Rosalind Franklin University receives $ 2 million in state wet lab investment funds

Posted: October 14, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. EDT|Update: 2 hours ago

NORTHERN CHICAGO, Illinois., October 14, 2021 / PRNewswire / – Rosalind Franklin University The Innovation and Research Park has taken a new step October 14 when the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities announced a $ 2 million matching grant that will allow the university to complete the construction of the facility’s industrial space.

The grant is part of the state’s Wet Lab Capital program, which uses Rebuild Illinois dollars to fund advances in research and medicine, according to DCEO officials. Executive Vice President of Research RFU Ronald kaplan, PhD, said the program and IRP respond to “an acute shortage of wet lab space” critical for research and development.

“This funding will allow us to develop and open a state-of-the-art wet lab space for collaboration with industry partners,” added Dr. Kaplan. “It will also benefit Lake County communities as more and more biotech companies settle and expand in the region, creating new jobs, internships and training programs. “

Chairman and CEO of RFU Wendy Rheault, PT, PhD, FASAHP, FNAP, DipACLM, said the funds – associated with $ 2 million from RFU – will help the university accelerate recruitment from many life science companies looking for a move-in space.

“Partnership with the State of Illinois is essential for stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship in healthcare, ”added Dr. Rheault. “By working across multiple sectors in public-private partnerships, we are building a research enterprise that will benefit the health and well-being of communities for generations to come.

Located north of the RFU campus, the $ 50 million The IRP opened its doors in early 2020. It is designed to promote collaboration between university and industrial scientists around a common objective of accelerating the development of new diagnostics and therapies. Currently, two-thirds of the building’s 100,000 square feet of labs and offices are dedicated to scientists at RFU, many of whom work on research projects funded by sources such as the National Institutes of Health. The remaining space in the building is intended to house industry collaborators who cut across the university’s mission and improve the potential for advancement of bioscience research.

In a Chicago ceremony announcing the grants, Governor JB Pritzker noted that RFU lies “at the heart of Illinois’ biopharmaceutical ecosystem in the north Illinois, which makes him a prime candidate for the program.

“We need to step on the accelerator now in our life sciences industry, especially when its success is so critical to our future economic security,” said Pritzker. “We have therefore partnered with the job creators at the forefront of this field to listen to their needs as investors in our field. And the first thing they were loud and clear about was the type of modern wet lab facilities needed to conduct research. “

Other program recipients include Back of the Yards Algae Sciences in Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, NuMat Technologies at Skokie, University of Southern Illinois Carbondale, University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville and the University of Illinois Research park in Champaign.

The most recent company to join the IRP is SHIELD Illinois, which deals with saliva-based COVID-19 testing for northeastern school districts Illinois. The park secured its first tenant last fall through a licensing agreement with Inspirotec, Inc., which offers airborne allergen detection to consumers, physicians, industrial hygienists and indoor air quality professionals. .

On Rosalind Franklin University
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is committed to serving the population through the inter-professional training of health and biomedicine professionals and the discovery of knowledge dedicated to improving well-being. The university embodies the spirit of research and excellence modeled by its namesake Dr. Rosalind Franklin, whose photo 51 was crucial in solving the structure of DNA. Recognized for its research in areas such as neuroscience, brain-related diseases, inherited disorders, diabetes, obesity, and gait and balance, RFU encompasses the Chicago Medical School, the College of Health Professions, the College of Pharmacy, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Dr. William M. Scholl College of podiatric medicine, and plans are going forward for a nursing college. Learn more about rosalindfranklin.edu.

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