This hands-on, five-day summer STEM experience is designed for incoming 3rd–8th grade girls, building confidence, curiosity, and real-world problem-solving skills through interactive experiments, team challenges, and mentorship from STEM professionals.

🧪 2026 Camp Theme: Case Breakers

This year’s theme puts campers in the role of epidemiologists, forensic scientists, and engineers, applying the scientific method and inductive reasoning to solve daily mysteries. It’s science with a storyline — and a whole lot of fun.

📍 Camp Details

Who: Incoming 3rd–8th grade girls
When: July 6–10, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Resurrection College Prep High School

Cost:

• $325 Early Bird (through April 1, 2026)
  Use code: 26EARLYBIRD
• $375 after April 1

The week concludes with a special Family Day, where campers showcase their discoveries during a STEM exhibit followed by lunch with families.

🧬 About the Program

STEMgirls Chicago is a hands-on STEM summer camp in Chicago for girls entering grades 3–8. Hosted by the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), the week-long camp introduces students to science, engineering, and biotechnology through interactive experiments, teamwork, and real-world problem solving. Camp takes place July 6–10 in Chicago and is designed to build confidence and curiosity in STEM.

Spots are limited.

👉 Click HERE to learn more and register for STEMgirls – STEM Camp Chicago

Let’s inspire the next generation of innovators — one mystery at a time.

Across Chicago and the broader region, more than 2 million square feet of new lab and R&D space have come online or are currently under development. Evanston Labs, Fulton Labs, Hyde Park Labs, and new suburban expansions signal that Illinois is no longer a market where scientific founders struggle to find space; instead, it is a market where companies can grow, scale, and commercialize. Venture firms like ARCH have launched multibillion-dollar funds from Chicago, and a wave of Illinois companies secured late-stage capital, clinical progress, and regulatory success in the last year. These developments collectively point to a state with genuine upward momentum.

Yet, as a recent STAT News analysis made clear, the national competition for biotech investment has never been more intense. Other states—particularly Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas—are rapidly deploying targeted capital, translational research support, and incentive programs designed specifically to attract early-stage company formation, biomanufacturing, and innovation centers. Their strategies are already paying dividends. The clearest example is Eli Lilly’s decision to establish a major innovation campus in Pennsylvania, a state that has spent more than four decades building early-stage commercialization infrastructure through Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Pennsylvania didn’t win that project by accident. It won because it invested early and maintained that commitment consistently over time.

This illustrates a critical point for Illinois: while we have built a solid foundation for life sciences growth, and while our trajectory is strong and accelerating, we are competing against states that are making larger, more targeted, and more coordinated investments. The playing field is not static. Other states are moving aggressively, and Illinois must match that ambition if we want to shape the next decade of biotech growth rather than react to it.

The 2024 iBIO Venture Portfolio Report highlights one of the most pressing challenges in our ecosystem: early-stage capital scarcity. In 2024, 50% of Illinois venture dollars went to late-stage companies, another 35% to Series A, and only 15% to seed and pre-seed companies. That 15% represents the beginning of the pipeline—the moment when scientific founders decide whether they can build their company in Illinois or whether they need to move to Boston, New York, the Research Triangle, or Austin to find the capital, lab access, and translational support that early-stage biotech requires. Illinois has exceptional scientific research, world-class universities, and deep clinical expertise, but without stronger mechanisms to support early teams, too many opportunities risk leaving before they have the chance to become Illinois companies.

To secure our competitive position, Illinois should adopt a set of targeted, proven strategies already generating results in peer states. First, the state should create a translational proof-of-concept and IND-enabling grant program. Other innovation hubs—including Massachusetts through MLSC, New York through its LifeSci programs, and Pennsylvania through Ben Franklin—fund this stage directly, bridging the gap between promising university science and venture-ready commercialization. Illinois lacks this type of program, and adding it would significantly increase the volume and viability of startup formation emerging from Northwestern, UChicago, UIUC, UIC, Rosalind Franklin, and other research engines.

