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I N N OVATI O N A N D ECO N O M I C P ROS P ER IT Y U N IV ER S ITI E S
AWA R DS P RO G R A M
I E P CAT EG ORY • I N NOVAT ION
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Innovation at the University
of Illinois Research Park
The Research Park at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a
technology hub for corporate research
and development operations and startup
companies. Established in 2001 to help
advance the economic development mission
of the University, the Research Park has an
estimated total annual economic output of
$169.5 million.
The Research Park provides an environment
where technology-based businesses can
work with University faculty and students
and take advantage of opportunities for
collaborative research. The Research Park
serves corporations by providing workforce
development needs, including a pipeline
of tech talent and professional continuing
education opportunities. In addition, the
Research Park houses EnterpriseWorks, the
University’s startup incubator.
The Research Park significantly impacts the community by incubating new
startups, attracting large corporations, creating jobs, and contributing
millions of dollars in tax revenue to the state and local community.
A visible result of the incorporation of economic development and innovation into its core
mission, the Research Park has sprouted a vibrant, multidisciplinary community producing highly
influential technological advances.
RESEARCH PARK INNOVATION CENTERS
Nineteen major corporations—nine of which
opened in the last year—have innovation
centers located at the Research Park. There is
tremendous value gained from the corporate
engagement with students and faculty. It
often leads to greater corporate research and
product development.
February 2015 – Ameren Innovation Center
Ameren Corporation, a St. Louis-based
Fortune 500 energy company, is the first major energy company to open an Innovation Center on
the University of Illinois campus.
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The Ameren Innovation Center collaborates
with students, faculty, and other Research
Park companies across multiple industries
to foster an exploratory environment that
focuses on innovations to help Ameren better
meet the future needs of its customers.
Undergraduate and graduate students from
many disciplines work on projects ranging
from data analytics and mobile applications
to projects that focus on the needs of the
utility of the future. Some of these projects
will leverage the Ameren Illinois’ Technology
Application Center in Champaign, an on-grid
testing facility for smart grid technologies.
Vice President for Research Larry Schook at Ameren Innovation Center
“The opening of the Ameren Innovation
Grand Opening
Center represents growth, opportunity,
prosperity, and competitiveness,” said University of Illinois Vice President for Research
Larry Schook. “The new Innovation Center here in Research Park provides an opportunity
for University of Illinois students to gain valuable work experience as they prepare to enter
the workforce. And with the help of some of the world’s brightest students and faculty,
this partnership will result in innovative strategies that help modernize energy delivery in
Illinois.”
February 2015—Caterpillar Data Innovation Lab
Caterpillar’s first data innovation lab is located in the University of Illinois Research Park. The
lab brings together resources from key fields for the company’s research and development
efforts, including engineering, computer science, operations research and statistics, to drive
innovative development through data analysis. Work at the data innovation lab focuses on
the exploration of emerging and disruptive data-based technologies and advanced analytics
technologies, demonstrated through proof
of concept projects. The lab also expands
upon Caterpillar’s existing recruitment
efforts with the University to engage future
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) talent through novel
research and development opportunities,
which is a key component of the company’s
innovation strategy.
The Caterpillar Simulation Center, also
located in the Research Park, is a leading
engineering hub for virtual product
Research Park Director Laura Frerichs is joined by elected officials,
University leadership, and Caterpillar staff at the Caterpillar Data
Innovation Lab Grand Opening
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development, advanced simulation and design solutions. It operates in conjunction with the
University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and celebrated its
15th anniversary last year.
January 2015—AbbVie Innovation Center
AbbVie—a global research-based
biopharmaceutical company—launched the
AbbVie Innovation Center at the University of
Illinois Research Park as a collaborative work
center with a focus on information technology
research and development. Undergraduate
and graduate students work on a variety of
projects ranging from utilizing visualization
software to harnessing the power of reporting
tools to using informatics, text mining
and other analytics software to uncover
connections in medical research, all of which
can lead to discoveries that will improve
patient care.
AbbVie Innovation Center interns
“Research Park prides itself on providing students with experiential learning opportunities
that prepare them for the workforce and to be productive citizens that contribute to the
state’s economic growth,” said Research Park Director Laura Frerichs. “Students employed
by the AbbVie Innovation Center not only gain valuable work experience, but they have the
opportunity to develop innovative therapies and impact people’s lives.
NSF I-CORPS
The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program prepares scientists
and engineers to commercialize their research discoveries into marketable technologies. The
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of ten I-Corps Sites in the country. The site
prepares teams to apply for the national I-Corps program in partnership with the University’s
Office of Technology Management, IllinoisVENTURES, EntepriseWorks, and the Technology
Entrepreneur Center. Since 2013, 51 University of Illinois teams have participated in the I-Corps
program.
Photonicare, a startup company that developed a novel otoscope that allows physicians to better
diagnose and manage ear infections, participated in the NSF I-Corps program, which led to direct
contact with more than 40 potential customers and the company’s acceptance into a national
program that provided access to some of the top otologists in the world, access to an additional
120 customers, invaluable business connections, funding, and a Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) Pediatric Device Innovator Award.
“NSF I-Corps was instrumental in the successful launch of PhotoniCare,” said Dr.
Stephen Boppart, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Professor and Co-founder
of PhotoniCare. “This public-private partnership program is a vital component of the
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University of Illinois’ innovation pipeline, and on behalf of faculty researchers, we are very
fortunate to have access to this opportunity.”
CONCLUSION
The Research Park at the University of Illinois is the most visible result of the incorporation
of economic development into the University’s core mission. Its corporate innovation centers
and entrepreneurial support programs such as NSF I-Corps, provide innovative opportunities
for faculty and students to collaborate with industry. The Research Park’s thriving innovative
community is the result of an intentional transformation in the University of Illinois’ approach to
entrepreneurial activity, one that encompasses the entire campus and local community.
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