1819 Innovation Hub lease gives Kroger access to UC students, faculty
University of Cincinnati’s innovation agenda attracts country’s largest grocer
Customers won’t be able to stock up on groceries at Kroger’s newest Cincinnati location. Instead, it’ll be Kroger that will be able to shop for University of Cincinnati talent and opportunities for innovative collaborations.
Kroger announced Wednesday, Aug. 29, that it has leased a 2,500-square-foot space in the UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub. The space will give Kroger a dedicated area in which it can collaborate with UC co-op students, student interns, and faculty members on improvements to technologies developed by the supermarket giant, as well as new innovations.
“Whether it’s raw innovation or enhancing our current products, either way it’s a win,” Chris Hjelm, Kroger executive vice president and chief information officer, told the Cincinnati Business Courier. Hjelm said Kroger’s plans for the space include work on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
“It’s really a creative partnership to understand Kroger’s needs and find students and faculty to help them solve their needs,” UC Chief Innovation Officer David J. Adams said. “It’s a great testament to the work we’re striving to achieve: how to use the strength of UC to fuel and power local businesses.”
The build-out of Kroger’s third-floor space in the 1819 Innovation Hub is underway, and is set to be ready sometime in October.
Featured image at top: The 1819 Innovation Hub. Photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
Read complete story in the Cincinnati Business Courier (full content exists behind a paywall).
Innovate with industry
The University of Cincinnati is the birthplace of experiential learning. UC's 1819 Innovation Hub takes that to a new level by providing students a place where they can interact and innovate with Cincinnati's vibrant business community. Learn how you or your student can become a part of UC's innovative vision for the future.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.
Combination immunotherapy helps overcome melanoma treatment resistance
November 10, 2025
MSN highlighted research led by the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Trisha Wise-Draper showing a combination of immunotherapy medications can activate a robust immune response and help overcome treatment resistance in patients with refractory melanoma.
Hoxworth Crosstown Shootout Blood Drive challenges Xavier & UC students, alumni and fans
November 10, 2025
Hoxworth Blood Center is proud to bring back the Crosstown Shootout Blood Drive Challenge, a citywide effort that unites Bearcats, Musketeers and fans across Greater Cincinnati to help save local lives through blood donation.
2025 Daniel Drake Medals awarded to four distinguished leaders
November 10, 2025
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is honoring four distinguished leaders with the 2025 Daniel Drake Medals for excellence in medical research, education and patient care.
New approach could treat cancer by rearranging tumor cell structures
November 10, 2025
The University of Cincinnati’s Jiajie Diao, PhD, and colleagues have published new research showing a proof of concept that rearranging the location of lipid droplets within cells can increase the effectiveness of cell starvation, making it a potential cancer treatment. The research was published as the November cover story in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.