Second, Illinois should strengthen support for pre-seed lab access and equipment. While our lab footprint has expanded dramatically, affordability remains a barrier for very early-stage founders. New York City’s LifeSci NYC initiative and Massachusetts’ shared-infrastructure grants directly subsidize space and equipment for young teams. Illinois is well-positioned to adopt a similar approach; doing so would help retain talent and IP, ensuring more scientific breakthroughs become Illinois companies rather than exports.

Third, the state should develop a life-sciences-specific R&D or jobs tax credit, focused on the capital-intensive, long-duration nature of biotech development. Massachusetts ties its tax incentives directly to life sciences job creation. New York offers refundable R&D credits tailored to biotech. Texas uses its Enterprise Fund to land major biomanufacturing sites. Illinois has strong generalized incentives, but targeted programming would enhance our ability to compete for the next wave of expansions and manufacturing projects.

Finally, Illinois should consider launching a dedicated Illinois Life Sciences Capital Fund, in the range of $200–500 million. Other states have already built this model: Massachusetts has deployed more than $2.1 billion through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center; New York has committed over $1.1 billion across its LifeSci programs; and Texas’ CPRIT initiative has invested $6 billion into cancer research and commercialization. Illinois does not need to match these totals to be competitive, but a dedicated, multi-year fund would send a powerful signal that the state is serious about leading in the sector. We have already demonstrated—through our $500 million commitment to quantum and microelectronics—that Illinois knows how to make a transformative investment capable of attracting national attention. Applying a similar strategy to life sciences would catalyze company formation, accelerate capital attraction, and anchor Illinois’ position in the national landscape.

Illinois has everything it needs to become one of the most competitive, dynamic life sciences hubs in the United States: talent, institutions, infrastructure, research excellence, and a growing base of companies. The progress we have made in recent years is significant and deserves celebration. But momentum alone is not enough. If we want to keep the companies we are creating—and attract the next generation of biopharma, medtech, diagnostics, and advanced therapeutics firms—we must strengthen the earliest parts of the pipeline and make targeted, strategic investments that ensure Illinois remains a place where founders can start, scale, and succeed.

The opportunity is here. Illinois’ recent momentum shows what is possible. Now is the time to secure our competitive edge and build the next decade of life sciences leadership in Illinois.

As part of iBIO’s partnership with G2G Consulting, our members receive exclusive access to this report each month, along with a private consultation option during the GBG webinar. You can find the full November GBG Report on the iBIO website.

Highlights From This Month’s Report

BARDA leads several near-term deadlines, including the Agnostic Diagnostics mNGS solicitation(11/20), the Rapid Antibody Production RFI (12/4), and the BioTools Innovator Program for early-stage technology developers (12/1). Additional BARDA opportunities extend into early 2026, such as ReadyDetect, the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator, and funding for wearable biosensor technologies (1/15). Other notable openings include PCORI’s FY26 Cycle 1 PFA supporting retrospective comparative-effectiveness studies (LOI due 1/6) and the DoD SBIR Release 12, which encompasses topics ranging from shelf-stable nucleic acid synthesis reagents to CBRN sensing platforms (12/10). The report also covers new opportunities in women’s health, pediatric innovation, infectious disease, biomanufacturing, and small-business development.

📄 Full Report

The 2025 honorees will be celebrated at the iBIO iCON Awards Dinner on Thursday, November 6th, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Three Top Lounge at the Salt Shed. Registration is still open.

iBIO extends its deepest gratitude to Takeda, the lead sponsor of the 2025 iCON Awards, for their unwavering support and continued dedication to growing the Illinois life sciences industry and supporting the next generation of life sciences leaders.

2025 Civic iCON Award Winner: Timothy P. Walbert

The Civic iCON Award, which acknowledges outstanding contributions to the innovation-based economy in Chicago, Illinois, and the Midwest, will be presented to Timothy P. Walbert, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Horizon Therapeutics.

Walbert’s recognition reflects both his remarkable success in building Horizon Therapeutics into a global biopharmaceutical leader and his profound dedication to supporting the entire Illinois life sciences ecosystem. His leadership has extended far beyond his own company’s success—he has been instrumental in creating the infrastructure and support systems that enable countless other entrepreneurs to thrive. Walbert’s personal experience as both a patient and caregiver has made him a champion for patients and a model for all companies to follow in putting patient needs at the center of everything.

2025 iCON Entrepreneur Award Winner: Harry D. Rowland

The iCON Entrepreneur Award, recognizing an active business leader within the Illinois innovation ecosystem acknowledged by peers as a visionary in developing and scaling technology-driven ventures, will be presented to Harry D. Rowland.

Rowland recently served as co-founder, CEO, and President of Endotronix, where he led a team that created the Cordella System, raised more than $150 million in financing, built a 150+ person organization, completed the PROACTIVE-HF trial, and achieved FDA PMA approval, resulting in acquisition by Edwards Lifesciences in 2024. Dr. Rowland joined Edwards for the following year, supporting Cordella’s receipt of CMS national coverage and CE Mark.

2025 iCON Innovator Award Winner: Brad Merrill, PhD

The iCON Innovator Award, recognizing an active researcher/scientist within life sciences education who is acknowledged by peers as a leader in biotechnology teaching and scholarship, will be presented to Brad Merrill, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Dr. Merrill specializes in stem cell biology and CRISPR-based synthetic biology tools. He co-founded Syntax Bio with former PhD student Ryan Clarke to develop a modified CRISPR platform for generating therapeutic cells from stem cells. The company has raised $15 million, demonstrating the powerful intersection of academic excellence and commercial innovation.

2025 iCON Patient Advocate Award Winner: State Senator Adrianne Johnson

The iCON Patient Advocate Award, recognizing an elected or appointed official, community member, or organization within Illinois who is acknowledged by peers as a leader in improving patient access and healthcare outcomes, will be presented to State Senator Adrianne Johnson.

Senator Johnson’s work to reduce barriers for diverse populations to access clinical trials has opened doors to potentially life-saving treatments for those who have historically been excluded from medical research, demonstrating her commitment to health equity across Illinois.

2025 iCON Community Impact Award Winner: Portal Innovations

The iCON Community Impact Award, recognizing an individual or organization within Illinois who is acknowledged by peers as a leader in addressing critical community needs, will be presented to Portal Innovations.

Portal Innovations is a life sciences venture development platform that invests in and supports early-stage science-based companies. Through its “Crafted Capital” model, Portal provides physical capital, financial capital, and human capital through fully-equipped lab space, investments in early-stage startups, and access to a global network of partners to accelerate an entrepreneur’s path from research to fundraising, to commercialization. Portal was founded with a mission to amplify and elevate innovation in Chicago by building great companies while fostering idea sharing, delivering tailored programming, and building a community rooted in collaboration. Headquartered in Chicago, with a growing international footprint, Portal has become a catalytic force for the Midwest’s life sciences ecosystem—attracting talent, investment, and high-impact companies.

“Having witnessed the evolution of Illinois’s life sciences community throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the remarkable transformation of our ecosystem,” said Ken Johnson, iBIO Board Chair and Vice President, Medical Affairs, Immedica North America. “This year’s iCON Award recipients represent the very best of what makes our community exceptional—visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to patients, and a dedication to lifting up the next generation of innovators. Their contributions have not only advanced their own organizations but have strengthened the foundation for everyone working to make Illinois a global leader in life sciences.”

For more information about the 2025 iBIO iCON Awards and to register for the awards dinner, please visit https://ibio.org/news-events/icon/.

]]> https://ibio.org/gbg-september-grant-opportunities-for-ibio-members/ Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:48:08 +0000 https://ibio.org/?p=10853 G2G Consulting has released the September Government Bioscience Grants (GBG) report for iBIO members through our exclusive partnership, featuring 104 non-dilutive funding opportunities across biotechnology and life sciences.

Members can join G2G’s Monthly GBG Reporting Service Webinar on September 18, 2025 (11:00-11:30 AM CT free session, followed by 11:30 AM-12:00 PM CT premium consultation exclusively for iBIO members with G2G’s team who have secured $550 million in government funding since 2007).

Key opportunities include DARPA’s Expedited Research Innovation System for CBRN threat defense technologies, multiple BARDA programs including I-CREATE diagnostic funding (up to $200,000) and VANGUARD biomanufacturing tools development (up to $200,000), NIAID tuberculosis and influenza research units (up to $1.5-2.5 million annually), DoD’s Advanced Medical Monitor development through MTEC (up to $4 million), and DoD SBIR opportunities for sensors and field-deployable diagnostics (up to $209,575 Phase I).

The September report highlights 13 immunology and infectious disease opportunities, 10 cognitive and brain health programs, and multiple biotechnology and biomanufacturing initiatives across agencies including Army, ARPA-H, BARDA, and NSF. iBIO members can access the complete 29-page report with detailed funding information and deadlines HERE.

The broad coalition represents Illinois’s thriving life sciences ecosystem, which employs more than 94,000 professionals statewide and includes research-intensive biotechnology companies, academic institutions, and investors developing breakthrough treatments for cancer, rare diseases, and other critical health challenges.

“The SBIR/STTR programs are the largest source of early-stage capital for biomedical R&D startups,” said John Conrad, iBIO President and CEO. “Their expiration would be a crushing blow to American innovation and small business job creation.”

The coalition emphasized the significant economic impact of these programs on Illinois, noting that startup high-tech companies in the state annually receive $75 million in Phase I and II SBIR grants. This funding is critical for launching companies from university laboratories and creating jobs throughout Illinois, with the state further amplifying the impact through its SBIR Phase I matching grant program.

As part of the outreach effort, iBIO also provided 37 testimonials from Illinois startups and incubators demonstrating the real-world importance of SBIR funding. The testimonials showcase how companies have used SBIR support to complete pivotal clinical studies, develop medical devices, establish operations in Illinois, and attract additional private investment.

One testimonial highlighted how SBIR funding enabled Rhaeos to complete a 9-center pivotal study supporting FDA approval, fund clinical-grade device builds used on over 400 patients nationwide, and successfully spin out of Northwestern University while creating 10 full-time jobs in Illinois.

The coalition is requesting that Congress pass an extension of the SBIR/STTR programs prior to the September 30 deadline to provide continuity while comprehensive reauthorization legislation is developed.

“These essential programs fuel innovation, create jobs, and advance medical breakthroughs that improve and save lives,” the coalition stated in their letter to Illinois representatives.

The SBIR/STTR programs, established in 1982, provide certainty, stability, and predictability that both small businesses and federal agencies need to budget and plan for future innovation initiatives.

Read the Letter

Read the Testimonials

Key Opportunities

Combat Medicine: DARPA’s MASH program seeks autonomous technologies for finding and stabilizing internal bleeding in forward medical facilities.

Infectious Disease: BARDA’s Project BioShield offers substantial funding for Marburg and Sudan virus vaccine development and procurement.

Rare Diseases: Multiple FDA and PCORI opportunities support natural history studies, clinical trials, and patient-centered research for underserved conditions.

Women’s Health: Military Family Health Research Award provides up to $3 million for menopause research, sex-specific healthcare, and addressing barriers to family formation.

Agriculture: USDA NIFA grants support research across six priority areas with funding up to $10 million.

Ongoing Access

The CHEERS program continues accepting white papers for aerospace medicine, public health, occupational medicine, and expeditionary care on a rolling basis.

Additional Intel

Key RFIs to watch:

• DARPA: Chemically and Biologically Enhanced Microsystems
• NIIMBL: mRNA-LNP Drug Product Filtration Practices

Exclusive iBIO Access

G2G will provide exclusive consultation for iBIO members during their August 21 webinar at 11:00 AM. This session offers direct access to federal funding expertise and opportunity matching.

Register for the exclusive iBIO member consultation through the member portal.

CHICAGO, IL – August 5, 2025 – The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) today released its inaugural Member Investor Portfolio Report, documenting over $1.24 billion in venture-style investments completed by nearly 100 life science companies in Illinois during calendar year 2024. The comprehensive report provides critical benchmarking data for Illinois’ thriving life sciences ecosystem.

“This report represents a milestone for our community,” said John Conrad, President and CEO of iBIO. “It’s essential that we track investment activity in our region, identify key trends, and most importantly, highlight and celebrate the incredible companies that are driving innovation and raising funds despite challenging market conditions. These achievements demonstrate the strength and resilience of Illinois’ life sciences sector.”

The report breaks down investments across multiple funding stages, with late-stage deals capturing 50% of total dollars raised, Series A rounds accounting for 35%, and early-stage investments representing 15%. Software solutions dominated funding by vertical with $544 million raised (44%), followed by pharma and biotech at $369 million (29%), and AgTech/industrial bioscience at $186 million (15%).

BIO International Convention Returns to Chicago in 2030

The report’s release comes following the announcement that the BIO International Convention will return to Chicago in 2030. The convention, which last took place in Chicago in 2013, is expected to bring over 20,000 biotechnology professionals from around the world to the city.

“The BIO International Convention’s return to Chicago is a reflection of the tremendous growth of our life sciences community and a testament to our region’s promise as a major player in the biotech economy of the future,” said Kenneth Johnson, Vice President for Medical Affairs at Immedica US and iBIO board chair “This has long been a goal for iBIO, and we’ve been working closely with BIO and our board members to highlight how important our ecosystem is to the global biotechnology community.”

The convention represents an opportunity to showcase Illinois’ life sciences strengths, including its growing startup ecosystem, world-class research institutions, and robust infrastructure for biotechnology innovation.

Report Highlights

Key findings from the 2024 report include:

• $1.24 billion raised across 99 life science companies
• 19 Series A deals led investment activity by deal count
• 16 deal tombstones highlighted major funding rounds
• 12 company milestones featured, including FDA approvals and licensing agreements

The report also showcases major Illinois life sciences developments, including ARCH Venture Partners’ $3 billion new fund, Tempus AI’s successful $410 million IPO, and the launch of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

“Raising capital in today’s market is challenging, but the depth of interest from investors — when combined with Chicago’s and the State of Illinois’s strong scientific talent, research infrastructure, and overall access to capital — made our latest funding round a success,” said John Craighead, Ph.D., chief executive officer at Syntax Bio. “This region offers exactly what innovative biotech companies like Syntax need to advance transformative technologies.”

The full 2024 Member Investor Portfolio Report is available at https://ibio.org/investment-report/.

About iBIO

The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) is a life sciences industry association that represents the 94,000 life sciences employees in Illinois. iBIO promotes the industry’s value to the public and policymakers; connects innovators to investment and talent; stimulates collaboration and fosters the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to transform patient lives through groundbreaking research and works to grow the Illinois economy. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit http://www.ibio.org.\\

The competition, hosted at Fulton Labs, showcased the exceptional talent of over 30 high school students from across Illinois who presented their original biotechnology research projects.

Omar Rodriguez from Wheeling High School earned the first runner-up position with his innovative project, “Carbon Biowaste Anodes in Na+ Batteries to Reduce Environmental Impact,” highlighting sustainable solutions in energy storage technology.

“This competition offers a unique opportunity for students to be acknowledged for their exceptional work in biotech research,” said Ann Vogel, Senior Vice President of Charitable Programs at iBIO. “The caliber of research presented by these young scientists continues to inspire us and gives us great confidence in the future of biotechnology innovation in Illinois.”

Both Praveen and Rodriguez have been awarded scholarships from iBIO to further support their academic pursuits and continued exploration in biotechnology.

The Illinois BioGENEius Challenge, organized annually by the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), serves as a prestigious platform for aspiring young scientists to demonstrate their research capabilities and innovative thinking in the field of biotechnology.