrastructure development and acquisition, including purchases of equipment that incorporates new technologies. Action 6: Small business assistance for OSHA compliance The Regional Business Center is a partner with the national Small Business Compliance Alliance to provide model technical assistance programs to small business in the areas of IRS and OSHA compliance. Twenty­three eastern Iowa firms were served with OSHA or IRS topical technical assistance this year. Action 7: Improved access to information/technologies Building upon previous database improvements accomplished through consecutive funding awards by Deere & Company, ABIL continues to maintain both the ABIL website ( www.uni.edu/abil), and an additional site SOYGREASE.COM. The ABIL site functions to make accessible, over 11 years of vegetable oil research, receiving approximately 2,000 hits per month, while the SoyGrease site is designed to promote market acceptance and adoption of soy products. Action 8: Roadside Conference The annual roadside conference, directed by the manager of the Roadside Program of the NRVC, provides new product information and examples through session presenters and vendors. Demonstrations of new technology are highlighted on conference field trips.
20 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 more than $6.9 million in non­ general fund sources. UNI outreach programs increased non­general fund sources by 14 percent in the past year. Action 1: ABIL leverages state funding During the FY 2003, ABIL generated an additional $600,000 from its base state funding of $150,000. Funding was awarded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board (ISPB). Supplementary funding from corporate sponsors, and modest fee­for service revenues generated from emerging testing functions, provided the balance of support to the program. Action 2: IDM conducts special projects for state agencies IDM received special contract funding totaling over $60,000 from Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and $52,775 from the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) to conduct special research projects for these agencies and update the Iowa Community On­line Network database. These projects are outlined in further detail under the “collaborative projects” section. More importantly, state agencies saved more than $75,000 by contracting with UNI, due primarily to IDM’s use of student assistants in each project. IDM has continued its partnership with investor­owned utility companies (Alliant and MidAmerican), the Iowa Area Development Group, IDED and the Greater Des Moines Partnership to conduct economic impact analyses for projects in Iowa. Action 3: IWRC leverages state and federal funding The IWRC continues to successfully augment its state funding with support from federal and nonprofit sources. For every $1 invested in state funding, IWRC secured an additional $1.50 in federal and nonprofit funding. Of the overall IWRC annual budget, over $1.4 million is federal funding and almost $1 million is state funding. Action 4: SBDC leverages public and private support for programming The SBDC leveraged the $300,000 federal and state funding from 2002 that supported completion of a beta test of the MyEntreNet through June of 2003. Additional funding of $45,000 from the Community Vitality Center and $37,000 from the Iowa Women’s Enterprise Center was leveraged to continue expansion of MyEntreNet during the coming year.
21 Action 5: RRTTC augmented university­based funding RRTTC has augmented its university­based funding through additional research dollars for projects supported through the National Science Foundation, Black Hawk County Health Department, the Iowa Department of Economic Development and private business enterprises. In addition, working with other departments, the RRTTC provided a leverage point for resources and participated in collaborative efforts. RRTTC collaborative projects included the Iowa Department of Economic Development–Materials Testing Service contract in the amount of $30,709. Action 6: UNI­funded research provides additional support for multiple agencies Principle 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 Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and cooperative projects with industry groups and agencies such as the Black Hawk County Health Department. Action 7: Fees for service fund programs Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) received self­generated revenues of $348,117 and technology transfer funds of $115,074 in the past year. SMS, combined with the Management and Professional Development Center, generated nearly $750,000 in private revenues in the past year. Action 8: IDM converts to a fee­based program During the past fiscal year, the Institute for Decision (IDM) fully implemented a 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% funding cut in General Assembly funding. The result has been fewer with Iowa’s smaller communities. Action 9: Grants received to address environmental issues (CEEE) The CEEE was awarded a federal grant totaling $120,997 for Environmental Issues Instruction (eii) through the Eisenhower Professional Development Grant Program. State grants received totaled $129,916 and included Community and Economic Regeneration through Strengthening the Local Food Economy (aka Buy Fresh Buy Local) ($17,000, Leopold Center; $5,000, Black Hawk County; $5,000, City of Cedar Falls); Yards for Kids ($1,500, University of Iowa Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants); Rebuild Cedar Falls ($6,000, DNR); Energy Poster Contest ($2,500, Iowa Energy Center); Iowa Electrathon ($2,500, Iowa Energy Center); Energy Education Display ($5,000, Iowa Energy Center); Solid Waste ( $36,000, Iowa Waste Reduction Center; $27,416, Iowa Department of Natural Resources); Iowa Summer Lakes ($12,000, Iowa Space Grant Consortium); Iowa Greenhouse Gas Action Plan ($10,000, DNR). Foundations/Private Sector Grants totaled $172,903: Iowa Summer Lakes ($105,000, Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust); Iowa Electrathon ($15,000, Alliant Energy); Community and Economic Regeneration through Strengthening the Local Food Economy ($22,553, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies; $16,400 Practical Farmers of Iowa); eii ($13,950, workshop income).
