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Introducing CBC-HITES
The CBC Hub for Innovative Technology and Entrepreneurship in the Sciences (CBC-HITES) provides Chicagoland academic innovators with everything they need to develop scientific discoveries into biomedical applications.
CBC-HITES is a new proof-of-concept biopharma center funded by the NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization (REAC) Hub program. REAC hubs are designed to provide academic innovators with product development education, industry connections, project management, and seed funding necessary to develop biomedical applications.
CBC-HITES is a 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. Funding opportunities include “early” awards (up to $75K) for projects that need an enabling experiment and “late” awards (up to $250K) for more progressed projects (see RFA). CBC-HITES also provides support in the analysis and help in moving inventions into the commercial sphere.
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | Apply Here | People | Resources
Why Should I Apply for CBC-HITES Consultation and Awards?
While funding is certainly one of the goals of your application, our tailored and strategic approach to assisting you in navigating the commercialization process will be as impactful as the funding. CBC-HITES staff and our Entrepreneurial Fellows will work closely with each institution’s technology transfer function to help Chicagoland academic scientists navigate and accelerate the translation of their innovative discoveries into impactful healthcare solutions.
We demystify the commercialization process by providing support at every stage:
Pre-Funding Guidance
- Evaluate ideas with industry-grade tools and analysis
- Identify appropriate scientific pathways to meet business needs
- Develop business requirements necessary for project translation (e.g., logistics, regulations, in-depth market analysis)
- Solicit and share feedback from venture capitalists and industry experts, as well as federal-level feedback and guidance on regulatory issues
Post-Funding Support
- Integrate insights from relevant clinical trial results
- Develop milestone-driven timeline for value creation
- Manage project progress and troubleshoot
- Network with industry experts and consultants
- Guide to additional funding sources
Beyond Funding
- Access cumulative knowledge of expert advisory boards from the private sector
- Support across development and commercial lifecycle
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | 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. While CBC-HITES requires applications to be submitted by a faculty member, we welcome projects driven by trainees as well. More details on applications can be found in the RFA.
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | Apply Here | People | Resources
What Technologies are Accepted?
Successful CBC-HITES projects are those that have exhausted fundamental science funding mechanisms but are not yet ready for venture investment. The CBC-HITES staff is here to speak to you about whether your project is a good fit. CBC-HITES can accept projects focused on developing:
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How does the Process Work? | Apply Here | People | Resources
How Does the Process Work?
CBC-HITES award evaluations are a collaborative process between CBC-HITES team and the applying team. Funding will either be (1) an “early” award (up to $75K) for projects that need an enabling experiment or (2) a “late” award (up to $250K) for projects that are more progressed, for eligibility, see RFA.
Shown below are the basic steps of the process. For a detailed description of the process, please see RFA.
| Step/Action | Description | Who is Involved | Timing |
| 1 – Pre-submission discussion with CBC-HITES | Interested PIs can reach out to CBC-HITES for an introductory conversation and guidance on crafting a compelling Letter of Intent (LOI) | Potential grant recipient and CBC-HITES team | Anytime |
| 2 – PI submits a Letter of Intent (LOI) | PI submits a two–page overview of the translational research project | Potential grant recipient and PI with team | Accepted on a rolling basis |
| 3 – Triage analysis | LOI is analyzed by the dedicated CBC-HITES team who review and analyze commercial, clinical, and technical potential in consultation with PI | CBC-HITES in consultation with PI/ applying team | Up to 3 months after submission |
| 4 – CBC-HITES presents triage analysis to Scientific Review Board (SRB) for decision | Triage analysis is discussed and SRB recommends whether to proceed for diligence or return the application with explanations of gaps that need to be addressed
Applications selected by the SRB to move forward will complete the REACH Common Application. The CBC-HITES team will leverage the triage analysis and assist with the Common Application. Applications that are determined not to proceed are returned to the applicant with information about weaknesses that can be addressed prior to applying again in the future. |
The CBC-HITES team presents to a Scientific Review Board made up of faculty and industry experts who are selected based on specific expertise.
CBC-HITES team helps applying teams complete the Common Application |
Feedback given rapidly following SRB discussion |
| 5 – CBC-HITES conducts diligence and develops materials used in next steps | Applications that move forward undergo extensive diligence and business case development including interviews with external experts in preparation for review by industry experts (described below)
The CBC-HITES team develops an extensive slide deck that documents the diligence and recommendations. |
Led by CBC-HITES staff, consulting industry and scientific experts | Up to 4 months after SRB |
| 6 – NIH REACH TGC provides feedback on qualified applications | Applicable “late” award LOIs may be reviewed by NIH TGC composed of federal experts assembled by NIH from FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. TGC provides feedback and guidance on relevant scientific, intellectual property, regulatory, and reimbursement issues. Feedback is provided to applicants to support their learning journey and technology development. Recommendations from this review will be used for the Venture Board presentation | CBC-HITES | TBD |
| 7 – CBC-HITES & PI present to Venture Board for funding recommendation | Diligence analysis and TGC feedback presented to and discussed with Venture Board who then recommends whether to proceed to funding or return application with explanations of the gaps that need to be addressed | CBC-HITES Team and applying team
Funding is based on feedback from Venture Board |
Feedback provided shortly following Venture Board discussion |
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | Apply Here | People | Resources
How Do I Apply?
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The CBC-HITES team is happy to speak to you about your potential or current application. Please feel free to contact Nancy Tyrrell (nancy.tyrrell@northwestern.edu).
Your institution’s representative and Technology Transfer Office are also available to assist.
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | 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
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
Rush University
Josh Jacobs, MD
Chairperson of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Associate Provost for Research
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
Discovery Partners Institute
Bob Okabe
Director of New Business Ventures
Guides
Discovery Guide
Paul Carlier, PhD
Director of UICentre
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? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | 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 - Alexandra de Paz, PhD
Associate Director of New Ventures - Arjun 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
- Alexandra de Paz, PhD
Assistant Director of New Ventures
The University of Chicago
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- 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
Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility
- Andrew Cleland
Director
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
- TJ Augustine
Vice Chancellor for Innovation
- Jed Taylor
Director - Vana Patel
Innovation and Outreach Specialist
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
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
- Connie Cleary, DPM
Director of Innovation & Industry Partnerships
- Michael Rosen, MBA
Managing Director of Innovation and Research Park & Helix 51 Incubator
Rush University
ITT – Innovation and Technology Transfer
- Josh Jacobs, MD
Associate Provost for Research
- 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
- Leslie Amonoo, MD
Founder
Why Should I Apply? | Who is Eligible? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | 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? | What Technologies are Accepted? | How Does the Process Work? | 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.