History
Research Park gained the approval of the Board of Trustees in November 1999 and established its governance with the University of Illinois Research Park Limited Liability Company in March 2000. The Research Park opened its first building in 2001 and grew into a 200-acre technology hub for corporate research and development operations. In 2003, the State of Illinois provided funding to build the EnterpriseWorks Incubator, a 43,000 square-foot business technology incubator for early-stage tech firms, and the first tenants moved in during early 2004. In May 2000, the University entered into a partnership with Fox/Atkins who now leases the land from the university and constructs customized buildings for Research Park's tenants. The company is responsible for transforming the land from fish ponds, agricultural fields, and livestock barns. By 2004, the Research Park hosted 35 tenants, 702 employees and 5 buildings.New Developments
The next phase of development in the new master developer agreement is to add 160 acres of additional land east of the main Research Park area. The total operation in Research Park annually contributes $4.1 million in tax revenues to the state of Illinois. The total construction over 10 years contributed $7.2 million in state tax revenue. The Research Park Master Plan, adopted in September 2018 by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, aims to double its size and continue attracting more companies, employees, and private development. This vision is a concept for a new building that would address two known factors impacting the future growth of the Research Park. The first being a lack of adequate lab facilities for growth-stage startup companies, in the community and throughout the state of Illinois; secondly, the need for additional Research Park community spaces providing an environment for creative collisions between the companies, employees, and faculty.EnterpriseWorks Incubator
The EnterpriseWorks Incubator provides a bridge between the research of the University and the commercialization of technology by university faculty, researchers, and students. The award-winning incubator provides free counseling services to technology entrepreneurs and facilities such as laboratories, offices, conference rooms, kitchen, and co-working space. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is a free service provided by Research Park which consists of 7 experience tech entrepreneurs who provide monthly consulting to new startup ventures and prospective entrepreneurs. Research Park and the EnterpriseWorks Incubator hold educational, training, social, and networking events to facilitate a community feel while providing a place where the newest startups have the opportunity to develop relationships with established national and international corporations. The incubator has basic labs as well as full fit-out labs for chemical and life science companies. All leases in EnterpriseWorks last one year; renewal is based on company progress and the continued need for services. In addition to office and lab space, EnterpriseWorks offers complementary conference room space to its tenants. Rooms for groups from six to 30 persons are available by reservation. Kitchen and vending services are also on-site.Notable tenants
As of 2019, 24 percent of startups at EnterpriseWorks have been founded by University students, while startups led by faculty and staff members account for 55 percent.Notable graduates
* ShareThis in 2007 *Awards
* EnterpriseWorks receives $50,000 award from the Small Business Administration Growth Accelerator Fund Competition * Urbana, IL named a Top Startup City by Popular Mechanics, mainly due to the UI Research Park community * One of Three College-Town Incubators to watch byRecent company openings
* BP Innovation Center in April 2019 * Synchrony Emerging Technology Center in April 2018 * Monsanto Innovation Center in February 2018 * AGCO Acceleration Center in January 2018 * Country Financial Digitalab in November 2017 * Carle Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Facility in January 2017 *References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Research Park, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1999 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Business parks of the United States Economy of Illinois Science parks in the United States University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign