CBC-HITES

Funded by

Introducing CBC-HITES

The Chicago Biomedical Consortium Hub for Innovative Technology and Entrepreneurship in the Sciences (CBC-HITES) provides Chicagoland academic innovators with the support needed to develop scientific and technical discoveries into biomedical applications.

CBC-HITES is a proof-of-concept biopharma and health technology center funded by the NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) program. Hubs are designed to provide academic innovators with product development education, industry connections, project management, and funding necessary to develop biomedical applications.

CBC-HITES is a non-traditional funding and analytics resource for academic researchers from nine Chicagoland institutions built on the processes and infrastructure created by the Chicago Biomedical Consortium and is housed in Northwestern Medicine’s Comprehensive Transplant Center.

CBC-HITES funding includes:


Windy City Innovation Awards
up to $75,000 in direct costs

 

Applications are accepted twice yearly on
October 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025

CHI-Town Commercialization Awards
up to $250,000 in direct costs

 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

 


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Why Should I Apply for CBC-HITES?

The CBC-HITES award program goes beyond funding to include the support an academic innovator needs to successfully translate their academic breakthrough into a commercially viable product.

CBC-HITES staff and Entrepreneurial-Fellows will work closely with you and the technology transfer experts at your institution to navigate the business, regulatory, and clinical landscapes to accelerate the translation of your innovation to impactful healthcare solutions.

To ensure your success, we provide pre-funding analysis and guidance to assist you in creating a high-quality commercialization plan. After funding, awardees continue to receive milestone-driven project management and ongoing advisement from our network of industry advisors.

Projects from the program may be competitive for financing through small business development grants (SBIR/STTR) or private capital investment.

A CBC-HITES Award includes the following:

    • Funding: Windy City Award up to $75,000 in direct costs for one year or CHI-Town Commercialization up to $250,000 in direct costs for up to two years.
    • Industry Network: Teams will have access to industry and subject matter experts with experience in commercialization, product development, regulatory, reimbursement, and go-to-market strategy.
    • Industry-Grade Business Analysis: Each project will undergo rigorous, industry-grade analyses of the business and technical aspects critical to bringing a product to market. This includes market, competitive, clinical, manufacturing, technical, and feasibility analyses, in addition to recommendations detailing the benchmarks and milestones necessary for future private investments.
    • Project Management: Project managers track milestones and timelines, help identify additional non-dilutive funding resources, and connect awardees to industry experts for product development, regulatory and reimbursement strategy, market analysis, and SBIR development. Teams are expected to meet regularly with their project manager.
    • Education and Resources: Teams receive one-on-one education from industry professionals, learn to present their work to investors, and innovations are showcased during our Review Board and in our annual Chicago BioCapital Summit.

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Who is Eligible for our Funding and Services?

Applications for CBC-HITES awards are available to faculty and trainees associated with any of our nine partnering institutions shown below. While CBC-HITES applications must include at least one tenured, tenure-track or research faculty, with their own designated laboratory space, we welcome projects driven by trainees. The technology driving the application CANNOT be licensed to any company or supported by a sponsored research agreement.

 


Windy City Innovation Awards up to $75,000 in direct costs

 

    • For eligible faculty from Loyola University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Northern Illinois University, Rosalind Franklin University, Rush University, and Discovery Partners Institute, or their affiliate institutions, applying with an innovation in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, health information technology, or research tools.
    • For eligible faculty from University of Illinois Chicago, University of Chicago, or Northwestern University applying with an innovation in medical devices, health information technology, or research tools. 
    • Funding is for up to one year.

CHI-Town Commercialization Awards up to $250,000 in direct costs

 

    • At least one eligible faculty member from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, or the University of Illinois Chicago applying with an innovation in therapeutics or biomarker diagnostics. 
    • Funding is for up to two years.

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How Do I Apply?

For more information, please see each RFA (above) and contact Jessica Irons (jessica.irons [at] northwestern.edu).

If you are interested in signing up for office hours to learn more about CBC-HITES, please submit your request by completing the CBC-HITES office hours form. We are happy to meet prior to your application submission.

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People of CBC-HITES

Leadership & Staff
If you have questions regarding the application process or general questions about the CBC-HITES program, get in touch with a member of our Leadership team listed below.

Principal Investigator

Satish Nadig, MD, PhD
Director of The Comprehensive Transplant Center
Northwestern University

Executive Director

Michelle Hoffmann, PhD
Chicago Biomedical Consortium
michelle.hoffmann [at] northwestern.edu

Senior Program Manager

Jessica Irons, PhD
CBC-HITES
jessica.irons [at] northwestern.edu

Entrepreneur in Residence

Eric Schiffhauer, PhD
CBC-HITES
eric.schiffhauer [at] northwestern.edu

Senior Director, New Program
Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Elizabeth McMath, PhD
Chicago Biomedical Consortium
elizabeth.mcmath [at] northwestern.edu

Commercialization Points of Contact
CBC-HITES works in close collaboration with your institution’s commercialization and technology transfer office. For initial points of contact, please see below.

