Reuters:
At many of the nation’s top technology universities, school is not just for the students.
That’s the case at the Illinois Institute of Technology, known for its culturally-diverse population, modern architecture by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and proximity to downtown Chicago. There, more than 20 start-ups in industries ranging from software to biotech have set up shop at the university’s technology park.
The park’s facilities are benefiting from a major expansion. Workmen are busy painting and putting up drywall, building out sophisticated lab space and finishing offices in the newly renovated business center, which features a four-story, open-air atrium.
The physical changes to the park are impressive, but entrepreneurs say one of the biggest draws is direct access to a qualified labor pool - students with the enthusiasm needed to work in start-up environments at a time when skilled applicants are increasingly difficult to find.
There are other advantages: access to the university’s Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, its research, library and lab facilities, as well as important relationships with movers and investors in the tech arena that can help early-stage companies take their ideas from concept to fruition.
Read more: Going to the workforce…
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