22 Action 10: MCC leverages state funding The Metal Casting Center received federal funding of $23,000 plus self­generated revenues of $130,000 in the past year, giving a $2.28 revenue return for every $1 in state funding. For Iowa companies, MCC offered 20 hours of free consultation and project development services, subsidized with university funding. Action 11: 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 for a three­year applied research project on native regional ecotypes; (3) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for Plant Conservation Initiative ­ $45,000. 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. Sale of Commercial Production Rights to native seed growers generated $32,000 over the last two fiscal years. The Lost Landscape film project, a $500,000 project, is almost complete with $480,000 raised through private contributions and grants from foundations and agencies. 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 25 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 last year. 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. This initiative should enhance awareness of the economic development assistance available from the Regents universities.
23 Action 2: Statewide newsletters Eleven BCS outreach programs publish a newsletter. In all, 38 newsletters were mailed or emailed to more than 13,000 business, community and school leaders across Iowa and beyond. The ABIL Advocate, a quarterly newsletter, is mailed to 7,500 domestic and international subscribers. The website receives approximately 2,000 hits per month and was revamped during FY 2003 to include an extensive, user­friendly database highlighting vegetable­based industrial research. The IWRC publishes two newsletters, The Closed Loop, with a circulation of 2,265, primarily in Iowa, and Ahead of the PACE, a painting and coating specialty publication with national distribution. The IWRC website for the period of July 1, 2002­June 30, 2003 received 4,037,938 hits. This is an average of 336,494 hits per month. In January 2003, a total redesign of the web site was launched. The new site was designed for ease of use and navigation. IDM created a monthly electronic newsletter that is emailed to over 4,000 community and economic development professionals. During the last year, IDM completely redesigned its website. The RBC publishes MyEntreNews, an online email newsletter customized to the needs of the clustered MyEntreNet community members in rural parts of Iowa. The SBDC publishes the UNIRBC Newsletter for over 500 email subscribed 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, over 500 newsletters were mailed to foundries, manufacturing facilities and designers across Iowa. Action 3: Presentations BCS outreach programs presented to 63 different statewide, regional and national audiences during the past year, reaching more than 7,600 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 2003, RRTTC staff, researchers and students gave 18 professional presentations. These presentations were delivered to a wide range of audiences encompassing the local, state, national and international sectors. During FY 2003 UNI­ABIL presented, or is scheduled to present, findings to meetings of an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing workshop, the Farms, Food & Future’s Conference, the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI), the National Petrochemical Refiners Association (NPRA), PETROTECH 2003 (International Petroleum Conference & Expo), and the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). UNI­ABIL has established representation on committees of the American Society of Testing and Materials, the American Wood­Preservers
