The University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign launched a partnership to support statewide technology research and development, UChicago announced Oct. 19.
About 100 faculty and students from UIUC will join entrepreneurs and industry leaders from UChicago to help Illinois residents develop and commercialize innovative technologies. The program will be based at the UChicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on the city's south side, which will also lead the partnership.
The program will focus on using advanced analytics and materials to address complex issues in the state, such as clean water and cancer treatment. The two universities will also launch a joint civic engagement program targeted toward entrepreneurs on Chicago's south side.
The partnership marks the first major project under the Illinois Innovation Network, a statewide technology and economic development program Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Oct. 19
"The partnership between these two world-renowned universities is an exciting development for Illinois and its growing network of technology development and innovation," Mr. Rauner said. "It represents an extraordinary collaboration of talent and resources and portends extraordinary solutions for some of society's most challenging concerns."