AgFunder News highlights 20 remote sensing startups, sorted by their main sources of data such as satellites, drones, airplanes, and ground-based sensors.

EnterpriseWorks graduate Agrible is named one of the most prominent players that rely on a combination of drone/airplane-based imagery. Agrible focuses on providing innovative science that farmers and ag companies can use easily every day to improve their production with cloud-based delivery systems, their core offering being the Morning Farm Report.

EnterpriseWorks startup IntelinAir is recognized as one of the most prominent players that rely on either drone or airplane-based data. IntelinAir’s provides farmers in-season insights through aerial imagery analytics powered by traditional computer vision, modern machine learning methodologies and agronomic science.

Read the full story on AgFunder News.

This year, Research Park occupancy reached an all-time high at a staggering 97 percent. With the welcoming of more agricultural, financial services, and global companies, collaboration between innovative businesses, students and faculty have never been greater. Research Park is now home to 110+ companies and employs more than 600 student interns.

Laura Freichs comments on the increase of financial service insurance trading companies, or “FinTech” companies in Research Park, explaining, “I think that most people assume that companies like Google, Microsoft or Facebook are top employers, but one of the trends that we’re starting to see is an opportunity for FinTech companies to offer very exciting jobs.” FinTech company Country Financial opened their DigitaLab this year to develop mobile applications that enhance the customer experience and create brand awareness.

Research Park has also welcomed new AgTech companies, such as AGCO, Syngenta, and Indigo Ag. Laura Freichs states that “The worlds of agriculture and technology have melded together, so you see a lot of the ag companies needing both agronomy expertise and technology expertise.”

This year, Research Park has also welcomed Huawei, a global information and communication technology company based in Shenzhen, China to collaborate with students, scholars and researchers in exploring innovations in software technology. 

Research Park’s occupancy growth does not end there. On December 11, 2017, Brunswick Corporation, will have their grand opening, and Synchrony Financial, a credit card issuer to many retailers, will also have its opening soon.

With occupancy growth comes architectural growth. In order to keep up with interest in the park, Research Park is opening two new buildings, the Mixed Use Building and the TDFV IV Building. This way, occupancy can continue to grow and companies can continue to foster Illinois’ top tech talent.

Read the full story on the Daily Illini.

Granatus Ventures, an Armenian based venture capital firm, has made an investment in EnterpriseWorks startup, IntelinAir. 

IntelinAir creates an intelligence system, AgMRI, that provides farmers actionable in-season insights through aerial imagery analytics. AgMRI is able to detect emergence issues, weeds, nutrient deficiencies, outbreaks, infestations and more. 

IntelinAir plans to use the money to further develop this technology. Naira Hovakimyan, co-founder of IntelinAir, said "We already have 11 scientists and engineers working in Armenia. With the additional investment, we will be able to hire and expand our team more and support the technological developments in Armenia, foster the exchange of ideas and collaborations across two countries."

Read more here.

Aptimmune Biologics, Inc. once again breaks through industry barriers by commercializing the first inactivated musosal vaccine for Influenza A virus in swine, administered via nasal spray. This vaccine helps provide veternarians and swine producers a new way to combat these diseases that can create costly and horrific results as they spread through swine. The vaccine is safe to use, and accurately manages these respirtatory diseases. 

The new vaccine is available in 250-mL and 500-mL bottles, an Aptimmune recommends the swine be vaccinated once at 7-10 days old and then again during weaning, at 3-4 weeks of age. 

Aptimmune Biologics is a startup located at EnterpriseWorks that specializes in developing and marketing a portfolio of revolutionary musosal vaccines that provide answers for the most costly viral diseases that impact swine industry. 

Read more here.

Senior vice president of technology at Agrible, Brent Trenhaile, was recently featured in The News-Gazette for his work with Agrible and Anheuser Busch InBev.  Agrible has partnered with AB InBev to give barley growers useful information and to give them insights on how to grow crops more efficiently.  By taking the information gathered, Agrible and AB InBev are both able to build a global sustainability view by collecting data on the malted barley supply chain, water use, land efficiency and carbon footprints. 

One of Agrible's largest priorities since 2008 was to help growers produce an even more sustainable crop yield.  In order to record farm operations, farmers use Morning Farm Report, a central site of data to give farmers information about their farms such as weather forecasts, energy use, soil loss, water quality, tractor time and more.  Using Morning Farm Report, this helps produce the information necessary to calculate sustainablity metrics.

