Initiatives

The Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation seeks out strategic initiatives that harness the University of Illinois’ research, education, technology and innovation capacity to drive local and global impact

Group meeting
IIN representatives at 2022 Illinois State Fair
Illinois Innovation Network

The Illinois Innovation Network is a collaborative entity composed of hubs at the state’s 12 public universities, Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago, Distillery Labs in Peoria, and the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford. The IIN drives inclusive and integrated research, innovation, and economic development across Illinois

Delegates at Americas Competitive Exchange ACE Illinois on Friday,  May 2, 2025 at the Consulate General of Canada in Chicago.
International Engagement

OVPEDI coordinates and supports multiple internationally focused programs, including a research seed grant program between the University of Illinois System and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Wanxiang Fellows Program, and the U of I System Mexican and Mexican-American Students (I-MMAS) initiative.

Diverse Supplier Program photo
Diverse Supplier Development Program

OVPEDI is proud to partner with the University of Illinois System’s Office of Procurement Diversity and University of Illinois Corporate Relations Council on the Diverse Supplier Development Program. This program, which launched in August 2022, helps diverse and women-owned businesses achieve the next level of growth through student consulting projects and workshops.

A coastal view
Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium

OVPEDI coordinates the University of Illinois System’s involvement in the Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium, a group focused on forging impactful, cross-border collaborations among Great Lakes higher education institutions, and between these institutions, companies and government, in order to develop partnerships and programs that seek to find solutions to the region’s grand challenges.