Business Incubator
Innovations Development Facility (IDF)
Innovations Development Facility (IDF) is a major activity within the Plant Sciences Institute to promote business activity in the area of plant biotechnology and economic development for the state of Iowa. IDF encourages ISU faculty, staff, and students to commercialize their research in the plant sciences and promotes the development of start-up companies among aspiring entrepreneurs. IDF is housed in the Roy J. Carver Co-Laboratory and consists of a Co-Laboratory Business Incubator (CoBI) and a Public/Private Partnership (3P) Program.
CoBI serves as an incubator facility for start-up companies associated with the Plant Sciences Institute (PSI) and the 3P Program is designed to promote collaboration between ISU and private sector entities. CoBI offers an environment to transition research from a university to a business setting. The CoBI incubator facility is a productive research location where scientists from academe and industry can work together to advance the mission of the Plant Sciences Institute and to promote economic development in Iowa.
Goals of IDF
- To promote public (university)/private partnerships that lead to economic development in the area of plant biotechnology;
- To connect university faculty, staff and students to the business community and to encourage them to develop commercial entities or transfer technology to the private sector;
- To create opportunities for the private sector to work interactively in a university environment with faculty, staff and students; and
- To operate in a manner that promotes the learning, discovery, and engagement missions of ISU. (ISU Strategic Goals can be found at: http://www.iastate.edu/~president/plan/2005/goals.html)
Services
IDF provides business assistance, in addition to the incubator facility (CoBI) with leased office and wet laboratory space. IDF encourages the creation of plant biotechnology companies, and helps companies succeed as entrepreneurial entities. IDF provides business start-up assistance to ISU faculty, staff and students who are contemplating the creation of a business, or have already started a commercial entity. These services include:
- Business plan development
- Assistance with obtaining research funding, including access to information and help with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) proposal writing and finalizing the grants or contracts
- Provide helpful information about the formation of a business
- Make important contacts with other business resources within ISU, as well as contacts for specialized business services outside of ISU, such as lawyers, insurance agents, human resources, and accountants
For more information about the IDF, please contact Bill Beavis, , 515-294-5252.
Innovations Development Facility (IDF) Information
- Companies in the IDF
- Innovations Development Facility Brochure (PDF)
- IDF Policies and Procedures Guide - Version 2 (PDF)
- IDF Application Form - Company (PDF)
- IDF Application Form - Nonincorporated Company (PDF)
