This afternoon, representatives from University of Iowa Office of Research and Economic Development (OVPR&ED), the City of Iowa City, the Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD), and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted a grand opening of three new economic development resources: MERGE, protostudios and the Translational Research Incubator (TRI).

After a 38-year engineering career, Neil Quellhorst’s retirement years aren’t being lived on the golf course. He was recently hired by MERGE, a collaborative design and prototype lab geared toward entrepreneurs in tech fields, to serve as engineering prototype director. In his long career beginning with a series of small, entrepreneurial companies, then with Honeywell and later Rockwell Collins...

On April 14, at the Technology Association of Iowa’s 11th Annual LWBJ Prometheus awards, the Iowa City area was presented with the Technology Community of the Year Award, which recognizes a city or region that supports tech-based companies and uses information and communications technology to improve quality of life, education, and workforce. Among the list of finalists were a number of University...

As MERGE prepares for its opening this fall, Chuck Romans is busy assisting grant proposals, researching and purchasing equipment, establishing training programs, and refining the design of the space. Romans started as the new engineering coordinator for MERGE in January.