Skyline
News from the University Technology Park at IIT
In This Issue
In the News
New UTP Company
UTP Builds Strategic European Partnerships
Upcoming Events
In the News

All Cell Logo
All Cell Technologies, Inc. offers customized thermal management solutions for applications such as hybrid electric vehicles, electric bikes, and electric scooters.The company was recently featured in an article in Crain's Chicago Business.


Chromatin Logo

Chromatin, Inc. develops and markets novel proprietary technology that enables entire chromosomes to be designed and incorporated into plant cells. Chromatin's co-founder, Dr. Daphne Preuss, is the recipient of a 2008 iCON Innovator Award from the iBio Institute. Read more about the award here.


Cleversafe
Cleversafe, a data storage company and recent graduate of the UTP, received two prestigious awards this fall: a 2008 Technology Innovation Award from the Wall Street Journal and a 2008 Chicago Innovation Award.


LiquidTalk
LiquidTalk, Inc.,
a leading provider of mobile workforce engagement solutions for enterprise, was acquired by OnPoint Digital this month. Read the full story here.



UTP Logo


The University Technology Park at IIT is a unique combination of wet and dry labs and office space that accommodates companies at every stage of growth and connects them to the outstanding research faculty and resources at one of the nation's leading universities, the Illinois Institute of Technology.


Wexford Logo

Wexford Science + Technology is a private real estate investment and development company that focuses on serving the real estate needs of university, healthcare, science and technology-based organizations.


Tech Park
Technology Business Center exterior.

Tech Park Interior
Technology Business Center atrium: upper level.

Tech Park
Technology Business Center atrium: lower level.
Issue: #8 Fall 2008
Greetings!

Welcome to our quarterly University Technology Park e-newsletter, designed to give you quick updates about new and growing companies within the UTP and to announce lectures, workshops and networking events. This month's spotlight is on Martin-Protean, a biotechnology company that determines protein structures for drug discovery efforts.
 
And we've gone global with our outreach efforts! The UTP is exploring strategic and development alliances with research parks and economic development agencies in France, Germany, Spain and Ireland.
 
If you have comments, questions or suggestions, drop me a line.

Sincerely,
Daniel F. Marselle
Director, University Technology Park at IIT
marselle@utp.iit.edu

New UTP Company - Martin-Protean, LLC
Lance MartinThe UTP welcomes Martin-Protean, LLC and its founding manager, Lance Martin, to the Technology Business Center. Lance recently moved to Chicago from California, where he completed his doctoral studies in biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Biochemistry Department at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

While at Stanford, Lance helped develop the technology central to Martin-Protean, which allows him to examine the three-dimensional structure of protein at high resolution. In 2007 he licensed the technology from Stanford and founded Martin-Protean to answer protein structure questions for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and academic and national laboratories. More detailed information about services offered by Martin-Protean is available here.

Lance describes protein as the "muscle, get things done part of the body - like Chicago, the City of Big Shoulders." It is the most diverse part of the gene, playing a critical and expanding role in health, agriculture and environmental protection.

Most notably, protein is a key factor in the search for treatments for diseases like AIDS, diabetes and cancer. The mission of Martin-Protean is to generate data that will contribute to solving these and other world problems.
 
UTP Builds Strategic European Partnerships
David Baker, IIT's Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the University Technology Park at IIT, traveled on three missions to Europe in 2008 to visit technology parks and build alliances with them. The purpose of his travel was to position the UTP as a North American headquarters for many European companies, providing them with a "soft landing" spot for entry into the North American market.

The UTP will offer shorter, more flexible leases and rent space at an affordable rate to European companies from its partner technology parks. Companies will be able to "test the North American waters at a low risk," according to David.

Other benefits for European companies are connections to IIT researchers and the UTP's established networks within the Chicago area.  According to Dan Marselle, Director of the UTP, "Our goal is to move innovation forward with wide-ranging business support services, everything from new hires to connectivity with city and state economic development programs and agencies."

Because of its location, the UTP has a competitive advantage over other North American technology parks. It is situated in Chicago, which hosts consular offices from most countries, and is close to O'Hare Airport, which has direct flights to most major cities in Europe and Asia.
 
"We are also an international institution with students from over 100 countries. Many of the European companies might find qualified student employees from among our student body," said David.

David discovered a growing interest in international collaboration among the technology park community. Among the parks he visited were Technopole near Poitiers (France), Science Park SAAR at Saarland University (Germany), the Heidelberg Technology Park (Germany), the Rubicon Centre at the Cork Institute of Technology (Ireland), and the Technology Park of the Basque Country (Spain).

As a result of David's travel, IIT will be hosting a French trade mission for hybrid and electric vehicles. The mission, which is being organized by the French Trade Commission's Chicago office, will participate in an all-day seminar in the UTP on November 17, 2008. David's long-term vision is to establish an international hybrid vehicle technology hub in the UTP.

As a result of his trip to Spain, technology parks in the Basque Country, Barcelona and Granada are reviewing Memoranda of Understanding to formalize the relationship going forward.


Upcoming Events
Connectiviity
Please join the Jules F. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, the University Technology Park at IIT, and Wexford Science + Technology for our monthly networking event on Thursday, October 30th!

Connectiviity brings together the entrepreneurship community both within IIT and the greater Chicagoland area and provides the opportunity to network and share experiences with fellow entrepreneurs. Whether you are currently an entrepreneur or are considering starting a business, this event can help you make the connections you need to get your new venture started or grow your existing business. Come explore what the Knapp Center, University Technology Park, Wexford and IIT have to offer!

Refreshments will be served. There is absolutely no charge for this event. For more information, contact Jennifer Keplinger at keplinger@iit.edu.
 
Event Info
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
October 30, 2008

Technology Business Center Atrium
University Technology Park at IIT


Knapp Entrepreneurship Center Lecture: How to Approach a Bank for Financing in Turbulent Times
How do banks decide who will be approved for a loan? How long does the process take? How much can I borrow? What is going on with the financial crisis and how will it affect me? 
 
Discover the answers to these questions and more at the Knapp Center's November lecture. Jason Vohs, Assistant Vice President of National City Bank in the Business Banking department, will outline the basic information that banks require to underwrite a business loan request, the criteria used in making a credit decision, and the overall process involved. He will also discuss some of the causes of the financial crisis, outline the current situation, and explain the recently passed Emergency Economic Stability Act.

Refreshments will be served. There is absolutely no charge for this event, but RSVPs are required and should be made to keplinger@iit.edu.  

Event Info
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
November 12, 2008

Technology Business Center Atrium
University Technology Park at IIT