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Grand Opening: Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab

We were thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Syngenta‘s new Digital Innovation Lab at University of Illinois Research Park today! 

The Syngenta Digital Innovation Lab in Champaign serves as an incubator for new ideas that address the goal of feeding the world’s burgeoning population. They are part of an ecosystem of digital innovation labs developing tools and technologies for Syngenta’s worldwide agricultural operations. In this collaborative and dynamic environment, they encourage “out-of-the-box” solutions that challenge the status quo.

From the press release:

Syngenta Establishes Digital Innovation Lab at University of Illinois

Center at University Research Park and a new partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications will innovate grower solutions in North America

Champaign, IL— February 23, 2017 — Syngenta today announced it has established 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.

“The opening of the Syngenta Innovation Center at Research Park is a welcome new addition that continues to strengthen the relationship between Syngenta and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,” said Chancellor Robert J. Jones. “The opportunity for our students to be active participants in finding the solutions to increasingly complex societal challenges brought about by an expanding global population adds enormous value to their educational experience. The new center really capitalizes on the internationally recognized expertise in High Performance Computing (HPC), data sciences, and agriculture science at Illinois in ways to enhance Syngenta’s drive for innovation.”

The new Research Park operation is located on campus to better connect industry with researchers and students. The center will start with a full-time site director, recruit professionaltaff, and employ students, who

will work on developing projects using technologies such as smart farming, mobile applications, cloud services, and big data.

“Digital innovation and integrating our data for greater insight is becoming a critical part of how we invent and bring new products to market, and support them in the market. This new capability will add creativity to the way we approach digital innovation,” said John Ormrod, Syngenta Head IS Global R&D.

Student hiring is underway with the goal to be fully operational by the summer.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/Syngenta.

About the University of Illinois

The University of Illinois is a world leader in research, teaching and discovery. Distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty, the University of Illinois has a commitment of excellence in teaching, research, public service and economic development. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign serves the state, the nation, and the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and addressing critical societal needs through the transfer and application of knowledge.

About the Research Park at the University of Illinois

The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are more than 100 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. More information at researchpark.illinois.edu.

About the National Center for Supercomputing Applications

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) provides computing, data, networking, and visualization resources and expertise that help scientists and engineers across the country better understand and improve our world. NCSA is an interdisciplinary hub and is engaged in research and education collaborations with colleagues and students across the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information, see www.ncsa.illinois.edu.

View photos from the grand opening event here.

Press:

Syngenta to open lab at UI Research Park, The News-Gazette

Ag business helps fill Research Park, WCIA 3 News

One of the Largest Agriculture Companies Comes to U of I, Fox Illinois 55/27

U Illinois Urbana-Champaign ‘Cultivates’ Research With AgTech Industry, Campus Technology

 

NCSA’S Blue Waters Project Provides $1.08 Billion Direct Return to Illinois’ Economy

From the press release: 

Champaign, IL – May 10, 2017 – The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign released a study Wednesday detailing the current and projected economic impact of its Blue Waters project on Illinois’ economy. The project manages the nation’s most powerful sustained-performance supercomputer for open-science and its related workforce development and education program. The study finds that the Blue Waters project—which is a joint investment between the State of Illinois, the University of Illinois, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and related activities funded by the university, NSF and other federal agencies—has a projected $1.08 billion direct economic impact on Illinois’ economy and will have created 5,772 full-time equivalent employment over the project’s lifespan (October 2007 – June 2019).

Conducted by Dr. Sandy Dall’erba, Director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory and Associate Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the study calculated in 2015 values the project’s impact on the creation of economic output (production), employment (Full Time Equivalent, FTE), labor income, local and state tax revenues, and federal tax revenues. The $1.08 billion in economic impact includes $487,143,813 in labor income from 5,772 FTEs, $56,477,093 in state and local taxes, $122,813,903 in federal taxes, and a $227,300,00 impact resulting from research grants awarded from granting agencies to Illinois researchers, faculty, and students because they had access to conduct research on Blue Waters. The study does not include additional economic and societal benefits coming from the significant amount of computer time provided to Illinois researchers, strategic projects, and industry, nor does it account for the workforce development activities of the Blue Waters project—as they are a magnet for recruiting expert talent to Illinois—or the impacts of the science, engineering and research results that can only be accomplished on the Blue Waters.

Another way to express these results is through a multiplier, a measure of the “bang for the buck.” Over the project’s lifespan (October 2007 – June 2019), Blue Waters’ output multiplier is 1.864 (every $1 spent for BW-related activities leads to an additional $0.864 of production in the state economy) and its employment multiplier is 2.044 (every job created by BW-related activities leads to one additional job created in the state economy).

