Funding Announcement – Fall 2019 Proof of Concept Award

On behalf of the UIC Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF), Illinois Ventures, in partnership with the Office of Technology Management, is pleased to announce the 2019 Proof Of Concept Awards Program. Selected proposals will receive initial funding of up to $50,000, with the potential to apply for up to an additional $150,000 to develop research projects with commercial potential. The goal of this program is to provide researchers with the resources to advance technology beyond the proof of concept stage.

Eligibility and Program Requirements

• Applicants must be a UIC Faculty Member
• Tech disclosure must be on file with the Office of Technology Management
• Project milestones will be developed in coordination with the Selection Committee
• Application deadline is August 23, 2019 at 5:00PM CST

Complete instructions and application can be found at https://cif.uic.edu/. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Proof of Concept Coordinator Sarah Schram at sschram@illinoisventures.com to schedule a meeting with Illinois Ventures and the Office of Tech Management to discuss the proposal. Applications will not be accepted if a tech disclosure is not on file with the Office of Tech Management prior to the application deadline of August 23, 2019 (5PM CST).

Please direct any questions about the program to Sarah Schram at sschram@illinoisventures.com.

About the UIC Chancellor’s Innovation Fund

The UIC Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF) has been established at UIC by the Office of the Chancellor to be administered by Illinois Ventures, in partnership with the Office of Tech Management, to support the commercialization of technology developed by UIC faculty, staff and students based on UIC research. Up to $5M has been committed for the program, which positions UIC as a leader in transforming discoveries originating inside universities into useful products and services that benefit society and generate economic impact.

About Illinois Ventures

Illinois Ventures’ mission is to make the world a better, healthier and more accessible place through return-focused seed and early investment in healthcare and technology. We work with others to create a thriving entrepreneurial community in the University of Illinois system, University alumni networks, the Midwest, and the national venture capital market. Conceived and launched by the University of Illinois, Illinois Ventures has been consistently named by Entrepreneur magazine to its national list of the top 100 venture capital firms. For more information about Illinois Ventures please visit www.illinoisventures.com.

About Office of Technology Management

The Office of Technology Management (OTM) is responsible for managing and commercializing the intellectual property generated by research and educational activities at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Office evaluates early inventions and positions technologies for commercialization through engagement with industry or startup companies. With a dedicated team of experts, serving faculty throughout the UIC campus, the OTM is committed to facilitating the transfer of technology from the University into the market. For more information about the Office of Technology Management, please visit www.otm.uic.edu.

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Schram
sschram@illinoisventures.com