AB InBev farmers have access to Agrible's Morning Farm Report agriculture software where they can detect disease threats earlier and monitor crops and logistics. Using the Morning Farm Report and AB InBev, there will be global expansion throughout 2018 and beyond.    

Agrible opened an office in 2013 at the EnterpriseWorks incubator and launched Morning Farm Report soon after. The company now has the goal to increase food production by 60% by 2050.  

To read the full story, click here.    

"Made up of several different departments, The John Deere Technology Innovation Center hosts experts across many fields to help the university continue to innovate. In Intellectual Property, a team of key researchers supports the university’s internal library system. In Software Development, the main team for Connect Mobile is located at JDTIC, and works to investigate cloud-based voice recognition systems. And in Agronomy, in-house agronomists help investigate issues in the crop sciences, and once identified, help John Deere design more productive machine solutions."

See more about the John Deere Technology Innovation Center via this fantastic article "A Mutual Partnership: Expanding Technology & Innovation" published online in the John Deere Journal, November 2017. 
 

A Mutual Partnership: Expanding Technology & Innovation

Yazmine Carbajal, an industrial-design student, wants to help older people benefit from new technology.

She recalled the frustrated attempts to assist her 75-year-old grandmother in using an iPad. Shaky hands made it hard for her to use the device’s small buttons, and she kept forgetting the order of multiple functions.

“I thought, Huh, I don’t know how she uses this,” said Carbajal, 23, who attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This past summer, she was in the right place to help. Carbajal interned at the Tech Nest, AARP’s technology design lab, where a colorful mural urges staffers to “disrupt aging.”

Older adults are already using voice-activated and touch-screen systems at home, making it easier to age in place, and self-driving vehicles may improve mobility. But anyone who’s ever squinted at a smartphone screen or poked at a tiny tablet keyboard knows that technology could work better.

That’s why AARP established the Tech Nest, which opened its doors in June 2016.

More on the AARP Tech Nest, visit http://states.aarp.org/disrupting-aging-techs-help/

Decision-makers at Anheuser-Busch InBev see Big Data as a powerful tool in beer making.

That’s why the world’s largest brewer and user of malt barley is investing in an innovative analytics capability to improve the cost, efficiency and quality of its barley production while minimizing impacts to the environment.

Using agriculture software by Agrible Inc., AB InBev wants to provide farmers worldwide access to better data and predictive analytics on crop management and climate effects.

“We are the biggest user of malted barley, so it was up to us to make sure barley remains sustainable and competitive so farmers will want to continue growing it,” says Katie Hoard, global director of ag innovation for AB InBev.

“WE ARE THE BIGGEST USER OF MALTED BARLEY, SO IT WAS UP TO US TO MAKE SURE BARLEY REMAINS SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE SO FARMERS WILL WANT TO CONTINUE GROWING IT.”

AB InBev farmers will gain access to Agrible’s Morning Farm Report agriculture software, which helps growers detect disease threats earlier, improve logistics planning, monitor crops on all fields and improve quality.

The article describes the partnership that developed thanks to the Bud Lab in Research Park and Agrible, a graduate of EnterpriseWorks. For the full article, visit Chief Executive.

In February 2017, "Syngenta launched a Digital Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Research Park where it will employ four full-time employees as well as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student talent to help solve agricultural challenges.

Projects at the Digital Innovation Lab will employ “outside the box” thinking with access to tools, technologies, partnerships and resources that enable the research, investigation and delivery of new and novel solutions for seeds product development using data analytics.

"Innovation in agriculture is the lifeblood of the work we do at Syngenta. Our goal is to bring new talent to solve difficult challenges, with a focus on seed innovation at the Research Park,” said Bill Danker, Syngenta Domain Head, Seeds Research and Breeding.

The center will focus on digital data innovation and strategy, providing Syngenta with agile capabilities to enable the company to accelerate the pace of its digital journey. It will foster new ways to gain insights and make decisions from the company’s data assets. The center will develop capabilities in breeding engineering, digital agriculture, information technology, application development and big data.

In conjuction with the opening of the new office, Syngenta has an industry partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. This partnership enables Syngenta to leverage the NCSA’s unique expertise in high-performance modeling, simulation and big data to gain a competitive edge."

