UIC Approves $5 Million Matching Grant for New Illinois Manufacturing Lab

Trustees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently approved a $5 million grant to support a new manufacturing initiative, the Illinois Manufacturing Lab that hopefully will advance economic development throughout Illinois. Pictured, UIC Chancellor, Paula Allen-Meares.
Trustees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently approved a $5 million grant to support a new manufacturing initiative, the Illinois Manufacturing Lab that hopefully will advance economic development throughout Illinois. Pictured, UIC Chancellor, Paula Allen-Meares.

Trustees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently approved a $5 million grant to support a new manufacturing initiative that hopefully will advance economic development throughout Illinois.

Gov. Pat Quinn reportedly promised $5 million in state support for the Illinois Manufacturing Lab, to be matched by other sources.

UIC’s grant — from institutional dollars funded by university administration — matches the startup funding for the Illinois Manufacturing Lab, the first program within UI LABS, a nonprofit research technology center affiliated with the university that launched earlier this year.

“The Illinois Manufacturing Lab is going to help our state remain a national leader in making quality products and creating good jobs,” Quinn said in a released statement. “The Illinois Manufacturing Lab will be a marquee attraction for companies around the globe to come to Illinois so they can work with cutting-edge techniques and technologies to drive our economy forward.”

The Illinois Manufacturing Lab will partner with UI LABS, which is modeled after pioneering research and development centers such as Bell Labs that developed the transistor and cellular phone technology.

“Public-private partnerships like the Illinois Manufacturing Lab are the key to progress and economic growth, forging collaboration that harnesses the university’s research power to help solve real-world challenges,” U of I (University of Illinois) President, Bob Easter said. “The University of Illinois is proud to be a partner.”

UI LABS will provide an opportunity for industry leaders and university scholars to collaborate to drive the state’s economy, create jobs and position Illinois — and Chicago, in particular — as a global technology hub, said Caralynn Nowinski, interim executive director and chief operating officer of UI LABS.

“Industry needs new innovation,” said Nowinski, associate vice president for innovation and economic development. “UI LABS seeks to create a destination for global tech talent in the city of Chicago.”

Lawrence Schook, vice president for research at UIC said, “The University already stimulates development for the state.”

In 2013, university researchers received 378 patents for new technologies, began 11 startup companies, and received $25.4 million in royalties.

UIC added economic development as part of its mission in 2000. Since then, it has poured money into the state’s economy through initiatives such as the UI Research Park on the Urbana-Champaign campus, which has a $175 million annual economic impact and employs 1,400 people at 90 companies.

The possibilities for UI LABS provide “a very exciting vision for the future,” UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares said. “It’s what we exist to do,” she said.

“The University of Illinois has always been a powerful force for economic development for our state, nation and world,” Urbana Chancellor Phyllis Wise said. “We are a powerhouse for products, innovation and ideas. The UI LABS’ initiative will help the state become a global leader in technology. We are truly standing at the cusp of the industrial revolution of this century.”

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