FY24 Investment for Growth projects announced
May 24, 2023 10:31 AM

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has selected 11 proposals with budgets totaling nearly $15 million as part of the Investment for Growth program. Projects chosen for the program’s fifth round of funding demonstrate the spirit of collaboration, innovation and immense promise to impact our campus community and beyond.  

Since the Investment for Growth program was created in 2018, our university has invested more than $91 million to provide seed funding for projects that generate revenue; advance our teaching, research and outreach missions; and address areas of high and emerging student demand. Examples of previously funded projects include: Supporting and Promoting the Practical Value of a Humanities Education in the 21st Century; Jump Start Data Science Education at Illinois; Supporting Growth of Master of Engineering (MEng) Programs and Professional Education; and South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning (Feasibility/Architectural).  

Through the Investment for Growth program, our hope is to encourage colleges to be bold in their thinking and to dream big. If you have an idea for the next round of Investment for Growth proposals, we encourage you to talk to your department head and dean. 

The FY24 Funded projects are:

1. National Leadership in Data Science Education Supporting a Significant Visible Social Impact
   Grainger College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
   
2. LAS Student Success Center
   College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
   
3. Virtual Care Hub in the College of Veterinary Medicine
   College of Veterinary Medicine
4. Healthcare Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship – Graduate Certificate and Related Opportunities
   Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Gies College of Business, Grainger College of Engineering
5. Expanding Online Graduate Education in the College of Applied Health Sciences
   College of Applied Health Sciences
   
6. Proposal for the Creation of a New Online Master’s Degree Concentration in Trauma-Informed Education
   College of Education
7. Playful by Design: Expanding the Transformative Potentials of Games@Illinois
   School of Information Sciences, College of Education, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Grainger College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Media
8. Program Innovation for an Evolving Profession
   School of Labor and Employment Relations
   
9. Illinois Center for Family & Community-Engaged STEAM
   Grainger College of Engineering, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, College of Education
10. Center for Advanced Climate Solutions (CACS), Enhancing Capacity and Accelerating Impacts in Climate Research, Education, and Engagement 
    Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, School of Labor and Employment Relations, Grainger College of Engineering, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    
11. SE@UIUC: A Green Education for Sustainable Futures and Environmental Justice
    College of Education

View descriptions of this year’s funded projects here. Learn more about the Investment for Growth program here.

Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals or participated in the review process. Your bold, innovative ideas, in partnership with the Investment for Growth program, keep our university moving forward as a premier land-grant institution. 

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor

William Bernhard
Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost