AURI Services
Getting Started with AURI
AURI serves clients from across the nation/world, with a focus on the State of Minnesota and surrounding states.
Overview
Our clients range from start-ups to existing scaling companies to legacy companies, including large multinational corporations. Service areas span business development and applied research and development. Watch our Intro to AURI video to learn more.
If you are interested in working with AURI, getting started is simple and designed to be client-friendly.
- First, identify your area of interest – whether it’s food-related or in the bioindustrial sector.
- Once you’ve pinpointed your needs, submit a brief description of your goals through AURI’s online contact form. This helps our team understand your project and match you with the right expert.
- AURI will then schedule a one-on-one consultation to align your project with AURI’s mission and determine whether your business is at a stage where AURI support can make a meaningful impact. During this consultation, we will discuss your objectives, explore potential services, and begin scoping out a plan of work.
AURI offers both free tools and paid services, with fees scaled to your location and business size.
Project Service Fee Cost Rate Categories
| Client-Company Annual Gross Revenue (sales and non-sales cash receipts) | Percentage of Project Cost Paid by Minnesota* Client | Payment Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $1 Million | 20% | Before service is rendered |
| $1 Million – $10 Million | 50% | After service is rendered |
| More than $10 million | 80% | After service is rendered |
* All projects may be subject to a minimum project fee of $250
** Please note that additional equipment/lab fees may be needed (and will be discounted based on the revenue tiers above). AURI project staff will provide guidance on these fees when scoping a project
*** Please note a separate rate table applies for non-Minnesota clients, and is available by request
Commercialization Services Program
AURI offers clients a unique benefit via its Commercialization Services Program, which enables businesses utilizing Minnesota agricultural products to bring new, innovative value-added products and technologies to the marketplace. The program helps clients achieve their commercialization goals by assessing their needs and business concepts.
Commercialization services available to clients include:
- Access to knowledgeable scientists and project staff
- Analytical laboratory testing
- Product development and improvement
- Process development and improvement
- Network referrals
AURI researchers think outside the box very well, and their exposure to a wide variety of agricultural-related industries gives them both a depth and breadth of knowledge that is valuable to utilize.
Vincent Copa, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company
AURI’s involvement from start to finish was invaluable. This is a project I know we could never have undertaken on our own.
John Peterson, Ferndale Market
AURI has contributed to the success of our branded line, Kay’s Naturals, in achieving nationwide distribution of our products through its marketing grants and by analyzing product for nutritional data, as well as opportunities to demonstrate our products to the public. Most importantly, we have been treated with respect as a contributing member of the Minnesota ag business community and received tremendous encouragement from AURI.
Ann Jones Kazemzadeh, Kay’s Naturals Inc.
What I found out from AURI in a week would have taken me a year on my own.
Steve Olds, Steve’s Pepper Sauce
AURI’s services cannot have a dollar value placed on them…When I tell people I worked with AURI for product development, they have a stronger sense of security in working with me. I am not sure I could have continued without them. This is the kind of government program that should be expanded because this is the kind of program that does nothing but good.
Katie Sanchez, RAES Foods, Inc./Bee Free Honee
As a small food entrepreneur in Minnesota, all I can say is that AURI is your best partner. They help you by providing technical and non-technical guidance. AURI’s staff is amazing and they go out of their way to help their clients succeed.
Sunil Kumar, The Amazing Chickpea
Growan Energy is very grateful for the partnership with AURI. The partnership has allowed us to move our innovative biodiesel technology toward commercialization faster than we could have done on our own…..It has been a very valuable partnership, and we hope the relationship will continue.
Jerad Poling, Growan Energy
We learned, with the assistance of AURI, the best-case scenario for developing our new business in terms of the optimum manufacturing process, setup and implementation.
Eric Kriedemacher, Alternative Energy Solutions
The process of taking a “good idea,” to developing a great product, to selling at retail is a very time-consuming process. AURI’s staff and resources assisted with most stages of development including: R&D, market development and technical analysis required for our new facility.
Rob Fuglie, Fergus Foods
AURI has given us the ability to pursue projects and technologies outside of our core business. They are our go-to group that helps us develop byproduct streams into additional value-added products. Their experience and network in Minnesota has enabled us to reach further outside our locale to new markets, ideas and customers.
Aaron Bjerke, American Crystal Sugar
AURI has been a vital resource in the development of our product. AURI has helped us with nutritional labeling, shelf stability and also developing a market or researching other uses for our byproducts. AURI believes in you, not just your product, and they are always willing to share your story with others they think will also be a source of product advancement.
Jenni Smude, CEO of Funtimes
We are in business today for one reason—all of the help we’ve received. Without AURI, I don’t know where we would be today. We just had an idea; AURI made it possible.
Darryl Metcalfe, USA Solutions
AURI helped us get through the economic downturn; we didn’t have to stop our development because of AURI.
Gary Noble, Bio-Plastic Solutions
At the time of our first meeting with AURI, we had nothing but an idea and some brief conversations with pelleting industry people…AURI helped us through the discovery phase of technology testing, formulation optimization and commercialization testing. We would not be at the stage of development we are without AURI.
Brian Caldwell, American BioLabs
We saved a handful of jobs. We weren’t going to be able to keep on the way we were…we needed a certain volume of business to keep the doors open. A big thank you to AURI for helping us accomplish that.
Glenn Rivard, Rivard’s Quality Seeds, Inc.
AURI research is an invaluable tool for startups like mine.
Mark Porisch, Lucky’s Popcorn Dressing
More to Explore
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