“My sincerest gratitude goes to the University of Illinois, the State of Illinois, and the National Science Foundation for supporting this critical project which is enabling us to better understand our world, improve quality of life, and develop the nation’s advanced digital workforce,” said Dr. William “Bill” Gropp, NCSA interim director and co-principal investigator for the Blue Waters project. “State and federal support for advanced high-performance computing provides immediate economic impact for our communities and positions the United States to lead the world during a critical era for cyberinfrastructure and at the same time provide unique future contributions from the results Blue Waters enables.”

Illinois was awarded the $360 million Blue Waters project through an NSF Request for Proposal process in 2007. The construction of the National Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF), a state-of-the-art computing and data center housing the system, was made possible by investments of $60 million by the State of Illinois and $87 million by the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus. The construction of the NPCF alone (July 2008-June 2012) generated about $131.7 million in total impact on Illinois’ economy, which includes the creation of 701 direct and indirect jobs, ranging from construction, to technical, to administration. The construction generated $4.3 million in local and state taxes and $9.6 million in federal taxes.

“Illinois is proud to have partnered with the National Science Foundation to support this bold endeavor to create leadership-class resources for researchers in Illinois and around the nation,” said Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus. “NCSA has once again proven its ability to excel at stewarding major infrastructure investments and scientific innovations. We intend to continue leading the nation in high-performance computing.”

The Blue Waters project, which has just completed its fourth full year of full service operations, is a key resource for recruiting and retaining world-class researchers and academic professionals. Since the project went online in April of 2013 until the study began in June 2016, it has supported 1,892 direct and indirect jobs and $177.9 million in labor income throughout the State of Illinois. The presence of Blue Waters during this period created a total of $20.9 million in local and state taxes and $41.8 million in federal taxes. The full operation and maintenance has generated a total impact of nearly $380.4 million, $227.3 million of which is due to research grants awarded to faculty with Blue Waters computing allocations.

The resulting overall direct economic impact sums to $1.08B for Illinois along with all the other benefits to the state, the university and nation the Blue Waters project brings.

“I applaud NCSA for its successfully stewardship of Illinois’ financial support that has enabled this best-in-class education program and resources for Illinois students and researchers,” said Rep. Kelly Burke (D-36), chair of the Illinois House of Representatives Higher Education Appropriations Committee.

The report’s executive summary, including methodology, is publicly available for download.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing and advanced digital resources for the nation’s science enterprise. At NCSA, University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and collaborators from around the globe use advanced digital resources to address research grand challenges for the benefit of science and society. NCSA has been advancing one third of the Fortune 50 for more than 30 years by bringing industry, researchers, and students together to solve grand challenges at rapid speed and scale.

ABOUT NCSA’S BLUE WATERS PROJECT

The Blue Waters petascale supercomputer is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and is the fastest supercomputer on a university campus. Blue Waters uses hundreds of thousands of computational cores to achieve peak performance of more than 13 quadrillion calculations per second. Blue Waters has more memory and faster data storage than any other open system in the world. Scientists and engineers across the country use the computing and data power of Blue Waters to tackle a wide range of challenges. Recent advances that were not possible without these resources include computationally designing the first set of antibody prototypes to detect the Ebola virus, simulating the HIV capsid, visualizing the formation of the first galaxies and exploding stars, and understanding how the layout of a city can impact supercell thunderstorms.

The Blue Waters sustained-petascale computing project which is supported by the National Science Foundation (awards OCI-0725070 and ACI-1238993) and the state of Illinois. Blue Waters is a joint effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Press:

UIUC’s Supercomputer Has a Projected $1B Impact On Illinois’ Economy, ChicagoInno

Busey Presents 65th Champaign County Economic Seminar

From the press release:

CHAMPAIGN, IL – May 4, 2017 – From agricultural output and payrolls of major employers to new home construction and retail sales, Ed Scharlau, Vice Chairman of Busey Bank, outlined the local economy during the 65th Champaign County Economic Seminar at the I Hotel & Conference Center in Champaign. Robert Jones, Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Van Dukeman, President & Chief Executive Officer of First Busey Corporation, presented their views. This year’s theme was Shaping the Future—reflecting on the life-changing innovation from the University of Illinois as we celebrate its sesquicentennial.

“From improving the way we search the internet and discovering a domain of life to paving the way for wheelchair accessibility, the University of Illinois has shaped the future of our community and the globe,” says Ed Scharlau, Vice Chairman of Busey Bank. “We congratulate the University on its exceptional achievements, history-making milestones and positive economic impact throughout its 150 years in Champaign County.”

