Announcing the 2020 Proof of Concept Awardees

In partnership with the Office of Technology Management and a panel of academic and industry experts, Illinois Ventures identifies and works with award winners to develop a milestone-driven plan, fund early-stage trials, and prepare to secure additional commercialization funding.

The Proof of Concept program is a two-phase award, with an initial $50K grant and the potential for $150K in follow-on funds. This year’s winners include a broad range of departments and project focuses, ranging from pharmacology and microbiology to engineering and surgery.

The 2020 Phase I Proof of Concept Award winners include:

Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy, Department of Surgery
Dr. Gang Cheng, Department of Chemical Engineering
Dr. Gus Cho, Department of Pharmacology
Dr. Reza Shabazian-Yassar, Department of Engineering

The 2020 Phase II Proof of Concept Award winners include:

Dr. Bin He, Department of Microbiology
Dr. Sandeep Jain, Department of Opthamology
Dr. Sangeetha Madhavan, Department of Applied Health Services
Dr. Ajay Maker, Department of Surgery

To learn more about the Proof of Concept program, click here.