Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week Returns for Sixth Year
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The annual Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week, presented by Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, University of Illinois Research Park, and Make It Champaign-Urbana, returns for its sixth celebration March 3-7. The weeklong celebration recognizes Champaign-Urbana’s robust AgTech ecosystem, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Parkland College, corporate innovation partners, startups, state-of-the-art facilities, student organizations, local ag companies, the iFAB Tech Hub, and more.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate AgTech in Champaign-Urbana,” said Carly McCrory-McKay, Executive Director at Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “Our sixth annual celebration and robust schedule of events brings hundreds of visitors to our community. This week is an opportunity to showcase the work that happens year-round with our partners, invite others to join us, and demonstrate why this community is a leader in the industry.”
Participating AgTech Week organizations include Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, University of Illinois Research Park, GDM, gener8tor, NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region, Serra Ventures, Startup World Cup, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of ACES, Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL), and Center for Digital Agriculture.
The schedule of events includes the following:
· Precision Fermentation Workshops
· Center for Digital Agriculture Conference - Precision Livestock Management
· AgTech Industry Connect
· Serra Investor Summit
· CU AgTech Week Happy Hour, sponsored by GDM
· 10th Annual AgTech Summit
· Startup World Cup - Agriculture & Food Regional
· Tours of the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL)
“Adding an exciting component to CU AgTech Week - a pitch competition attracting innovative startups from across the country - is a true testament to this event’s reach and pull,” said Laura Bleill, Director of External Engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park and chair of the AgTech Summit planning committee. “Pulling partners together to bring the first Startup World Cup Agriculture and Food Regional to Champaign is a great way to mark the 10th annual AgTech Summit.”
Champaign-Urbana has long been a hub for technology as well as agriculture. In the past decade, those two paths have converged, paving the way for the community to become an epicenter for AgTech.
Community highlights since last March include:
· The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub was awarded approximately $51 million from the Tech Hubs Program through the U.S. Economic Development Administration to position central Illinois as a global leader in biomanufacturing and precision fermentation, supporting national security, economic growth, and job creation.
· The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of ACES is growing - and recently welcomed its largest freshman class in 50 years.
· Parkland College celebrated the grand opening of its new AGCO Training Center, the site for Parkland College's new AGCO Service Technician associate's degree program.
· CABBI celebrated the grand opening of the Plant Biology Innovation Greenhouse, its new state-of-the-art facility in University of Illinois Research Park - a game-changer for sustainable bioenergy research in Illinois and beyond.
· We welcomed new companies to the community: GDM opened its new North American headquarters, MicroMGx opened its new research facility, and Rainbow North America announced the establishment of a Partner Production Center in Champaign.
The full Champaign-Urbana AgTech Week schedule of events can be found online at https://www.cuagtechweek.com/. Registration is required at many events, but all are free to attend.
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