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URI researchers launching Smart Bay equipment. Photo by Shaun Kirby/RI NSF EPSCoR.

manufacturers (article on page 34).

services, based on a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that are delivered by more than 75 entrepreneurs and experts — including Rumsey and several members of URIRF’s board of directors — who provide personalized mentoring to start-up founders to help them be successful. RIHub also helps run programs and provides support in partnership with URI’s Launch Lab on the main campus. “RIHub is also where student ventures can consider going once they leave URI,” explains Rumsey. “Now more than ever we’re building programs on campus that will enable that to happen. URI’s Launch Lab, for instance, provides on-campus meeting spaces and a support system to help students and faculty create their own start-up companies before they’re ready to move to RIHub.” 401 Tech Bridge , the second innovation campus now in operation, is a partnership between Polaris MEP — the manufacturing extension program based at URI — the Office of Naval Research, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Rhode Island Marine Trade Association, Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network, and several area textile and composites

The group established an innovation campus in Portsmouth, RI focused on advanced materials technology and are constructing a nanomaterials wet lab facility for the rapid development of textile and composite projects. An advanced electron microscope, located in URI’s Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, is being used by the partners to see deep inside the molecular structure of composite materials. The Rhode Island Agricultural Technology Park , an innovation campus planned to be adjacent to URI’s Kingston Campus, is tentatively slated to be developed in 2022 to 2023, pending next steps. A partnership of the Rhode Island Mushroom Co., American Ag Energy, plant genomics company Verinomics and seed technology company VoloAgri, the park plans to feature more than 30 acres of high-tech greenhouses for controlled environment agriculture. This innovation campus when built will also include a 20,000-square foot agriculture innovation center managed by URI as an accelerator and incubator for agricultural technology companies and to facilitate internships and other programs.

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