Technology and Innovation Commons^™

10 Years After Fair Move, Unl Grows Dynamic Innovation Campus, Steven White

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Back at the old State Fair Park in Lincoln, the same grounds where kids once showed have changed, but it's still about agriculture - solving global challenges related to food and water. "To see this build out here is really pretty cool," Black said of his lab. Pretty cool indeed, as the Nebraska Innovation Campus takes shape. "This whole idea of taking the state fairgrounds and retrofitting," Black said. It was an idea Black heard about when he was being recruited to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While it excited academics, many grumbled about the move. In retrospect, the head of …

Nebraska Innovation Campus 2019 Annual Report

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC) is connecting the talents of experts, companies and the university to create a unique culture of innovation. NIC is a campus designed to facilitate new and in-depth partnerships between the University of Nebraska and private sector businesses. NIC is adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and strategically provides access to research faculty, facilities and students.

Annual impact & returns: $324.1 million economic impact from the operation and investments of business, organizations and conferences located at NIC; annual state and local income, sales, and property tax revenue impact $6.48 million; $82.1 million annual employee compensation impact; $13.44 …

Duncan Announced As President Of Aurp Executive Committee

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Daniel Duncan, Nebraska Innovation Campus (https://innovate.unl.edu/) Development Corporation Executive Director, has been elected as president of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) (https://www.aurp.net/) for a two year term. The association announced its 2018-2019 Board of Directors and newly elected leadership during a luncheon at the 2018 International Conference hosted by the University of Maryland’s Discovery District in College Park, MD. AURP is a professional association of university-related research and science parks. The organization’s mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnership. “I was honored to be voted in as president of the …

Innovation Campus Inviting Companies To 'Rise' In New Building, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

In a former life, the site of Nebraska Innovation Campus’ newest building was a copse of trees and vendor stalls near the eastern edge of the midway of State Fair Park. A century later, the Rise Building near 21st Street and Transformation Drive is 80,000 square feet of bright and modern potential campus officials hope attract rising businesses to the up-and-coming research park. Modeled on tech company headquarters in San Francisco and Montreal, the Rise is the “first building built 100 percent on spec” at Innovation Campus, according to Dan Duncan, the campus’ executive director.

Nic Receives Nebraska Recycling Council Member Of The Year Award, Heather Creevan

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The Nebraska Recycling Council held its 2018 Annual Awards Luncheon & Workshops on Tuesday, October 2 at the Country Club of Lincoln. Seven awards were presented to Nebraska communities, businesses and individuals that have excelled at resource recovery and recycling. Nebraska Innovation Campus is Member of the Year American Recycling is Service Provider of the Year Habitat for Humanity of Omaha is Green Team of the Year BD Pharmaceutical Systems, Columbus won the Zero Waste Award City of Lincoln won the Waste Diversion Project of the Year Hofeling Enterprises is End Market of the Year Kevin Creevan of VerMaas Construction …

Nic To House Nebraska's First Self-Driving Shuttle, Scott Schrage

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus is living up to its name. The university’s epicenter of forward-thinking initiatives will temporarily house the state’s first self-driving shuttle, which was announced June 20 at Nebraska Innovation Studio. The City of Lincoln, which won a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to test the autonomous system, plans to release a public riding schedule for the shuttle within the next two weeks. Expected to remain in Lincoln through at least mid-July, the electric-powered shuttle will be monitored by an onboard operator. It carries up to 15 passengers. With the announcement, Nebraska becomes one of the first Big Ten …

Biotech Connector Open For Business

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The Biotech Connector, the state’s first wet-lab business incubator, is now open for business at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Compani es already are using the newly completed 7,700-square-foot facility, according to DanDuncan, NIC’s executive director. The Biotech Connector is a collaboration between NIC and the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development,Bio Nebraska, Invest Nebraska and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The facility provides incubation and acceleration services to bioscience startups and high-growth biotech and research-based businesses. Housed on the fourth floor of the FoodInnovation Center, the incubator offers wet-lab space to develop biotech commercial proof-of-concept …

Innovation Campus Relishing Its Newfound Momentum, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