For more on this partnership between Syngenta, NCSA, and the Research Park, please visit https://insidehpc.com/2017/10/hpc-agriculture-ncsa-syngentas-dynamic-partnership/

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 RESEARCH PARK ANNOUNCEMENTS

Happy Thanksgiving to our all Research Park friends, clients, and partners! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful entrepreneurs, innovation leaders, and technology professionals in our community. Thank you for everyone that makes the Research Park such as a special place.

Stay Connected:

Get these announcements emailed to you by signing up for our listserv. "Like" our Research Park Facebook page to track events, RSVP, and see event pictures. Follow us on Twitter @uiresearchpark, Instagram @uiresearchpark, and Snapchat @uiresearchpark. Check out videos from events we tape and content about our clients on our YouTube Channel, researchparkuiuc.

Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for all our wonderful partner companies, supporters, and entrepreneurial partners.

UPCOMING RESEARCH PARK EVENTS

Thursday, Nov 30, 12-1PM
Event: AWARE Workshop with Jackie DiMonte
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Jackie DiMonte will talk about her career journey from her degree in General Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to her current position at Hyde Park Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on high-growth technology startups in the Midwest. 
Sponsor: Research Park and AWARE

Friday, Dec. 1, 12-1PM
Event: Data Science User Group
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: We’re continuing our local user group to foster collaboration and learning in the area of data science.  In this session, we'll be doing a year-end review to dive into the trends in data science in 2017 across industry, research, and technology along with a fun trivia contest with prizes.  We'll also be looking ahead to see what's in store for the data science world in 2018. The discussion will be led by Matt Ahrens, Engineering Director at Oath (Yahoo). Lunch will be provided, so please RSVP.
Sponsor: Research Park and Oath (Yahoo!)

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 12-1PM
Event: Illinois PMBA (Professional MBA) Information Presentation
Location: EnterpriseWorks Conference Room 130
About the Event: Did you know that you can earn your Illinois MBA while working full-time? The professional MBA program is designed for working professionals and classes take place on campus on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Join us for a lunchtime information session at Enterprise Works to learn about the program and how it can impact your career. Learn about scholarships available for employees of Research Park companies. Lunch will be provided!
Sponsor: Illinois PMBA and Research Park

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 12-1PM
Event: Chili Cook Off
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Do you think your chili tops the rest? Showcase your favorite recipe at the Chili Cook Off to be judged by a panel of judges. Each participant is responsible for his/her own crockpot with the minimum size being 2.5 quarts. Register your recipe at: http://go.researchpark.illinois.edu/Chilli. Event attendees are encouraged to bring a $5 donation to benefit the C-U 1-to-1 Mentoring Program.
Sponsor: Research Park

Thursday, Dec. 7, 8AM-12PM
Event: Department of Defense SBIR Workshop at EnterpriseWorks
Location: EnterpriseWorks, 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign
About the Event: Nationally recognized SBIR / STTR consultant Jim Greenwood will be presenting a half day workshop focusing on SBIR funding specific to the Department of Energy (DOE). The workshop is free; however, registration is required. Breakfast will be provided. RSVP at go.illinois.edu/SBIR_DOD.
Please contact Marissa Siero at siebel2@illinois.edu with any questions.
Sponsor: EDA and the Illinois University Incubator Network

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 12-1PM
Event: Oath Women’s Employee Resource Group Presents: A Discussion about Workplace Inclusion Featuring Rep. Carol Ammons
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Rep. Carol Ammons is serving her second term as state representative of the 103rd District. She will be sharing insights from her work in the past 12 years in the male-dominated world of politics. Throughout her many years of public service, Rep. Ammons has worked to further the cause of women throughout Illinois.  Please join us to learn more about her experiences fostering inclusion and diversity. Please RSVP here: https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/3684111. 
Sponsor: Oath (Yahoo!) Women’s Employee Resource Group

Wednesday, Dec 13, 5-7PM
Event: Holiday Party
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Come join the companies of Research Park for an evening of fun, food, drinks, and celebrating the holidays and the past accomplishments of 2017!
Sponsor: Research Park

Friday, Dec 15, 12-1PM
Event: Ethereum Meetup
Location: EnterpriseWorks Room 220
About the Event: Please mark your calendar for our next monthly Ethereum Meetup on 12/15/17. The agenda will be posted closer to the date of the meetup. Lunch will be provided, so please RSVP here.
Sponsor: Research Park and Ethereum Meetup Group