24 Association, the American Oil Chemists Society, the National Fluid Power Association, the Fluid Power Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers and other technical societies. The ABIL program has been featured in seven trade magazines and highlighted in several more news articles. In addition, ABIL has sponsored a trade booth at two Iowa county events. 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 developing new technologies, environmental concerns and energy­related issues to improve process efficiency, increase productivity and reduce foundry waste products. IDM staff had 12 presentations to state, regional and national economic development associations and organizations in FY 2003. Action 4: 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, 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 and others. Action 5: CEEE expands educational outreach Most of CEEE’s programs involve public outreach, especially the following: Buy Fresh Buy Local; Rebuild Cedar Falls; eii Teacher Workshops for Environmental Education; Iowa Electrathon; Workshops on Waste Reduction; Iowa Energy Poster Contest; Iowa Summer Lakes Study. While it is difficult to quantify audiences for these programs, CEEE estimates that about 9,000 students (K­12), 150 teachers (K­12), 200 farmers, 20 farmers markets, 11 food­buying institutions and about 10,000 adult citizens directly participated in CEEE’s programs in FY 2003. A much larger audience was informed about CEEE programs through mailings, workshop and conference presentations, displays, signage and other media. Iowa Public Television featured the Buy Local Buy Fresh project on its program “Market to Market” in December 2002. The viewing audience of this program was undoubtedly substantial, as it is aired in 26 other states. Action 6: ABIL benefits from corporate relationships ABIL’s success and national recognition has resulted in partnerships with industry giants such as DuPont and John Deere. For example, Deere and ABIL co­sponsored a series of health tests conducted at the University of Iowa. Cooperative testing continues on soy­based metalworking fluids within John Deere, Waterloo. ABIL continues to support initiatives designed to promote the adoption and use of biobased products. In FY 2003, ABIL provided documentation support for state legislation HS 645; a bill providing a sales and use tax exemption for soy­based railroad lubricants. Also, Lou Honary, program director, is on a NIST Biobased Advisory Group. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is charged (per the Farm Bill) to develop guidelines for evaluating biobased products intended for listing on a federal procurement database.
25 ABIL hosted its Annual Farmer’s Day open house event, sponsored in part by Pioneer Hi­Bred International. This year’s event highlighted Norfolk Southern’s conversion to ABIL­developed soy rail greases and featured presentations by Norfolk Southern’s senior vice president, the president of the GM­RMP Division, Portec Rail Products, Inc., the president of Biobased Industries, LLC and the president of ELM, Inc. Action 7: MCC benefits 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 Electrmetallurgie, Selee Corporation, Fairmount Minerals, HA International and Ashland Chemicals. Its relationships with these companies have positioned the MCC to establish long­term 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. Action 8: 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 Regent 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 9: 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, UNI gateway planting. Action 10: Statewide networking NRVC maintains awareness of its programs and contributes to broadening UNI’s image within Iowa through regular statewide mailings, publication of a quarterly newsletter, and staff meetings with public agencies across the state. Action 14: Lost Landscape film project The Prairie Institute of NRVC is producing 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.
26 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 Regent 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 has 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. The University of Iowa and Iowa State University each have a representative on the IWRC’s Advisory Board, which provides ongoing guidance to its program. The JPEC has an advisory council that brings together UNI faculty and staff with successful entrepreneurs, attorneys and financial sector representatives. 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 committees: American Foundry Society, ASM International, Foundry Education and Society of Manufacturing Engineering.