As Nebraska Innovation Campus was preparing to open a little more than three years ago, university and research park officials asked lawmakers and regents for patience. Speaking to the Board of Regents in September 2014, then-Chancellor Harvey Perlman said the park’s biggest obstacle would be showing an activity level capable of sparking excitement from potential partners. “You want people to believe there is actually something there,” Perlman said at the time. “It’s hard to attract people to go out there to be pioneers when they would be isolated.” Innovation Campus, it seems, has found that spark and begun stoking it …

Nic Earns International Award As Best ‘New’ Research Campus

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Reflecting five years of momentum, Nebraska Innovation Campus was honored with the Emerging Research Park Award from the Association of University Research Parks on Oct. 11. The award, among several of the association’s Awards of Excellence, is presented annually to a research park that has been in operation fewer than 10 years and excels in bringing technology from the laboratory to economically viable business activities, promoting business growth, jobs and public revenue. Those considered for the award must also display participation in the university and federal lab community, positive effecting university research funding and recruitment of superior students, faculty and …

Construction Begins On Newest Nebraska Innovation Campus Building

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Construction on a new 80,000-square-foot, multi-tenant building at Nebraska Innovation Campus (http://www.innovate.unl.edu) is underway. Dan Duncan, NIC’s executive director, said the building continues the momentum of the long-term build-out plan for the research campus. The newest facility – NIC’s fifth – was announced Aug. 30 and is planned to open in late summer 2018 northeast of 21st Street and Transformation Drive. Overall, construction of the campus began in 2012, and within three years, 380,000 square feet of office, conference center, lab, pilot plant and greenhouse space was completed. This year the campus has added restaurant space and welcomed The Mill …

Local View: Partnerships A Proven Model, Tonn Ostergard, Dana Bradford, Tom Hennung, Joann Martin, Larry Miller

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Four years ago, we turned the first shovel of dirt at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Leaders in Nebraska education, business and government had outlined a bold vision for this public-private venture adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. We wanted to combine the expertise of UNL faculty with the resources of the private sector to bring research breakthroughs to market, attract talent to our state and grow Nebraska’s workforce and economy. Almost 20 private partners, tens of thousands of visitors, and hundreds of jobs and student internships later, our only regret is that we didn’t start down this path decades earlier. …

The Mill Coffee & Bistro To Open At Nebraska Innovation Campus

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

NIC's first restaurant has deep roots in Lincoln. Daniel and Tamara Sloan, owners of The Mill Coffee & Tea, announced their plans to open athird Lincoln location at Nebraska Innovation Campus this summer. The new shop, to be called The Mill Coffee & Bistro, will feature The Mill’s signature coffeesand teas as well as an expanded food menu of breakfast items, lunch items, small plates,snacks, wine and beer. The Mill Coffee & Tea (http://millcoffee.com/) is a small-batch craft coffee roaster, espresso bar andtea house that was started in Lincoln in 1975. The original store is now located at 800 P …

Brewing Equipment Added To Food Innovationcenter

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

New services are brewing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Food Innovation Center (http://innovate.unl.edu/food-innovation-center) . Partnering with American Beer Equipment in Lincoln, the university’s Department of Food Science and Technology is bringing a 3.5 barrel, semi-automated brew house online in theFood Innovation Center pilot plants. The equipment, which will be available in the spring, will be used for research into craft beer and other fermented products, developing/testing related products with industry partners, and student instruction. “This brew house will open new doors for the university to expand research and extension work into, essentially, any fermented product,” said Steve Weier, general manager …

Innovation Campus Establishes Art Gallery Space, Taige Hale

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Art exhibitions and dedicated gallery space are helping enhance creative energies at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln research campus, which is focused on developing partnerships between the university and private sector businesses, recently opened the Cooper Foundation Makers Gallery in its Nebraska Innovation Studio maker space. The current exhibition in the gallery is "Member Made" and showcases projects built by maker space members. Innovation Campus is also featuring an exhibition of student artwork, images of quilts on display at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, and a water droplet sculpture by Kansas City artist Matthew Dehaemers. Kate …

Next Innovation Campus Building On Track, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

In two weeks, construction fences will go up on the site of the next Nebraska Innovation Campus building -- 80,000 square feet under development by Tetrad Property Group. At first, the fence will encircle an area set aside for activities related to this year’s Cattlemen’s Ball, which begins June 3 in Lincoln and has a dinner that night at Innovation Campus. Once the tents come down, the fences will remain for the next phase of the research park at the former State Fair Park. Based on the agreement between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and developer Nebraska Nova, Tetrad must begin …