Thursday, Jan 11, 12-1:30PM
Event: Women in Tech Luncheon
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Join us for our Women in Tech Luncheon, featuring Jennifer Bernhard, the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering. RSVP: www.go.researchpark.illinois.edu/womenintech
Sponsor: Research Park and AWARE

Tuesday, Feb 27, 8AM-12PM
Event: USDA SBIR Workshop at EnterpriseWorks
Location: EnterpriseWorks Atrium
About the Event: Nationally recognized SBIR / STTR consultant Jim Greenwood will be presenting a half day workshop focusing on SBIR funding specific to the United States Agriculture Department (USDA). The workshop is free, however registration is required. Breakfast will be served. RSVP at go.illinois.edu/SBIR_DOD.
Please contact Marissa Siero at siebel2@illinois.edu with any questions.
Sponsor: EDA and the Illinois University Incubator Network

Wednesday, Feb 28, All Day
Event: Agricultural Technology Innovation Summit
Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign
About the Event: Creating, developing and building connections between entrepreneurs, industry, and growers is a key component to implementing innovation in agriculture. Registration for AgTech 2018 will open on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Interested in speaking or being on a panel at the AgTech Innovation Summit? Contact Laura Bleill: lwbleill@illinois.edu. Subscribe to our AgTech Innovation Summit mailing list to stay up to date on speakers, panel subjects and more at https://illinois.edu/gm/subscribe/35584. 
Sponsor: Research Park and the College of ACES

Tuesday, March 13, 4:30-7PM
Event: Research Park Career Fair
Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign
About the Event: The Career Fair is a great way for students who are specifically interested in working in the Research Park to meet with employers, both startups and corporate operations. Meet graduate and undergraduate students seeking internship and career opportunities in engineering, business, and technology. Raise awareness of your company. Learn more about additional recruiting opportunities at the University of Illinois. Students do not need to register to attend. To learn more about our Career Fair, watch a videoabout our 2016 event. If you company is interested in participating at the Research Park Career Fair, please contact Jenny Kim at jskim3@illinois.edu.
Sponsor: Research Park in partnership with Career Services offices across UIUC

RESEARCH PARK ANNOUNCEMENTS

EnterpriseWorks Holiday Closures
Due to the University holiday schedule, EnterpriseWorks will be closed on the following days in the next few months: Nov. 24, 25; Dec. 25, 26; Jan. 1 and 15. The building will not be staffed on those days. If you are an EnterpriseWorks tenant or affiliate and you/your employees do not have after-hours access to the building, please contact Cynthia Faullin (cfaullin@illinois.edu).

Job Posting for our Team: Research Park Seeks Data and Reporting Analyst
The Research Park administration seeks a data and reporting analyst who serves a data and reporting function for the Research Park and EnterpriseWorks. This role manages benchmarking of client data for key economic indicators, and leads economic development research through collection and analysis of data from startup companies, incubator programs, and technology commercialization activities. The position will achieve these results through strong quantitative analysis, research skills, process documentation, and communication. This job has not yet posted to the University of Illinois website, but is coming soon. For more information, contact Roger West,rwest@illinois.edu.

Welcome Cathy McArthur, Research Park Event Coordinator
We are pleased to welcome Cathy McArthur as the new Research Park Event Coordinator to help manage the ever-growing programming, events, and tours at the Research Park. She is helping to manage logistics, program execution, and helping to ensure our events run smoothly. She has previously been a private marketing consultant, Director of Sales & Marketing at the iHotel and Conference Center, Director of the Workforce Investment Board, and Assistant to the General Manager at the Champaign Country Club.  

RESEARCH PARK JOB BOARD

Interested in working in the Research Park? Check out our Job Board for available full-time, part-time, and internship positions with Research Park startups and corporations. New openings are added regularly.

RESEARCH PARK IN THE NEWS

Research Park Occupancy Reaches an All Time High

This year, Research Park occupancy reached an all-time high at a staggering 97 percent. With the welcoming of more agricultural, financial services, and global companies, collaboration between innovative businesses, students and faculty have never been greater. Research Park is now home to 110+ companies and employs more than 600 student interns. With occupancy growth comes architectural growth. In order to keep up with interest in the park, Research Park is opening two new buildings, the Mixed Use Building and the TDFV IV Building. This way, occupancy can continue to grow and companies can continue to foster Illinois’ top tech talent. Read the full story on the Daily Illini.

