Partner with Nebraska Innovation Campus

Authors

University Communication

Date of this Version

11-20-2019

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Description

Nebraska Innovation Campus is connecting the talents of experts, companies and the University of Nebraska to create a unique culture of innovation.

Searchable Transcript

• [0:00] (light electronic guitar music)
• [0:04] Nebraska Innovation Campus connects business
• [0:07] with the University of Nebraska.
• [0:09] We wanted to be close to campus to have a great connection
• [0:12] with the students.
• [0:13] We've used university collaborates
• [0:14] in almost every project that we've done to date.
• [0:17] The University of Nebraska has top programs
• [0:19] in business, engineering, agricultural sciences,
• [0:23] computer science, and software engineering.
• [0:26] Businesses have access to Nebraska faculty and students
• [0:30] for internships, employment, research, and collaboration.
• [0:34] Companies who are looking for leadership
• [0:36] have this talent pool a mile away.
• [0:38] So businesses have the opportunity
• [0:40] to go after these students,
• [0:41] either directly as employees, or through partnering
• [0:43] with the school through design studio.
• [0:45] Software engineering is a pretty prominent program
• [0:48] here at Nebraska.
• [0:50] It's ranked third in the world, in terms of research output,
• [0:53] and its new undergraduate major in software engineering
• [0:56] is the first of its kind in the Big Ten.
• [0:58] About 75% of our employees have started
• [1:01] as undergrads out of UNL.
• [1:03] Both the cost structure here, as well as the ability
• [1:05] to access university talent, those two things
• [1:08] are the things that really made this work for us.
• [1:10] Partners enjoy complimentary
• [1:12] high-speed internet and access to other benefits,
• [1:15] including copy services, conference rooms,
• [1:18] and child care at the UNL Children's Center.
• [1:23] Advancement Suites provide incubation space
• [1:26] for new businesses.
• [1:28] When companies begin, they're often very, very short
• [1:31] on financial resources, and so what we need
• [1:33] to start these companies are very small,
• [1:36] minimally built-out spaces where you can get together
• [1:39] and advance your ideas.
• [1:40] And that's the Innovation Advancement Suites are.
• [1:42] They were perfect for us.
• [1:46] We're minutes from downtown Lincoln.
• [1:48] We have our very own restaurant here on campus,
• [1:51] and transportation is easy between our campus
• [1:53] and the other university campuses.
• [1:55] We built a fiber hotel, in which all fiber carriers
• [1:59] can come in and, for free, in that way partners
• [2:03] can have redundancy from multiple carriers.
• [2:06] Our partners have access to our lovely conference center
• [2:09] here on campus, and they also have access
• [2:11] to core facilities at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
• [2:15] We have laboratories, pilot plans,
• [2:17] high-tech research greenhouse space.
• [2:20] The biotech connector provides incubation
• [2:23] and acceleration services to bioscience startups
• [2:26] and other research-based businesses.
• [2:29] We can bring in students, post-docs, graduate students,
• [2:32] and that sort of thing, as partners in our team.
• [2:35] Moreover, we've got this space.
• [2:37] And I think that's probably
• [2:38] the really critical thing, is the space.
• [2:40] It gives us a lot more flexibility in the different things
• [2:42] we can do to progress the research further.
• [2:46] Nebraska Innovation Studio
• [2:48] is a community hub for creators.
• [2:52] At the Makers' Space, members collaborate on projects
• [2:55] and share tools.
• [2:57] For a startup, it's been hugely beneficial.
• [3:01] We've done our business cards there,
• [3:02] we've done many, many different things,
• [3:04] like even prototyping for different things
• [3:06] that we will then send out to a vendor,
• [3:08] all the way down to our furniture in our office
• [3:10] that we've built down there.
• [3:13] At Nebraska Innovation Campus,
• [3:15] partners build community.
• [3:17] Whether you're a startup, you're a early-stage company,
• [3:19] whatever, you're always gonna run into similar types
• [3:22] of issues, and so if you have peers to talk to,
• [3:24] then there's a good chance of somebody else
• [3:26] has done the same thing before.
• [3:28] And I love that interaction, it breeds collaboration,
• [3:31] it breeds just relationships with these people,
• [3:34] so I know I can just go talk to somebody if I need to.
• [3:38] Lincoln is just really
• [3:39] on the right track going forward.
• [3:40] Really high-performing talent in your backyard.
• [3:43] Direct connection with faculty research interest.
• [3:46] I love the energy that's around here.
• [3:49] Spaces and culture that inspire.
• [3:51] We welcome businesses to be part of our growth,
• [3:54] to be part of one of the most dynamic growing
• [3:56] research environments in the whole United States.
• [3:59] (upbeat electric guitar music)