27 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: Twenty 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. ABIL student assistants generate a substantial volume of data regarding soybean­based lubricants. Students from several disciplines augment what they have learned in their respective programs by their involvement in UNI/ABIL projects. IDM provided research opportunities for 10 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 research projects included:
· Economic impact analysis of local economic development projects
· Analysis of underemployment in Iowa
· Probability models to assess commuting patterns
· GIS overlays for determining laborshed information for Iowa communities 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 waste concerns. Faculty and students from several departments and programs, including Biology, Chemistry, Marketing, Health, Industrial Technology and Earth Science, 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 faculty advisor has coordinated an innovative masters program offered by the Industrial Technology Department through the Division of Continuing Education. The students in the three­year program, started in the spring of 2001, will earn a Master of Arts Degree in Manufacturing Processes/Metal Casting upon the successful completion of their course work. The program is designed for local foundry employees with an undergraduate degree. Classes
28 met twice a week at the John Deere Foundry during the evening hours. The on­site Metal Casting Program, which is accredited by the Foundry Education Foundation and the University of Northern Iowa, is an exemplary educational program, showcasing the mutually beneficial goals between industry’s training needs and the department’s ability to enrich the curriculum with practical, hands­on learning experiences. MPDC provided opportunities for faculty to work with the private sector to gain knowledge that can be used in the classroom. More than 25 faculty members served as instructors for MPDC programs and classes. SMS funded research activity for three faculty members in the Marketing Department in the areas of market analysis and survey techniques. Faculty members provided their expertise to companies, while guiding students through their market research projects. CEEE led a multidisciplinary research team comprised of 14 undergraduate students and nine faculty members in the summer of 2003, 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 five summers of operation, the program has offered more than 60 undergraduates unique research experiences on a multidisciplinary environmental research team. 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. 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 250 students and special research projects and classroom projects for another 675 students. Examples of student experiential learning: During the FY 2003 academic year, ABIL offered experiential learning opportunities to 10 undergraduate students. Opportunities were offered in the areas of applied and basic analytical research, product and process engineering, electronics and instrumentation, basic accounting, and public relations and marketing. Students frequently participate in field projects with industrial partners, as well as with the monitoring and reporting requirements of those field activities. Also, one student tour was hosted, providing soy information to a total of 50 Iowa high school students, and two additional tours hosted 45 Iowa K­12 educators.
29 IDM provided direct experiential learning experiences for 25 undergraduate students and two graduate students in the areas of community economic development and data analysis. Many of the experiential learning experiences included internships at the community level. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center has employed 138 students since its inception. Seven 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. During the past year, the UNI JPEC supported more than 26 students in experiential learning situations. Two were interns in the Center, meeting with clients and doing research for clients in new venture start­ups. One was an intern working on a proprietary small business financial projections software application to assist small business owners. Seven were interns in the new Collegiate VIP program. The JPEC provided transportation and funding to allow 16 students to participate in or attend conferences. The SBDC provided internship opportunities for UNI students in the areas of business acceleration, small business counseling and Smart Start program development. These students gained direct experiential involvement with small business owners at the Center. SMS provided direct experiential learning experiences for 11 students. These included experience in marketing and market research. SMS introduced and now offers a Certificate in Consulting – Market Research. ITOP provided experiential learning opportunities for four students during the past year. Students were involved with all aspects of program implementation including curriculum development, marketing and financial management. 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 100 internships to date with eleven 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. The MCC laboratory and staff directly supports the educational activities in the Department of Industrial Technology. The MCC provides special research projects, assistance, recruitment activities and instructional demonstration. The Metal Casting Center has also supported graduate level research work for three student candidates. 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.
30 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 To date, the UNI IPC has 31 patent disclosures and 21 patent applications. Nine license agreements and disbursements of royalties have also been a part of staff reporting/tracking responsibilities. Total revenue from royalties on UNI license agreements for FY 2003 was $26,296. Action 2: IWRC holds 24 patents, including foreign and domestic The IWRC has a total of five United States patents and 19 foreign patents for variations of an optical spray paint optimization device and a paint gun incorporating a laser device. A local manufacturer, Laser Touch and Technologies, has licensed The Laser Touch ™. This technology has generated approximately $81,894 in revenues to the IWRC since 1998. Action 3: SBDC Coordinates IP with Plant Materials Center The SBDC continued work with the proposed UNI Plant Materials Center to determine what intellectual property rights may be related to the “yellow tag” seed developed in the College of Natural Sciences. Action 4: ABIL develops additional soybean­based products In July of 2003, Dr. Lou Honary received notice from the U.S. Patent Office that all 21 claims associated with his invention “Soybean Oil Impregnation Wood Preservative Process and Products” have been accepted (patent issuance pending). To date, Dr. Honary has been issued a total of seven patents (five jointly, for his research with soybean­based transformer and transmission line fluids). Action 5: 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.