COUNTRY Financial Partners with University of Illinois to Foster Technology Innovation

COUNTRY Financial is investing in student research with an eye on the technological needs of the future. The insurance and financial services company opened a digital innovation lab in the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in November. The DigitaLab has been established by the COUNTRY Financial Information Technology Services (ITS) Department to develop and innovate digital projects, with an emphasis on mobile app development. Find news coverage of this event here and here. 

Agrible and IntelinAir Named in the Most Prominent Remote Sensing Companies

AgFunder News highlights 20 remote sensing startups, with EnterpriseWorks graduate Agrible is named one of the most prominent players that rely on a combination of drone/airplane-based imagery and EnterpriseWorks startup IntelinAir is recognized as one of the most prominent players that rely on either drone or airplane-based data. Read the full story on AgFunder News.

Inprentus Selected for NASA Project

Inprentus, a recent EnterpriseWorks graduate, announced that it has been selected to participate in a project by NASA. Read the full story on the News-Gazette. 

Photonicare, Inc. Selected to Attend Hello Tomorrow Global Summit in Paris, France

Hello Tomorrow is a global organization which gathers together a community of the world’s brightest talents to propel collaborations between entrepreneurs, executives, and investors, to bring breakthrough technology to market. Find more information here.

Huawei Opens Office in the Research Park

The leading solution provider in global information and communication technology, Huawei, opened at the University of Illinois Research Park on Tuesday, October 24. View photos from the event here.

AWARE Grant Recipient Becky Fuller Discusses her new APP BassVision

Fuller’s startup was a recipient of the AWARE—Accelerating Women and under-Represented Entrepreneurs—grant, as well I-Start funding. Read more here.

NCSA and Syngenta’s Dynamic Partnership

NCSA provides Syngenta with high-reporting computing resources to help scientists tackle these issues. Read more here.

AE Machines Wins Fourth Revolution “Product Design” Award
EnterpriseWorks startup AE Machines received the Product Design of the Year Award at the inaugural Fourth Revolution Awards. Read more about the Fourth Revolution Awards here. Read more about AE Machines here.

Autonomic Materials, Inc. Raises $3M in Funding to Improve Product
Autonomic Materials has raised $3 million during its third round of funding. CEO of Autonomic Solutions Gordan Fischer says that Solvey, a Belgian chemical company, led the round of funding and will help Autonomic Materials scale up its first product, which is a self-healing paint to be used in industrial facilities. Read more here.

Anheuser-Busch and Agrible Relationship Improves Barley Production With Big Data

Anheuser-Busch InBev utilizes Agrible's Morning Farm Report in order to enhance AB InBev's existing SmartBarley Platform, which aims to leverage data, technology and insights. Read more here.

Indigo Agriculture, Boston’s “Unicorn Startup,” to Open Office in Research Park

Indigo Agriculture, an ag-tech startup that began in Massachusetts, is opening an office in Research Park to add to the growing number of ag-tech companies in the park. To read the full story, click here.

IntelinAir’s Naira Hovakimyan Recognzied by MechSE Illinois

IntelinAir's founder Naira Hovakimyan was recognized for her success and innovation in a special section of MechSE Illinois, called "Robotics in MechSE." To read the full story, and learn more about robotics in MechSE, click here. 

Deming Chen of Inspirit IoT Discusses Its Low-Cost Security System Technology

Deming Chen, co-founder of EnterpriseWorks startup Inspirit IoT, sat down with The News-Gazette to talk about how his technology is solving safety and security problems on campus. Read the full story here.

Jacob Kreider of Granular Featured in News-Gazette

Jacob Kreider, Engineering Director at Granular, is the latest Research Park affiliate featured on The News-Gazette's Wired In, which highlights different high-tech difference makers in the community each week. Read the full story here.

Agrible Raises $9.7m of $15.7m for Series B Funding

Agrible, an agtech startup located in the Research Park, has raised $9.7 million out of a $15.7 million Series B round of funding. Investors include Maumee Ventures of the Andersons Grain handling company, Flyover Capital, Archer Daniels Midland, Serra Ventures, and iSelect Fund. Read the full original story here.

