UACI at Biosphere 2

The University of Arizona Center for Innovation held a grand opening last week, celebrating our newest incubator outpost at Biosphere 2, which is focused on supporting renewable energy startups. Entrepreneurs will use various physical spaces offered by Biosphere 2 that allows them the unique opportunity to test and demonstrate the prototypes in specific controlled environments. 

UACI at Biosphere 2 launched with four startups, all of which are going through UACI’s structured 27-point roadmap that takes them through a continuum of education provided by mentors, advisors and community collaborators. UACI can now provide unmatched testing and demonstration opportunities to businesses across the globe. 

Tech Connect Features UACI Startup, Paramium

UACI startup, Paramium that makes precision, freeform curved metal panels based on UArizona technology, was featured in the latest issue of the Tech Connect Magazine. The article highlights the startup’s early days with Tech Launch Arizona and the recent achievements of the company’s success serving the satellite industry. Discover the steps that Paramium took to become the successful company they are today! 

International Exchange Professionals Visit

Council on International Educational Exchange and BAFF - Baltic-American Freedom Foundation visited UACI on their enrichment trip to Tucson. This trip allowed their fellows to learn about the specific culture of Tucson, visit local businesses, and learn about innovation and entrepreneurship centers. This further supports our work with international companies. 

American Made Challenge Solar Forecasting Winners

Congratulations to all winners of the Solar Forecasting Prize! The Solar Forecasting Prize is designed to incentivize the development of state-of-the-art solar forecasting capabilities. Leaptran Inc., current UACI startup, is one of the five winning teams, who will receive $50,000. UACI is proud to support renewable energy startups like Leaptran, as a power connector through the American Made Challenge program. The American-Made Challenge is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Startup Spotlight: WiseBites

Wise Bites, a Canadian client company in the UACI program, creates a sweet snack for smarter snackers! Wise Bites are free from the top 11 allergens. It is always great when we can see, and in this case taste, the products our companies are working on!  

People of The Park: Iselda Mendez

Iselda Mendez is the newest member of the UACI team! She is a highly experienced professional with over 30 years in inventory control, office management, and administration. Having held positions in the catalog mail-order, automobile, telemarketing/call center, and pharmaceutical industries, Iselda is able to tailor her skills to meet the specific needs of multiple clients. She is also our resident expert in event planning and an amazing manager of first impressions. We are excited to have Iselda as our Client Services Coordinator. 

Thinking about an SBIR or STTR?

Join UACI Director, Anita Bell as she moderates a panel about Listening to the Agencies. It will feature Program Directors from NSF & NIH. These speakers, Alastair Monk, PhD and Stephanie Fertig, MBA will discuss tips and tricks for applying for SBIRs and STTRs. The event is a virtual event on April 19 from 8:00-9:00am and is organized by Arizona Bioindustry Association.

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The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a key component of Tech Parks Arizona which brings together university, industry and community to advance technology innovation. UACI is the University of Arizona's startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region with a mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel the Arizona ecosystem.