Illinois’ 15th Entrepreneurship Center Will Foster Business Development in the
Vibrant Homeland Security Marketplace
EVANSTON – Continuing his efforts to grow the homeland security industry in Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced the launch of the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Northwestern University. Forged through a strategic partnership between the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center (ITEC) in Evanston and Northwestern University, the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (HSIEC) will attract and support emerging, small and mid-sized businesses to bring homeland security products and services to market – specializing in transportation and logistical security needs. The Center is being launched with $350,000 in Opportunity Returns support as part of Gov. Blagojevich’s State of the State commitment to make Illinois the nation’s homeland security industry leader.
“Entrepreneurship and innovation are the most important components of job creation, and this new Entrepreneurship Center will be at the forefront of fostering both. The need for innovation in the homeland security marketplace provides immediate and vast potential for our companies to bring revolutionary new products to market and produce new jobs to support Illinois families, ” Gov. Blagojevich said.
Entrepreneurs will receive important business support at the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, including management assistance and coaching, product development and technology commercialization advice, market intelligence and access to angel and venture capital. The Center will also extend business investments to help Illinois companies bring more innovative products to market, and create jobs by leveraging Illinois Entrepreneurship Network Challenge Grants. These grants provide $5,000 in matching funds to help small businesses – such as today’s grantee, Ohmx Corporation – to achieve critical business milestones.
The Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center is well positioned to offer homeland security consultation, in addition to transportation and logistics business development assistance on both a state and national level. Gov. Blagojevich’s investment in this Center is based on Northwestern University’s research excellence in fields related to homeland security, as well as its transportation expertise, as evidenced by its Infrastructure Technology Institute, Transportation Center, Center for Public Safety and International Institute for Nanotechnology. The new center will enable Illinois businesses and Northwestern faculty members to collaborate on research that can bring homeland security products to the marketplace. This partnership will lead to more efficient commercialization of new technologies and more new products and services for the homeland security market.
“Northwestern University is pleased to be a partner with the State of Illinois in this initiative to strengthen homeland security,” said University President Henry S. Bienen. “Building on the exceptional track record of the ITEC, the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center will be an excellent vehicle for helping Illinois companies translate leading edge research into products for the homeland security market."
“Job creation has been a top priority for the Blagojevich administration and the General Assembly, and the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center being launched today will be an important tool to support small businesses and foster new jobs in our state,” State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) said.
“There is great opportunity for Illinois entrepreneurs to create jobs in the homeland security industry, and Gov. Blagojevich is giving these companies an edge by offering business support through the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center,” State Representative Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) said.
The HSIEC’s specialized focus in transportation security and logistics is more critical today than ever before as international trade increases at an accelerated pace. Illinois is the center of an international shipping and logistics network formed by a concentration of interstate, rail, aviation and maritime infrastructure that is unmatched in North America. Twenty percent of the U.S. economy is comprised of transportation, logistics and trade activity, and Illinois’ distribution and shipping networks handle an impressive volume of these goods – 88.5 million tons shipped annually by rail and 6.1 million tons by truck. Illinois’ strategic location and growing contribution to global trade can be evidenced by substantial public and private investment that has occurred in this sector under Gov. Blagojevich’s leadership. Many new companies are building new distribution centers in Illinois, including Target in DeKalb, Lowe’s in Rockford, SUPERVALU in Champaign-Urbana, USF Holland in Edwardsville, PETsMart in Ottawa, among others.
“Gov. Blagojevich understands that businesses often need a critical boost before they can start offering a new product, and the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center will be an excellent resource to help remove barriers or red tape to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality. Whether market intelligence, product development advice or venture capital are needed, the Center’s experienced staff can help Illinois entrepreneurs to overcome these hurdles,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
The $5,000 Challenge Grant awarded to Ohmx Corporation will help the company with strategic business development support as it strives to bring cutting-edge new products to market, including a low-cost, disposable biosensor chip to detect a variety of targets, including bacteria, viruses, toxins and mold; and a reusable biosensor reader, similar in size to a personal digital assistant (PDA). These products will allow emergency responders to electronically detect a wide variety of targets; providing immediate and accurate testing results on-site. This Challenge Grant will help Ohmx bring this new technology to market more quickly; thereby strengthening Illinois’s homeland security effectiveness, while continuing to create jobs in Illinois.
Today, some of the most rapid advancements in transportation and logistics are being made in the biotech industry as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security looks to the private sector for solutions to monitor goods, both entering U.S. and traveling within our borders. All levels of government and companies of all sizes are looking for new solutions to keep our homeland secure, especially in the food, information technology, manufacturing and transportation sectors.
In August, Gov. Blagojevich announced the launch of the Homeland Security Procurement Technical Assistance Center (HSPTAC) at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn that will specifically help Illinois businesses compete for public sector homeland security contracts. The two new Centers offer an important synergy to Illinois businesses as the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center will support business development and the HSPTAC will play an integral role in finding markets for Illinois companies to sell their products and services in the public sector.
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.