31 Examples of UNI’s Contributions Toward the State’s Targeted Industry Clusters: Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Information Solutions MCC – Advanced Manufacturing The partnerships established with 11 large suppliers of foundry raw materials provide the MCC with information to apply new technologies in Iowa's smaller foundries. This assistance includes information for problem­solving and testing of products for process improvements in individual foundries. The MCC supports the advanced manufacturing cluster groups. The director of the MCC was on the initial advisory group to develop the advanced manufacturing recommendation to the governor. The MCC is also active with two foundry consortia that can be developed into a defined cluster. RRTTC – Advanced Manufacturing and Life Sciences The RRTTC contributes to Iowa’s cluster areas of life sciences and advanced manufacturing by providing technical assistance to Iowa companies and communities regarding the development of economical approaches to solving intractable solid waste problems and by 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 focusing on the above problems, including projects that emphasize sustainable by­product re­ utilization and industrial ecology. Through the Materials Testing Service, Iowa companies have affordable access to the standardized mechanical, physical and chemical testing of metals, polymers and cementitious materials. MTS 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 MTS specializes in assisting companies in by­product reutilization, it has a wide variety of capabilities, meeting the needs of many diverse clients. IDM – Integrating Communities and Regions into Iowa’s Industry Cluster Strategy From the Governor to the State Legislature and media, industry clusters are one of the buzzwords that everyone is talking about. The big question for local development groups is which industry clusters are present in their region? IDM strives to help communities and regions answer that question. IDM received funding from the Community Vitality Center (CVC) to work with rural communities and regions to better determine how their local economic bases tie into identified industry clusters on a sub­regional level. IDM worked with faculty from UNI’s Department of Economics to identify the most appropriate and useful method for completing cluster analysis at a regional or smaller­geography level. IDM focused on cluster analysis approaches that provide local economic developers with a better understanding of their economic base and the presence of industry clusters and help developers prepare economic development strategies that build on the industry clusters. As part of the project, IDM completed three pilot regional cluster analyses that utilized a cluster analysis framework to identify benchmark value­chain industry clusters, benchmark technology clusters and benchmark labor clusters. The advantage of using this framework is that the
32 benchmark value­chain clusters and technology benchmark clusters provide a set of industry clusters based on buyer­supplier linkages of industries. Benchmark labor clusters expand the analyses by providing a set of industry clusters based on the utilization of similar workforce skills by industries that are identified. IDM assists in integrating the results into economic development strategies. IDM received input and feedback from the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Iowa Workforce Development, faculty from Iowa State’s Department of Economics, Iowa Area Development Group and MidAmerican Energy on the industry cluster framework that was utilized in the project and received input on the selection of the pilot communities/regions. JPEC – All Clusters and Capital Formation The Wellmark Community Ventures Fund is a $5 million fund for investment in Iowa businesses over five years. This fund is sponsored by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa, Equity Dynamics and all of the Pappajohn Centers. Applicants to the fund apply through any Pappajohn Center in Iowa. Typical funding is $10,000 to $50,000 in convertible debt financing. Applicant companies must be Iowa­based, for­profit corporations. Types of ventures supported by the fund include technology, bio­technology, educational technology, advanced manufacturing, medical, and cutting­edge computer­related products or software. The JPEC reviews the submissions and recommends favorable businesses to Equity Dynamics for funding. The Cedar Valley Venture Fund is a $1.61 million fund comprised of investors from Black Hawk and its contiguous counties. The fund is a partnership of local investors, Buchanan County Economic Development, Cedar Valley Economic Development, and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. The fund will invest in post­family­and­friends start­ups, follow­on deals, mergers and acquisitions and in succession­based opportunities. The fund will encourage companies from the Cedar Valley and Iowa to apply for investment, but is not limit its investment to Iowa. CVVF will focus on information solutions and advanced manufacturing opportunities. The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center organized and administers the fund and provides the initial due diligence and screening for interested businesses.
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