Report: Nic Heating, Cooling System To Cut Environmental Impact In Half, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

By using wastewater to heat and cool its buildings, Nebraska Innovation Campus (http://innovate.unl.edu) will give off only about half as much greenhouse gas as comparable commercial buildings, a new study has found. The findings demonstrate NIC’s emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, said Dan Duncan, the campus’ executive director. “It’s part of the environment we’re trying to create, the culture we’re trying to create,” he said.“We want to show that this is a different place.” Instead of energy-gobbling boilers and cooling towers, the research campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses a stream of effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment …

Nsf Grant To Support Development Of New Phenotyping Instrument, Haley Steinkuhler

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

With support from a National Science Foundation grant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are developing a new tool that will help them better identify plant characteristics that are critical to improving crop performance. The three-year, $534,194 grant will be used to develop an instrument that will improve capacity, sensitivity and throughput for plant phenotyping. Producing enough food and energy for a world population of more than 9 billion by the year2050 is the greatest challenge facing agriculture. To solve the looming global food security challenge, crop stress tolerance and yields must increase. Researchers around the world are studying plant characteristics, or …

Innovation Campus Grand Opening Continues, University Communication

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus [http://innovate.unl.edu] will open its doors to the public Oct. 9 to celebrate its grand opening. The grand opening celebration at Nebraska Innovation Campus continues today with public tours and a Nebraska Alumni Association“Football Friday” event. NIC works to connect private business partners with the talent of UNL faculty for the purpose of transforming ideas into innovations. NIC has established a collaborative and innovative culture that nurtures dynamic, creative energy. Campus tours begin at 4 and 4:30 p.m. From 5 to 7 p.m., the Nebraska Alumni Association will host Football Friday at NIC in anticipation of the Oct. …

Grant To Boost Innovation Campus, Biotech Startups, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will use a $750,000 grant from the U.S.Department of Commerce to build biotechnology lab space at Nebraska Innovation Campus for small and start-up companies. Together with unused construction funds to match the federal Economic Development Administration's grant, UNL will create a “biotechnology connector program” to stimulate economic growth in fields from agriculture to pharmaceuticals. Within months, 10,000 square feet of vacant space at the Food Innovation Center will become laboratory space for up to eight small companies a year for the next nine years,said Matt Erskine, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. “This investment …

Nu's Innovation Campus To Host Packaged Korean Food Producer's Research Hq, Joe Duggan

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

LINCOLN — On land once famed for food on a stick, an Omaha entrepreneur declared Monday that she’s hoping to put kim chi on a shelf. Suji Park, founder and “chief inspirational officer” of Suji’s Cuisine USA, announced that the company will soon open a modest research and development division at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln technology park occupies the former location of the Nebraska State Fair. Park, who employs six staff members at a marketing office at 1299 Farnam St. in Omaha, said the company last week launched a line of packaged Korean barbecued beef and pork …

Innovation Campus Adds Korean Food Processor, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Suji Park owns and operates Korean restaurants in South Korea and Japan -- and caters food service at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul -- but she has long been drawn to Nebraska’s status as the Beef State. “It’s the Silicon Valley of red meat,” said Park, whose Suji’s Cuisine was announced Monday as the fifth private company and first international tenant of Nebraska Innovation Campus. They already have a sales office employing six people in Omaha. When the Korean food manufacturer opens a research office in the Food Innovation Commons this summer, Park said, Suji’s Cuisine will expand its line …

Wood Cut From State Fair Park Trees Crafted Into Table, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

In line with the renovation of the former 4-H Building and Industrial Arts Building,Nebraska Innovation Campus is continuing to make the old new. Few remnants of the former State Fair Park remain, but trees removed from the old fairgrounds during construction have been repurposed into furniture for the 250-acrecampus. Innovation Campus, which is nearing opening its second building, installed a new boardroom table last week crafted from green ash trees that once lined the western edge of State Fair Park, said Josh Berger, director of operations at Tetrad Property Group, the site's developer. “Between here and Devaney, we had to …

World-Herald Editorial: Right Vision For Nu'sinnovation Campus Project, Omaha World-Herald

