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
October 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025
CHI-Town Commercialization Awards
up to $250,000
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
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 for one year or CHI-Town Commercialization up to $250,000 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.
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
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
- 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, biomarker 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
- 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.
▸ Download RFA #2
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
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.
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
People of CBC-HITES
Leadership & Staff
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
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
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
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
Valuable Resources for Academic Innovators
Northwestern University
INVO – Innovation and New Ventures
- Lisa Dhar, PhD
Associate Vice President of Innovation - Sonia Kim, PhD
Senior Director, New Ventures - Arjan Quist, PhD
Executive Director of Innovation Management
Startup Resources – NU Commercialization Resources
Ryan Research Funding Opportunity
NUCATS – Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
- Rich D’Aquila, MD
Director of Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) - Nicole Woitowich, PhD
Executive Director - Katherine Hammond, MBA, CCRP
Managing Director, Center for Clinical Research
Translational Bridge Program Lurie Cancer Center
- Amy Heimenberger, MD
Director
- Richard Lieber, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer & Senior Vice President of Research
High Throughput Analysis Laboratory
- Sara Dunne, MS
Core Manager
- Sonia Kim, PhD
Senior Director, New Ventures
The University of Chicago
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Shyama Majumdar, PhD, MBA
Interim Executive Director, Deep Tech Ventures - Samir Mayekar, MBA
Associate Vice President and Managing Director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Bill Payne, PhD
Executive Director, Science and Technology - Han Sun, PhD
Senior Manager, Business Development, The Duckworth Family Cancer Fellow
- George P. Langan
Associate Dean for Research Resources
Institute for Translation Medicine
- Julian Solway, MD
Director - Sara Serritella
Director of Communications
The University of Illinois Chicago
OTM – Office of Technology Management
- Suseelan Pookote, PhD
Sr Director - Melissa Maderia, PhD, MBA
Assistant Director and Scientific Collaboration Director of West Loop Innovations at OTM - Nelson Grihalde, PhD
Sr Technology Transfer Coordinator
Innovation Toolkit – Entrepreneur Tools & Information
CCTS – Center for Clinical and Translational Science
- Robin Mermelstein, PhD
Co-Principal Director of the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science
- Paul Carlier, PhD
Director
- Thomas Royston
Interim Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships
- Jed Taylor
Director
RRC Cores Research Resources Center Organization
- See individual cores for contact person
Discovery Partners Institute
- Bill Jackson
Executive DPI Director - Venkat Venkatesan, PhD
Director, Research - Bob Okabe
Director
UIUC OTM – Office of Technology Management
- Nathan Hoffmann, MBA
Director
- Jed Taylor
Director - Vana Patel
Innovation and Outreach Specialist
Illinois Institute of Technology
Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
- Maryam Saleh, PhD
Executive Director
Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering
- Philip Troyk
Executive Director
University Technology Park at IIT
- Kraig Goddard
Operations Manager
Institute for Translational Medicine
- Julian Solway, MD
Director - Sara Serritella
Director of Communications
Loyola University
Technology Transfer: Office of Research Services
- Meharvan Singh PhD
Vice Provost for Research
- Angelica Vaca
Director of Office of Research Services
CHIE – Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Michael Bloom, PhD
Founding Director
Institute for Translational Medicine
- Julian Solway, MD
Director - Sara Serritella
Director of Communications
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
- Stefan Green, PhD
Directory of Core Laboratory Services
ORA – Office of Research Affairs
- Kristin Moody, MBA, CRA
Associate Vice President of Basic and Translational Science Operations
Institute for Translational Medicine
- Julian Solway, MD
Director - Sara Serritella
Director of Communications
Chicagoland Ecosystem
- Bradley Henderson
CEO - Meera Raja, PhD
Vice President, Deep Tech
IBIO – Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization
- John Conrad
CEO
- Lisa Dziekan
Senior Vice President Business Development and FDI
- Cheryl Lulias
CEO
- Barbara Goodman
President and CEO
- Paul Burton, JD, MBA
General Partner of Biotechnology
- Steven Collens
CEO
- Melissa Lederer, SVP
Chief Experience Officer
- John Flavin
President - Anna Tomaszewski
Senior Director of Business Development
- Allyson Hansen
CEO and Executive Director
Millennial Beacon
- Leslie Amonoo, MD
Founder
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
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
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | Apply Here | People | Resources
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.