Northwestern University

Sonia Kim, PhD
Senior Director of New Ventures at INVO

The University of Chicago

Eric Ginsburg, PhD
Senior Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Development

The University of Illinois Chicago

Melissa Maderia, PhD, MBA
Assistant Director and Scientific Collaboration Director of West Loop Innovations at Office Technology Management

Rosalind Franklin University

Dora Espinosa, MBA
Associate Vice President for Research Administration and Technology Transfer; Director of the Office of Sponsored Research; Director of the Office of Technology Transfer

Loyola University

Michael Bloom, PhD
Founding Director of The Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Discovery Partners Institute

Bob Okabe
Director of New Business Ventures

Northern Illinois University

Karinne Bredberg
Director of Innovation Partnerships and Technology Transfer

Illinois Institute of Technology

Maryam Saleh, PhD
Executive Director of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship

Rush University

Josh Jacobs, MD
Grainger Director, Rush Arthritis and Orthopedics Institute; Director, Institute for Translational Medicine

Rush University

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD
Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity (MPI); Vice Dean of Research; Head of the Division of Translational Science (DTS); Director of Rush-Initiative to Maximize Student Development (T32 Rush-IMSD)

Guides
CBC-HITES staff can connect applicants to these guides who have expertise across the many stages of the commercialization process and can provide guidance on resources.

Discovery Guide

Paul Carlier, PhD
Hans W. Vahlteich Chair in Medicinal Chemistry
UICentre for Drug Discovery
University of Illinois Chicago

IND Enablement Guide

Julian Solway, MD
Dean for Translational Medicine and founding Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine
University of Chicago

Clinical Trial Translation Guide

Priya Kumthekar, MD
Program at the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Northwestern University


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Valuable Resources for Academic Innovators

Northwestern University

INVO – Innovation and New Ventures

Startup Resources – NU Commercialization Resources

Ryan Research Funding Opportunity

NUCATS – Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

Translational Bridge Program Lurie Cancer Center

Shirley Ryan Ability Lab

High Throughput Analysis Laboratory

N.XT Fund

The University of Chicago

Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Technology Commercialization

UChicago Core Facilities

Institute for Translation Medicine

Deep Tech Ventures

The University of Illinois Chicago

OTM – Office of Technology Management

Innovation Toolkit – Entrepreneur Tools & Information

CCTS – Center for Clinical and Translational Science

UICentre for Drug Discovery

Technology Innovation Lab

  • Thomas Royston
    Interim Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships

Great Lakes I-Corps

RRC Cores Research Resources Center Organization

  • See individual cores for contact person
Discovery Partners Institute
Illinois Institute of Technology
Loyola University
Northern Illinois University
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

OTT-Office of Technology Transfer

  • Dora Espinosa, MBA
    Associate Vice President for Research Administration and Technology Transfer; and Director of Office of Sponsored Research 

Innovation and Research Park

Helix 51 Bioscience Incubator

  • Michael Rosen, MBA
    Managing Director of Innovation and Research Park & Helix 51 Incubator 
Rush University

ITT – Innovation and Technology Transfer

  • Josh Jacobs, MD 
    Grainger Director, Rush Arthritis and Orthopedics Institute; Director, Institute for Translational Medicine 

Core Laboratory Services

Resources for Researchers

ORA – Office of Research Affairs

Institute for Translational Medicine

Chicagoland Ecosystem

P33

IBIO – Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization 

iBIO – Connect 

World Business Chicago

  • Lisa Dziekan
    Senior Vice President Business Development and FDI

Medical Homes Network

Cures Within Reach

2Flo Ventures

MATTER

mHUB

Portal Innovations

Illinois Medical District

JP Morgan Bank

Millennial Beacon

  • Leslie Amonoo, MD
    Founder

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News

November 7, 2023
CBC-HITES: New Chicago biopharma hub will accelerate timeline from medical discovery to patient delivery
CBC-HITES, in partnership with 27 industry, venture capital and community organizations, is one of 13 hubs that are now part of the NIH’s Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REAC Hub) program. The new hub will be funded by a $10.4 million investment, including $6 million in support from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, a $4 million grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health, and $400,000 by the Walder Foundation.
▸ Read more


October 25, 2023
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium Announces Funding Renewal for Ambitious Phase 3 Plans to Support the Growing Life Science Industry in Chicagoland
With an additional $13.5 million of funding from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) is entering its 3rd Phase of operations. Phase 3 will centralize resources to provide academic researchers with the advice, expert networks, and funding needed to turn their science into translations.
▸ Read more


June 20, 2023
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium Announces the next Class of CBC Entrepreneurial Fellows
The program continues to inspire and coach local biomedical talent
▸ Read more

▸ View all news


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About CBC-HITES Sponsors

About the Chicago Biomedical Consortium

The mission of the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) is to stimulate collaboration among scientists at Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Chicago and other Chicagoland institutions to accelerate discovery and expand the Chicago based life sciences ecosystem in order to transform life science research into biomedical applications, create inclusive Chicagoland opportunities, and improve the health of humankind.

The CBC was launched in 2006 with a generous annual grant award from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust. To date, more than $81 million has been invested into CBC initiatives to promote Chicago’s biomedical community resulting in more than 374 awards granted, over 2,715 research papers published, six national research centers established, CBC-HITES, a NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) launched in 2024, and over $944 million dedicated to research funding.

 

About Walder Foundation

The Walder Foundation was established by Joseph and Elizabeth Walder to address critical issues impacting our world. The Foundation’s five areas of focus—science innovation, environmental sustainability, the performing arts, migration and immigrant communities, and Jewish life—are an extension of the Walders’ lifelong passions, interests, and their personal and professional experiences. Learn more about the Walder Foundation at https://www.walderfoundation.org/.

 

About REAC Hubs

REAC Hubs – Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) support academic innovators to convert promising scientific discoveries into medical products while training a diverse biomedical workforce that is globally competitive in technology development and entrepreneurship.
Early consideration of the healthcare impact and commercial viability of scientific discoveries, combined with milestone-driven product development plans, results in de-risked projects primed for startup company formation or licensing.