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Innovation Campus is the University of Nebraska’s commendable effort to create a world-class scientific research park on the former Nebraska State Fairgrounds. Rather than blindly copying what’s being done in, say, Massachusetts or North Carolina,Innovation Campus is rightly building on Nebraska’s proven strengths. The point isn’t gargantuan size. Instead, it’s quality and specialization, using sound long-term planning and a phased approach to construction. Using a mix of $25 million in public funds and more than $100 million in private contributions,the project is focusing on fields in which Nebraska already has a strong reputation. A key example: food science. Innovation Campus …

Unl To Sublease Space At Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus could move closer to independence when the University of Nebraska Board of Regents considers giving the research and development park more authority over its operations. Regents are set to consider allowing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to approve sublease swithin its master-leased areas of Innovation Campus, as well as add structures to the terms of directors overseeing campus operations. UNL's footprint at Innovation Campus has expanded significantly this year after regents approved a $4.5 million lease for space in the Food Innovation Center. That 117,000-square-foot area, set to open in summer 2015, will be the new home to …

City, Unl Partner To Create Unique Renewable Energy System At Nic, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Through a unique renewable energy system, UNL students and Lincoln residents help provide energy to heat and cool Nebraska Innovation Campus when they shower and flush. The Centralized Renewable Energy System, or CRES, warms and cools buildings by exchanging heat from treated wastewater discharged from a city facility next to the research park. Sustainable energy strategies are an important part of Nebraska Innovation Campus' value proposition, NIC executive director Dan Duncan said. "It's part of the culture we want to build at Innovation Campus," he said. "We need to do things differently and we need to think about things differently." …

Nebraska Innovation Campus Poised For Next Phase Of Growth, Melissa Lee

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Phase I of development at UNL's Nebraska Innovation Campus is ahead of schedule, with facilities taking shape that will attract talent, open new opportunities for students and faculty and grow Nebraska’s economy. The historic 4-H Building, linked to a new building, forms Innovation Commons, a state-of-the-art facility that houses a conference center and where Innovation Studio, a “maker space” for innovators and a business accelerator are underway. Already, the conference center has hosted a “demo day” for Nebraska startup businesses that attracted 300 attendees interested in entrepreneurship. A Food Innovation Center, scheduled to open in 2015, will house UNL’s growing …

Innovation Campus Newest Piece Of Nu'stradition Of Excellence, Mike Johanns

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Throughout the years, the University of Nebraska (NU) System has transformed and adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of our state. It continues to innovate and adapt to new technologies, ensuring our students receive a quality education while providing top-tier research for the nation. Part of that evolution is the Nebraska Innovation Campus(NIC) that will bring new opportunities to our students and state. I enjoyed touring the new facility this month with Chancellor Harvey Perlman and NIC’s Executive Director Dan Duncan. Still in its first phase of construction, the impressive facility is a research campus designed to facilitate new and …

Startran To Add Route To Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

StarTran will add a bus route to shuttle University of Nebraska-Lincoln students to and from Nebraska Innovation Campus beginning in August2015. The NU Board of Regents approved a five-year, $4.1 million agreement for bus service with the city of Lincoln on Friday, including the new route connecting UNL’s City and East campuses with Innovation Campus. The agreement comes on the heels of the board acquiring $4.5 million in additional lease space at Innovation Campus in February, furthering plans to move the Food Sciences and Technology Department from its home in the Food Industry Complex on East Campus. Under the terms …

Food Sciences Moving To Innovation Campus, Chris Dunker

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The University of Nebraska added $4.5 million in leased space at Nebraska Innovation Campus Friday, bringing its total lease commitment at the research and technology park to $7.8 million. The NU Board of Regents approved a plan adding 117,000 additional square feet of space tothe campus and moving the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Food Science and Technology Department to the campus in 2015. NU committed in 2012 to more than 31,000 square feet of office space in the Innovation Commons -- the former 4-H Building at the old State Fair Park -- expected to open later this year. Last year, NU …

First Nic Facilities Roll Toward Summer Finish, Troy Fedderson

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

Nebraska Innovation Campus will open for business this summer as the first two buildings and a four-season greenhouse go online. Construction on the former State Fair Park continues as the two buildings — the former 4-H Building and new Companion Building — are scheduled to open for a June move-in. Work on the state-of-the-art greenhouse will begin soon. “This will again be a key year for Nebraska Innovation Campus,” said Dan Duncan, executive director of the private/public research campus. “Last year was key because we started construction. Next year will be key as we continue to develop and build. This …