Our Partners

The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) mission is to strengthen Iowa’s economic and community vitality by building partnerships and leveraging local resources. IEDA administers several state and federal programs to meet its goals of assisting individuals, communities, and businesses.

The Cultivation Corridor’s mission is to enhance opportunities for agricultural bioscience research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Iowa. The organization does this through economic development, talent recruitment, and strategic capital investment.

The Iowa Biotechnology Association (IowaBio) promotes the growth of life science industries in Iowa. A non-profit, membership organization, IowaBio brings together private business, academia, and state and federal associations to create a hub of biotech expertise in Iowa, and to boost the state’s reputation as a leader in life science industry.

Iowa State University is the largest public university in the state with nearly 35,000 students. Its research institutions conduct groundbreaking research in topics such as biobased chemicals and other biorenewable products, precision agriculture, immunotherapeutics and vaccines, advanced manufacturing and materials, and data-driven science.

The University of Iowa is a premier public research university with nearly 33,000 students. Founded in 1847, it is the state’s oldest institution of higher education and is home to one of the largest and most acclaimed medical centers in the country. It’s commitment to economic development takes many forms, from graduating talented and workforce-ready students steeped in a range of disciplines like engineering, healthcare, science, and the arts, to providing advanced prototyping, entrepreneurial training, and community development resources for Iowans.

SSTI is a national non-profit that works to create a better future through science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Created in 1996, SSTI supports a network of practitioners and policymakers by researching common performance standards, identifying best practices, and analyzing trends and policies affecting innovation economies.

III Ag provides consulting services to organizations that increase crop value and enable traceability. III Ag shares in BioConnect’s mission to advance agriculture and technology in Iowa, while also addressing sustainability, nutrition, youth engagement, and improving rural livelihoods.

Venturenet Iowa (VNI) connects people with big ideas to business resources and investors in order to create jobs and build wealth in Iowa. VNI administers the State of Iowa’s Innovative Funding programs for small business, which are
designed to assist high-growth technology companies as they start out so that they can succeed and create more opportunities for state residents.

Grow Emerging Companies (Grow-EC) collaborates with BioConnect Iowa to provide comprehensive support to companies wishing to compete successfully in the $3 billion federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. That support ranges from expert opportunity assessment and strategic planning to extensive editing/writing and budgeting guidance. It also covers the essential aspects of electronic registrations and submissions. Grow-EC’s 3-person team has cumulative expertise in this novel R&D “seed money” program totaling more than 80 years. Iowa’s SBIR/STTR participants who have been supported by Bioconnect Iowa and the Grow-EC team have achieved success rates that significantly exceed national averages for awards in this very competitive small business program.