University of Illinois Ranked #25 of World’s Most Innovative Universities

Every year Reuters ranks the world's most innovative universities. The 2017 ranking was just released, and the University of Illinois was ranked #25 out of all the universities in the world for innovativeness. Read more here.

Champaign-Urbana Recognized in the Top 25 Communities For Immigration Strategy Award

Champaign-Urbana has been named among 25 communities that will be awarded for developing an immigration integration strategy. Efforts will be led by the University YMCA, which has partnered with Research Park, the Champaign County Economic Development Corp., and the cities of Champaign and Urbana to collaborate on the planning process. Read more here here.

Illinois Science and Tech Coalition 2017 STEM Talent Report Released

In 2016, Illinois produced a record 40,400 STEM degrees, representing 31.8 percent of all Illinois graduates, compared with 28.3 percent nationally. STEM talent production in Illinois continues to outpace the nation, growing 10.6 percent annually from 2012 to 2016, compared with 6.5 percent annual growth nationally. Illinois was the fourth fastest growing state for STEM degrees over that period. Computer science (CS) degrees have seen unprecedented growth in Illinois, reaching a record high in 2016. The state has more than doubled its production of CS degrees over the last five years, and is the second largest producer in the country. See the full report here.

CAMPUS EVENTS OF INTEREST

Wednesday, Nov 29, 5-7PM
Event: Social Fuse
Location:  BIF Atrium, 515 E Gregory Drive
About the Event: SocialFuse is a recurring pitching and networking event that brings students, faculty and community together from a variety of majors and backgrounds and fuses them through skills, ideas and entrepreneurial ambition. Attendees can pitch their startup ideas, find teammates, improve presentation skills and get feedback. The event begins with a round of short pitching and idea sharing followed by informal networking. It is mandatory to register to pitch. Register here.

Wednesday, Jan 31, 2-8PM
Event: Business Career Fair
Location:  ARC (Activities and Recreation Center)
About the Event: Meet employers at the Business Career Fairs. Career fairs are held every Fall and Spring semester and host over 100 different companies and thousands of students each day. Attending the Career Fair is an ideal way to network with company representatives and to learn about full-time and internship opportunities. No registration is required for students, but companies can register for a table here.

Thursday, Feb 1, 2-8PM
Event: Business Career Fair
Location:  ARC (Activities and Recreation Center)
About the Event: Meet employers at the Business Career Fairs. Career fairs are held every Fall and Spring semester and host over 100 different companies and thousands of students each day. Attending the Career Fair is an ideal way to network with company representatives and to learn about full-time and internship opportunities. No registration is required for students, but companies can register for a table here.

Tuesday, Feb 6, 1-6PM
Event: Illinois Engineering Spring 2018 Career Fair
Location:  Illini Union
About the Event: Engineering Career Services (ECS) and the Engineering Employment EXPO have combined forces to bring to you one Engineering Career Fair for Spring 2018! Students do not need to register. Companies can register for a table here.

Wednesday, Feb 7, 1-6PM
Event: Illinois Engineering Spring 2018 Career Fair
Location:  Illini Union
About the Event: Engineering Career Services (ECS) and the Engineering Employment EXPO have combined forces to bring to you one Engineering Career Fair for Spring 2018! Students do not need to register. Companies can register for a table here.

Thursday, Feb 8, 1-6PM
Event: Illinois Engineering Spring 2018 Career Fair
Location:  Illini Union
About the Event: Engineering Career Services (ECS) and the Engineering Employment EXPO have combined forces to bring to you one Engineering Career Fair for Spring 2018! Students do not need to register. Companies can register for a table here.

Thursday, Feb 8, 1-6PM
Event: Founders—Illinois Entrepreneurs Student Organization
Location:  Illini Union
About the Event: This segment of the career fair is specifically dedicated to startup companies. Students do not need to register. Companies can register for a table here.

Wednesday, Feb 22, 9:30AM-3:30PM
Event: Civil & Environmental Engineering Job Fair
Location: Crane Bay of Newmark Civil Engineering Labratory
About the Event: Registration for the Spring 2018 Civil and Environmental Engineering Job Fair is now open. Spots will be limited to 70 tables. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Students do not need to register. Companies can register here.

