The University of Illinois is proposing a new public-private innovation center near downtown Chicago that would partner the Urbana-Champaign campus with two other research institutions.
Gov. Bruce Rauner backs the University of Illinois-led Discovery Partners Institute to be built in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood. The partnership with Northwestern University and the University of Chicago is to be officially announced Thursday.
University of Illinois president Timothy Killeen says the center is intended to bring together faculty, students and companies to collaborate on research and turn it into new products and companies.
However, the details are lacking regarding the project's funding, including how much it would receive in state money and how much has been has been committed in private money.
