The purpose of the annual Inclusive Innovation Fund is to incentivize academic and community joint partnerships that advance strategies and impact goals outlined in the Inclusive Innovation Blueprint Plan across four pillars: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education, Workforce Development and Employment, Economic Development, and Civic Infrastructure.
Innovate2Market a partnership among two universities and two labs
It is focused on generating a diverse talent pipeline in the sciences and spur economic growth on the historically under-resourced South Side of Chicago.
A partnership involving the University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory has a goal to generate a diverse talent pipeline in the sciences and spur economic growth on the historically under-resourced South Side of Chicago.
As part of its second year of making awards, the initiative, known as the Inclusive Innovation Fund, has selected a joint proposal from the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for funding. It is the first community-centered program of its kind at either institution.
The five-week Innovate2Market program will feature the well-tested elements of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program, with ongoing wraparound services provided by the Polsky Center’s Exchange, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It is designed to empower community inventors and innovators to explore the commercial opportunities and impact of their products and ideas.
Each institution received $25,000, for a combined $50,000 investment.
Resources at the Polsky Exchange will include no-cost workspace, access to more than 100 Polsky Center mentors, invitations to events and workshops, as well as access to the Illinois Small Business Development Center, and additional cohort-based growth programs.
The University of Illinois will leverage the expertise of its Illinois FAST (Federal and State Technology) Center, the premier resource for innovators seeking Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer awards and other grant funding opportunities, including office hours and services for grant seekers.
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