photo by: AdobeStock

An example of a chat bot help program is shown.

From a chatbot to an angel investor, the University of Kansas has won a $500,000 state grant to kickstart some outside-the-box programs aimed at spurring the creation of new businesses.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded a FORGE grant to the university that is intended to “bridge the gap between academia and industry,” the university announced on Friday.

Think of that bridge building in a couple of different ways. One is for established companies that think KU researchers or departments could help their businesses in some way. However, those companies don’t really know how to make meaningful contact with the university.

For that problem, a chatbot to the rescue. If you haven’t heard of chatbots, you probably should, as you likely will be reporting to one in another generation. (That’s a joke. … It won’t take that long.) Chatbots are artificial intelligence-powered computer programs that can participate in conversations with people.

This particular chatbot will be able to quickly search all the many websites KU has to find answers that businesses have about who to contact and what KU has to offer. For that KU is naming the super sleuth a “Jayhawk Front-Door Chatbot,” according to a release from the university. Hopefully that is a working name, as it sounds more like a front-door greeter position at a superstore. I would think about naming it Jay or Rocky (and you know those suggestions are great because they are coming from someone who has been told he only possesses artificial intelligence).

If you are still having a hard time picturing how this chatbot will work, KU gave the example of a business that is interested in whether KU has any expertise in air purification. A simple Google search of air purification and KU lists some guidelines staff members are supposed to follow for COVID-19, but not many leads on who may be doing air purification research or actual testing at KU.

“The chatbot will be helpful in providing initial options that we can quickly and efficiently discuss with the industry partner,” Tricia Bergman, KU’s associate vice chancellor for economic development, said in a release.

As for the second type of bridge building, that primarily will focus on members of the KU community who have a business idea, or maybe a piece of research that could support a new business.

Having an idea is great, but often having a little money to support it is even better. Thus, part of the $500,000 grant will be used to create a new network of “angel investors” to support startup businesses that come out of KU.

Angel investors are often some of the very first people outside of family and friends (fingers crossed they won’t soon be ex-friends) who invest in a business. Angel investors often have high appetites for risk, thus they aren’t the easiest of creatures to find. The state grant money will be used to recruit and organize those angel investors.

KU says it will focus on recruiting “alumni, parents, friends and others engaged with the university to invest in KU-affiliated opportunities.” KU hopes to attract 25 to 35 angel investors, and then host a pitch event where perhaps four to five companies could make their case and receive investments.

KU also plans to create a new Rock Chalk Ready Fund that will provide up to six very early-stage ventures with a $35,000 grant to help those entrepreneurs determine whether their business ideas are viable. Grant money could be used to build prototypes, collect customer data, analyze regulatory information or other such tasks. Additionally, KU plans to set aside $20,000 to provide a number of micro-grants to startup ventures that need to undertake out-of state-travel to attend industry conferences, investor meetings or other such activities.

Lastly, KU plans to use an undisclosed amount of the grant money to help fund a new 2,000-square-foot laboratory space at KU Innovation Park on west campus. KU is describing the new space as an “international launchpad.” It would specifically house offices and lab space for international firms that want to be close to KU research and expertise.

Look for work on the lab space and many of the other programs to be underway by 2025.

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photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A former industrial building of Allen Press at the northwest corner of 11th and New Hampshire streets is shown on July 3, 2024. The new owner of the property hopes to win city approval to demolish the building.

Let’s go from building something up to tearing something down. Local developer Tony Krsnich told me briefly on Friday that crews will begin the demolition process of the old Allen Press buildings near the corner of 10th and New Hampshire streets in downtown Lawrence “late next week.”

We’ve been reporting on the prospect of those old cement block buildings coming down for a while. City officials agreed to the demolition of the buildings, even though they are in the historic downtown district. Krsnich successfully made the case the buildings were dangerous, telling the Journal-World in early July, “You don’t even have to go inside to smell all the mold in the buildings.”

So, the fact the buildings would come down is not a surprise, but what wasn’t known is how quickly they may come down. It sounds like at some point in September, that corner — which is at the southern entrance of downtown and across from the historic Douglas County Courthouse — will be a vacant lot for the first time in many, many decades.

As for what will eventually happen to the site, Krsnich has not committed to any project. He’s fielding interest from potential partners who could pursue projects like a hotel, or apartments, or an office building or some combination of uses. Likely there will be pressure for whatever is built on the site to be among the taller buildings in downtown to maximize the site. Any project will need to go through a significant city approval process.

More immediately, though, the lot probably will be used to store construction materials for the mixed-used apartment project that Krsnich is building on the east side of New Hampshire Street, i.e. across the street from the demolition site. As a reminder, that project will feature 49 rent-controlled apartments for people 55 and older. It also will offer several ground-floor office and retail spaces. That project should be completed in about 12 months.