active State Grant

Illinois Innovation Voucher Program

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) / Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC)

Up to $75,000

See if you qualify — free Visit official program ↗

Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 5 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓

The short version

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 company can fund. Companies that scope a focused, single-deliverable university project at or near the cap tend to receive close to the full $75,000.
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

Insider tip

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.

Applications are open — don’t lose the window

GrantCompass tracks Illinois Innovation Voucher Program’s application windows in the live catalog. Leave an email and we’ll warn you before this window closes — and tell you when the next round opens.

Free. One email when the window moves, deadline warnings on your watchlist, and the monthly closing-soon digest. Unsubscribe anytime.

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