The University of Illinois is the number one employer in Champaign County, but its payroll could stall, warns Scharlau, if lawmakers don’t resolve the state budget issues. Payroll on the Urbana-Champaign campus is expected to decrease by $14 million in 2017 to $986 million. More students are choosing to study at the U of I. Enrollment on the Urbana-Champaign campus is expected to increase from 44,800 last fall—making Illinois the seventh largest public campus in the country.

“As we celebrate the University’s sesquicentennial, we also congratulate Parkland College in Champaign on its 50th anniversary in 2016,” says Scharlau. Throughout its half-century of service to our community, more than 300,000 individuals have enrolled in courses at the college. Parkland College is the third largest community college in Illinois.

Healthcare employs more than 8,000 people and is the second largest employer in Champaign County along with Presence Covenant Medical Center, Christie Clinic, Carle Hospital and Carle Physicians Group. “A major game changer in our community is the Carle Illinois College of Medicine,” says Scharlau. “It’s the first medical school in the nation focused on the intersection of engineering and medicine.” Class gets underway August 2018.

Moving to retail sales, they were $2.765 billion last year, according to sales tax data, compared to $2.737 billion the year before. $2.819 billion is anticipated in 2017. Automobile sales are strong—up 3.1% in December 2016. Scharlau says “13% of every dollar spent in Champaign County is for vehicles and gasoline.”

Looking at the housing market, “Home sales are up 11% from 2015—the best in a decade,” says Scharlau. According to the Champaign County Association of REALTORS® , 438 homes were sold in the first quarter of 2017 compared to 416 homes the same time last year. Scharlau says new home construction is holding steady, citing data from Illinois American Water. If the projection is right, 275 new homes will be built in 2017 in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy.

Champaign County’s agricultural output totaled $382 million in 2016—exceeding expectations of Busey Ag Services. “Our ag team credits higher yields in both soybeans and corn,” says Scharlau, “with the average yield for corn at 210 bushels per acre in 2016.” The yield is expected to decrease slightly to 183 bushels per acre this year, but it is still higher than the trend line—according to experts. Busey Ag Services anticipates $337 million in agricultural output in 2017. Meanwhile, values for the most productive farmland—“Class A,” as defined by soil productivity research at the University of Illinois—is now at $10,500 to $11,500 an acre.

Moving to population, Champaign County has grown by 7,338 people from 2010 to 2016 with a population of 208,419. To provide a size comparison, the populations of surrounding counties include: Sangamon County at 198,997, Mclean County at 174,061, Macon County at 108,350 and Vermilion County at 79,728.

Looking at unemployment, Champaign County is at 4.4% for March 2017 compared to 4.7% for Illinois. “Although our community has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, we need to remember people are unemployed and looking for jobs,” says Scharlau. For comparison, unemployment in surrounding counties for the same time period include: Vermillion County at 6.4%, Peoria County at 6.3%, Macon County at 5.7%, Sangamon County at 4.5% and McLean County at 4.3%.

Guests appear optimistic about the economy this year. Here are the results taken at the seminar:

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average will be 23,517.
  • The rate of inflation will be at 2.5 percent.
  • Retail Sales in Champaign County will increase by 2.8% this year.
  • The number of new single-family homes in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy will be 279.

To watch the Economic Seminar in its entirety, tune in to Urbana Public Television in May. For the broadcast schedule, visit urbanapublictelevision.yolasite.com. The program will also be available on Busey’s YouTube Channel. Busey is honored to be an advocate for education—proudly presenting the annual Champaign County Economic Seminar, Economic Outlook for McLean County, Economic Outlook for the Peoria Area and Economic & Financial Market Outlook in Southwest Florida. To discover Busey’s impact in the communities we serve, read the Community Engagement Report—a proud partner for purpose and progress.

Press:

Busey Executive Sees Continued Strong Economy In Champaign County, WILL 

Busey vice chairman: County’s financial forecast still strong, The News-Gazette

Decatur, Champaign EDCs Announce Partnership

From the press release:

DECATUR, IL, April 19, 2017 – Businesses in the Decatur area now have local access to the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the United States. Officials from the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Decatur – Macon County and Champaign County EDC announced the expansion of the Illinois Small Business Development Center and International Trade Center.

