Nineteen firms — from as near as downtown Lincoln to as far away as New York City — have bid on one or both of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Requests for Proposals related to its planned research and development campus.

UNL released a list of bidding firms late Tuesday following a 3 p.m. deadline for submissions.

The list, said Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Christine Jackson, is impressive and diverse, with several Lincoln and Omaha companies, as well as high-profile national companies.

“We’re very happy with the responses we received,” she said.

An evaluation committee will read through the submissions, then recommend a developer or developers to the NU Board of Regents. Jackson wouldn’t disclose who is on the committee.

The Board of Regents will approve a selection April 18.

Plans for Innovation Campus are slated to be finished by December. UNL will acquire the 251-acre State Fair Park Jan. 1, 2010, and begin converting it into a high-tech research and development campus.

In seeking help with Innovation Campus, UNL issued two separate RFPs: one for master planning services, the other for business development strategies. Companies could bid on both, although the university may choose different firms for each phase.

Ten companies responded to a UNL request for informational proposals last year, and four of those — Craig Davis Properties in North Carolina, Noddle Companies in Omaha, Woodbury Corp. in Lincoln and HDR CUH2A in New Jersey — moved on to the more formal RFP.

Campus leaders say no company is a front runner yet.

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.