Laura Appenzeller is Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. She is also the Executive Director of the University of Illinois Research Park and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Innovation. The Research Park and its incubator, EnterpriseWorks, provide an on-campus vibrant business ecosystem that creates long-term value for the university’s intellectual assets, its students, participant companies and the economy. The Research Park is located on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and home to 100+ companies, including large corporations and 60 startup companies, with more than 700 students working year-round with industry internships. It is a leading location for new technologies applications in agriculture, digital technologies, and data and AI application development.
Corporate research and development centers at the Research Park include ADM, AGCO, Bayer, Caterpillar, John Deere, Mondelez, Motorola, Nvidia, State Farm, Synchrony and Yahoo. EnterpriseWorks incubates startup companies, which have raised more than $1.4B in venture capital and $200M in SBIR/STTR awards. Laura led the creation of the U.S. SBA Illinois FAST Center at the Research Park, which provides small business assistance across Illinois for America’s Seed Fund. Laura is also on the leadership team of the EDA iFAB Tech Hub, which was awarded $51M for the growth of precision fermentation and bioprocessing in Central Illinois. The Research Park hosts numerous programs and events to support its companies through collaboration, peer sharing and technology programs to elevate skills and innovation outcomes.
Laura also serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Innovation to support research commercialization and industry partnerships. She is active in numerous regional organizations including serving on the board of the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, the Advisory Board of the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI), the board of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and as a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
