Illinois Innovation Voucher Program
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) / Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC)
Up to $75,000
University R&D vouchers for IL firms
A competitive grant program that helps Illinois small and mid-sized businesses access the research capacity of Illinois universities. Awards of up to $75,000 cover up to 75% of the cost of a sponsored research engagement with a qualified Illinois non-profit institution of higher education, with the company contributing at least 25%. The program targets six priority sectors — agribusiness/agtech, energy, IT, life sciences/healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation/logistics. Administered by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) on behalf of DCEO, it runs in funding rounds (Round 3 opened February 2026) on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. In early 2026 DCEO awarded $2.4M to 34 companies and announced an additional $2.6M for the next round.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- State
- Amount range
- $10,000 – $75,000
- Realistic amount
- Awards commonly run $40,000–$75,000 depending on project scope and the 25% cost-share a comp…
- Deadline
- Rolling within each round until funds are exhausted. Round 3 application window opened February 2, 2026.
- Status
- active
- States
- Illinois
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- For-profit business with its principal place of business in Illinois (or, if headquartered elsewhere, employing at least 100 full-time employees in Illinois)
- 500 or fewer employees
- Must remain operating in Illinois throughout the research engagement
- Must partner with a qualified Illinois-based non-profit institution of higher education
- Project must be an applied R&D engagement leading to a new or improved product/service that the company can commercialize
- Must provide at least 25% cost-share toward the total project cost
Hard requirements
- Must be an incorporated business
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- University researcher salaries and student research labor
- Product development, prototyping, and testing at the university
- Equipment and supplies (capped at 50% of the voucher)
- Technology audits and implementation support
- Commercialization and service-development research
Ineligible expenses
- Travel, rent, and entertainment
- Internal company salaries and standard staff training
- Subcontractors outside the university partnership
- Commercial off-the-shelf software (e.g., Microsoft, Adobe, Google)
- Web/app development, internships, advertising, and branding
- Business planning and legal/patent/marketing consulting
- Grant-application preparation costs
How to apply
-
1
Identify an Illinois university research partner
Connect with a faculty researcher or research office at an Illinois non-profit university and scope a defined research project (deliverables, timeline, budget). ISTC can help facilitate matches.
~12 hrs
-
2
Define project scope and 25% cost-share
Agree a statement of work with the university, a total project budget up to $100,000, the up-to-$75,000 voucher request, and how the company will fund its 25%+ contribution.
~8 hrs
-
3
Submit application via the ISTC portal
Register on ilinnovoucher.istcoalition.org and submit the company profile, project narrative, budget, and university partner letter during the open round.
~8 hrs
-
4
Review and award
ISTC reviews applications for eligibility and merit on a rolling basis within the round. Awarded companies execute a grant agreement and a sponsored-research agreement with the university.
~4 hrs
Line up your university faculty partner and a tightly-scoped statement of work before the round opens — the bottleneck is almost always finding a willing researcher, not the application form. ISTC's matchmaking help is underused; email them early in the round.
Deadline & timing
DCEO/ISTC run the program in funding rounds. Each round opens an application window and accepts applications on a rolling basis until the round's allocation is committed. Watch ilinnovoucher.istcoalition.org for the next round's opening.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.