LOCAL/REGIONAL EVENTS OF INTEREST

Wednesday, Dec 6, 8AM-12PM
Event: Department of Energy SBIR Workshop at The Polsky Center at the University of Chicago
Location: The Polsky Center at the University of Chicago
About the Event: Nationally recognized SBIR / STTR consultant Jim Greenwood will be presenting a half day workshop focusing on SBIR funding specific to the Department of Energy (DOE). The workshop is free; however, registration is required. Breakfast will be provided.
RSVP at go.illinois.edu/SBIR_DOE. 
Please contact Marissa Siero at siebel2@illinois.edu with any questions.
Sponsor: EDA and the Illinois University Incubator Network

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce
The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce features networking breakfasts, lunches, after hours, lectures, and more. For information:http://champaigncounty.org/events?oe=true 

Champaign-Urbana Small Business Development 
If you currently own a business and are looking for resources to help your business grow, have a business idea, or have an interest in starting a business, the Illinois SBDC at Champaign County EDC is a vital step to discovering what resources are available to you. Events monthly: http://www.cusbdc.org/events/

2018 Midwest Women in Tech Conference, March 2018, Chicago
The MWiT Conference is the region’s women in tech event of the year. The conference features presentations from an elite group of successful female founders, investors and leaders. These role models will present their views and ideas in presentations that advance women in technology and leadership. More info: http://midwestwomenintech.com/

The Chicago Tech Summit, Spring 2018
The most interesting innovations are found where disciplines, industries, and cultures intersect. The CHICAGO TECH SUMMIT was designed to spur those innovations forward here in Chicago. The summit will tackle technology trends that are having an impact on the local ecosystem and showcase how some of Chicago’s best technology companies are scaling their businesses. For more info, click HERE.

2018 Gateway to Innovation Conference, St. Louis, May 16
Maintaining a competitive edge with innovative IT is critical for companies and organizations of all sizes as we all are tasked to do more with less.  The annual Gateway to Innovation Conference provides a unique opportunity for our region’s IT leadership to gather, to explore ways to maintain a competitive advantage in this global economy, and to grow the IT industry in the St. Louis region. We hope the event provides you many opportunities to learn, engage with other IT professionals, and gain inspiration from regional successes and our national speakers. Info: http://www.g2iconference.com/index.php

Internet of Manufacturing, Chicago, June 5-7, 2018
Over three days, connect with others now ready to drive their digital and IoT-powered business forward. In addition to a handful of innovative solution providers who we have identified as key disruptors in this technology-led market change. More info: http://www.internetofbusiness.net/manufacturingchicago/

The InfoAg Conference
The InfoAg Conference returns to the Union Station in St. Louis. Make plans to attend July 17 - 19, 2018. For more than 20 years, InfoAg has been the leading event in precision agriculture. More info here.

SBIR and STTR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Experienced SBIR professionals have all been contracted by EnterpriseWorks to assist companies with SBIR and STTR applications with free consulting services to East Central Illinois applicants. Request technical assistance here. The following agencies have open solicitations: 
Information on open solicitations is available at https://www.sbir.gov/solicitation-listing/open.
HHS Funding Opportunities are ongoing. Click here. I recently attended the HHS regional conference, for notes from that event please contact me.

Due to the University holiday schedule, EnterpriseWorks will be closed on the following days in the next few months: Nov. 24, 25; Dec. 25, 26; Jan. 1 and 15. The building will not be staffed on those days. If you are an EnterpriseWorks tenant or affiliate and you/your employees do not have after-hours access to the building, please contact Cynthia Faullin (cfaullin@illinois.edu).

Automatic Materials Inc. leads the world in self-healing technology for high-performance coatings, adhesives and sealants.  Located in Champaign, Illinois, AMI's products offer long term coating performance by transmitting extreme corrosion resistance, maintained adhesion and extended service life. 

Throughout the past two years, many AMPARMORTM products have been introduced for use in powder and industrial coatings. AMI also holds the exclusive rights to patented technology created by Autonomous Materials System (AMS) at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute.

Solvay recently joined Camino Real Capital Partners to co-invest $3 million financing round for AMI.  This funding will be used to increase market penetration and commercialization of the technology of AMI.  

Solvay is a specialty chemical company that develops chemistry that addresses key societal changes.  Solvay partners with customers in global end markets to create products to be used in planes, cars, medical devices, batteries, and many other applications promoting sustainability.  Its headquarters located in Brussels with around 27,000 employees in 58 countries. 

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