| NSF Org: |
ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 13, 2023 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 1, 2025 |
| Award Number: | 2331458 |
| Award Instrument: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Program Manager: |
Pradeep Fulay
pfulay@nsf.gov (703)292-2445 ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | February 1, 2024 |
| End Date: | April 25, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $6,000,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $6,000,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
10 W 35TH ST CHICAGO IL US 60616-3717 (312)567-3035 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
10 W 35TH ST CHICAGO IL US 60616-3717 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC, ART-Accelerating Rsrch Trnsltn |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049, 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The project supports the TechForward initiative at Illinois Tech to foster market-focused research and develop a more diverse workforce in high growth technology sectors. By encouraging faculty members to collaborate closely with industry professionals in Chicago?s tech ecosystem and building the infrastructure, culture and processes to support this, TechForward aims to inspire faculty to direct their research activities towards addressing critical societal challenges. Having faculty paired with industry professionals to translate their research should also enhance the speed and efficiency of technology transfer, ultimately benefiting society by bringing innovations to market faster. TechForward will also address the issue of underrepresentation in the tech sector. Recognizing that diversity and inclusivity are critical drivers of innovation and progress, TechForward will expose underrepresented populations, including first-generation college students and other learners from diverse backgrounds in the Chicago Metropolitan Region, to practical experiences in commercialization within high-growth technology sectors. TechForward's focus on the racial diversity of Chicago's population is of particular importance. The fact that Black and Latino founders represent only 6% of tech founders in the city highlights a disparity that not only limits economic opportunities for underrepresented groups but also hinders the tech sector from benefiting from a wider range of perspectives and talents. Illinois Tech's location in Bronzeville, where 86.6% of residents are Black, places it in a unique position to address this issue directly.
This project aims to accelerate the translation of Illinois Tech?s use-inspired research by leveraging the experience of industry professionals from Chicago?s tech ecosystem and the programs and commercialization resources at Illinois Tech?s entrepreneurship and innovation hub to the technology transfer process. These resources will build the capacity to develop a market-driven process to identify, assess and advance seed translational research projects. TechForward targets converting at least 40% of the seed translational research projects into commercial opportunities as measured by negotiated licenses within 2 years after projects are selected for acceleration. The project will cultivate a diverse pool of talent within Chicago's high growth technology sector by creating experiential training programs in research commercialization, designed for both degree-seeking students and non-degree seeking underrepresented individuals from the Chicago Metropolitan region. All learners will be trained through a commercialization training program, delivered physically or online, then solicited to apply to work with faculty and experienced industry professionals to advance seed translational research projects. By the end of the project duration, TechForward will have provided commercialization training to at least 150 degree seeking students and 100 under-represented non-degree seeking learners.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