“Strategic relationships with quality organizations like the Champaign County EDC will bring additional resources to benefit businesses in the Decatur community,” said Ryan McCrady, President of the EDC of Decatur – Macon County. “This will also help improve the economic development opportunities in all of Central Illinois. Combining the unique assets of Macon and Champaign counties will create a formidable presence with respect to business attraction and expansion in the region.”

The Champaign County EDC hosts the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the region, and with the new partnership these services will be offered on a regular basis through the Decatur EDC. Led by Don Elmore, the SBDC assists in job creation, supports entrepreneurship, business start-up, expansion, productivity, and works to sharpen small business management in the region. The EDCs and partners accomplish this through one-on-one counseling, technical assistance, training seminars, information provision, networking opportunities and business development and real estate expertise.

Expanding the reach of small business development initiatives beyond Illinois, similar partnerships in regions like Florida play a vital role in fostering entrepreneurship and economic growth. Just as the Champaign County EDC champions small business support, counterparts in Florida, such as those affiliated with https://exprealty.com/us/fl/orlando/, contribute to the fabric of local economies by providing essential resources and expertise. hrough collaborative efforts between economic development organizations and real estate professionals, communities flourish, businesses thrive, and families find not just houses, but the spaces where memories are made and futures are forged.

The vast exporting capabilities of the Midwest Inland Port bring the need for additional services to be offered locally through the International Trade Center (ITC). ITC provides support in evaluating a company’s readiness to export, shipping and logistics, compliance regulations, international business planning, and more. Headed by certified International Trade Specialist, Kathie Cravens, ITC is uniquely qualified to provide a wide range of assistance in all aspects of international trade and export assistance. From in-depth advice on international trade techniques to export processes and international market opportunities, the ITC can play an advisory role at no cost.

“The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC is thrilled to provide business development and international trade services through the EDC of Decatur & Macon County and the Midwest Inland Port,” said Craig Rost, Executive Director of Champaign County EDC. “Our counties comprise a regional workforce and business environment in Central Illinois – working together will develop new business and employment growth in our communities and enhance an already strong regional workforce, which in turn will attract new employers to our counties.”

Decatur based manufacturing company T/CCI has been utilizing the services of the International Trade Services for several years. “At first, I was driving to Wisconsin for exporting seminars,” said Shirley Leevy, Inventory/Logistics Manager for T/CCI. “The requirements and forms to export are constantly changing and a company needs expert guidance to stay up-to-date on what you need to know and what you need to meet to export your company’s goods. Having accesses to these resources in Decatur will be a huge benefit to local businesses and will save the expense in both money and time from traveling elsewhere for the training seminars.”

An Illinois SBDC “Starting Your Business in Illinois” workshop will be held at the Decatur EDC office on May 11th from 9-11 AM, and on May 25th from 2-4 PM. Attendees must RSVP by contacting carly@champaigncountyedc.org or 217-359-6261.

Both the SBDC and the ITC will have regularly scheduled appointment sessions at the Decatur EDC office. The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC is funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce, and the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation; with additional support provided by EDC of Decatur and Macon County and the Midwest Inland Port.

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Press:

Macon and Champaign County EDC Announce Partnership [VIDEO], Now Decatur

Partnership will boost Macon County businesses, Herald&Review

Decatur Businesses Working to Succeed Together, Fox Illinois

Decatur Businesses Working to Succeed Together, Springfield News Channel 20

Champaign & Decatur EDC’s Work Together To Expand Small Business Development Services, WILL

New project helps launch small business, WCIA 3 News

 

 

New Videos: Why Champaign-Urbana

Residents of Champaign-Urbana (& the surrounding area) share what it is they love about living, working, and running a business/organization in C-U.

Part 1 Testimonials:

– Al Fleener – President & Creative Director, Surface 51
– Laura Bleill – Mom-in-Chief, chambanamoms.com + Associate Director, UI Research Park
– Bill Giannetti – President, Flightstar Corporation
– Mike Guth – General Manager, SuperValu
– Kathryn Faith – Senior Multimedia Design Specialist, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
– Douglas Nelson – President, BodyWork Associates
– Beth Ladd – Site Director, Caterpillar Data Innovation Lab

Part 2 Testimonials:

– Ashley Moy – Co-Founder and CEO, Cast21
– Mary-Lynn Foster – Vice President, BIGG Success
– Ryan Shelton – Co-Founder and CEO, PhotoniCare, Inc.
– Arielle Rausin – Founder and CEO, Ingenium
– Jed Taylor – Director of Operations, Technology Entrepreneur Center
– Laura Bleill – Mom-in-Chief, chambanamoms.com + Associate Director, UI Research Park

Videos created by Five Foot Productions.

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