October 16, 2018

Discovery Partners Institute will Create New Opportunities for UIC, Partners

The Discovery Partners Institute will be a public-private initiative
in the South Loop led by the University of Illinois System.
THE UNIVERSITY held a discussion forum on Aug. 30 in Student Center East to discuss the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI). Close to 100 people attended.

GOVERNOR BRUCE Rauner and University of Illinois System President Timothy Killeen late last year announced plans for the DPI, a public-private research partnership led by the U of I System and expected to grow on part of a 62-acre parcel bordered by Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, 16th Street, and the Chicago River. It will leverage U of I System expertise and resources, including from UIC and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as well as from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

NOTING THE proximity of the proposed innovation center to UIC, Chancellor Michael Amiridis last year called DPI “an innovation ecosystem” that has “the potential to provide collaborative research and educational opportunities to UIC,” as well as supporting scientific discovery across the city and state.

THE TOTAL cost is estimated at $1.2 billion to be raised through private donations, government support, and partnerships with business and industry. The State of Illinois has appropriated $500 million.

DPI LEADERSHIP guiding the forum included Dr. William H. Sanders, Interim Director of the DPI; Dr. Edward Seidel, Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation for the U of I System; Chancellor Amiridis of UIC; Dr. Jerry Krishnan, Professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, UIC; and others.

“THE VISION of DPI is to transform the role of the land-grant university to improve the quality of life across Illinois,” said Dr. Seidel, noting that the DPI will have “a focus on transdisciplinary collaborative partnerships, equitable development among societal changes and challenges, and educating the current and future workforce.”

DR. SEIDEL noted, “there is a large commitment by the state thus far” to the tune of $500 million. He noted that the goal is to increase student access to resources and involvement, and also to involve universities worldwide, because, “DPI is dedicated to research and teaching on important global issues, based on the principles of collaboration, equity, and wealth creation and civically engaging students.”

THE DPI student experience, Dr. Seidel said, will include a program of research and team building. Undergraduates will take part in up to four semesters at the DPI, and also will be able to take classes abroad with partner institutes. The DPI will provide internships at startup businesses both locally and abroad, and adopt, grow, and develop existing and new courses.

FACILITIES WILL be developed by 2021 as part of what Dr. Seidel called an “innovation city.”

DPI WILL make Chicago the starting point for technological innovation and attract global talent, Dr. Seidel said.

ONE UIC faculty member, Professor of Medicine Dr. Nadera Sweiss, who hails from the Middle Eastern country of Jordan said that Dr. Seidel already visited her hometown, and that many universities are interested in partnering with the DPI. She noted her support for the DPI as a tool for bettering education and jobs.

DPI HAS already forged a partnership with Tel Aviv University in Israel and is developing agreements with the largest university in Latin America, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Mexico’s leading private university, Tech de Monterrey. Collaborations with institutions in Jordan, Iceland, Singapore, and China also are in the works.

DR. SANDERS noted that he expected that there would be more hiring to kickstart DPI, including both faculty and staff.

DR. KRISHNAN said that, “the details of the DPI are not 100 percent set in stone, meaning this is a participatory process mechanism and we want ideas and feedback from multiple sources. The DPI is an opportunity for a bigger contribution to higher learning.

DR. SEIDEL concluded by asking, “How can we make Chicago and the State of Illinois a hub and global talent destination? Through the DPI. To do this, we must make investment in capital infrastructure—expanding the innovation center, creating a specialized computing and design building, and creating a drug and pharmacy discovery center. This will only work with input that is given.”

GOVERNOR RAUNER in June said, “The end result will be an economic engine for Illinois and the Midwest that surpasses Silicon Valley,” noting that the DPI will provide “ideas that investors will put money behind to create Illinois-based businesses and jobs.”

DR. SANDERS also led a discussion on the DPI at the Sept. 12 APAC meeting. He called the DPI a “purpose-driven research laboratory,” and noted that it goes together with the Illinois Innovation Network, “which has several sites, several hubs, and UIC will be one of those. The DPI will be the central hub, and work as an amplifier of all the individual hubs, including UIC. Think of DPI as an amplifier of what we do at UIC, not a replacement. UIC is going to be a major driving force of this.”

PRESIDENT KILLEEN called the DPI “a cornucopia of possibilities—a once-in-a-generation opportunity. And we are committed to collegial collaboration. It’s about academia supporting the public good—something for which UIC is known.”

THE DPI “has to be about social equity, and that’s why I’m excited about UIC’s involvement,” Killeen said.

“WE ALL work for UIC because we believe in and are excited by social equity,” said Tracy Sikorski, APAC Chair.

“WE WANT this to be a coalition not of the willing but of the excited,” Killeen responded. “If we create more haves without helping the have nots, we will not have succeeded.”

APAC’S MARY Berta asked if DPI will partner with the Chicago Public Schools, and Killeen replied that partnerships not only with the CPS but with Chicago City Colleges are in the works.

FOR MORE about the DPI or to provide feedback, log on to dpi.uillinois.edu.


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