College of Engineering launches Illinois Applied Research Institute

The College of Engineering has launched the Illinois Applied Research Institute (ARI) as a place to conduct applied research such as designing and testing products for private companies and government agencies.

“Some research and development projects are beyond a university’s traditional reach,” explained Michael Bragg, interim dean for the College of Engineering. “These include proprietary projects for business and industry, sensitive activities for government agencies, commercial development efforts, long-term customer support for software and other products developed at ARI or at Illinois, and services that repeatedly apply tools for a wide base of clients.”

More importantly, Bragg said, ARI will provide a vehicle for Illinois’ faculty and staff to conduct translational research, developing products and processes for the marketplace. It will also provide a ready source of high-paying, high-tech jobs to expand dual-career placement and it will expand commercial and employment opportunities in the region.

“Based on prospective work and the use of this model at other institutions, we have every reason to expect that it will pay for itself and become self-sufficient in a few years,” Bragg added. “Once we’re past the startup phase, we expect companies and government agency funds to be the only money needed to run the ARI.”

Officially launched in August 2012, ARI has already booked some applied electromagnetic materials research work with SAIC—a multibillion-dollar company and frequent recipient of Department of Defense contracts—that previously had an office in the University of Illinois Research Park. Prospective clients include the Air Force Research Laboratory and Department on Energy, working on everything from cybersecurity and radar technology to hydrogen fuel cells. ARI can partner on a contractual basis with companies to test products like chemicals and fertilizers or design electronic devices. The development, maintenance and distribution of technical standards are also envisioned.

According to William Dick, ARI’s director of operations, the institute will be staffed largely by professional staff instead of faculty and students in office space that the College of Engineering has leased in Research Park.

“It will be helpful as we take on proprietary projects for companies. Unlike the basic research that happens in most of the research centers on campus, ARI research will be more translational—designing a material or product or evaluating or modifying an existing product or process—rather than pushing the boundaries of new knowledge.”

These goals mirror the original aim of the University of Illinois Research Park as a place where entrepreneurs could build a company and transfer technology generated by faculty researchers to market.

“One of our key missions as a university is to have a positive impact on society, by solving its problems and as an economic engine for the state and nation,” Bragg added. “ARI allows us to take our research ‘the next step,’ providing more tangible benefits from research done here and elsewhere.”
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Contact: William A. Dick, director of operations, Illinois Applied Research Institute, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7235.