Chancellor’s Translational Research Initiative (CTRI)
The CTRI program provides up to $25,000 to help prepare early stage projects with high commercialization potential for licensing and startup opportunities or future funding opportunities that support commercialization. Successful completion of the CTRI program increases the likelihood of a project receiving funding through the the POC Awards Program.
Full-time UIC faculty and staff must have an invention disclosure on file with the Office of Technology Management to apply for CTRI funding or the proposed project must result in an invention disclosure.
Learn more.
Application Requirements Heading link
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Key Dates
Proposals are not currently being accepted. Stay tuned for the next funding cycle!
Applications Open: NA
Deadline: NA
Awards Announced: NA
Projects must be submitted in PDF format by the deadline listed above. Timestamps will be noted and there will be no exceptions for proposals received past 5:00 pm CST. Questions should be sent to innovation@uic.edu.
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Application Requirements
All proposals must be based on a UIC technology that has been disclosed to the OTM or after completion of the milestone in submitted proposal would result in a disclosure to OTM.
Projects will be reviewed on the basis of technological soundness, commercial market attractiveness and feasibility to meet milestones. Successful proposals will demonstrate outstanding scientific and technological merit whose results can advance the TRL, result in novel intellectual property (IP), and have potential to license to an industrial partner or to an investor-backed start-up company.
Project proposals must contain the following sections and be no longer than 3 pages in length.
- Problem being solved
- Relevance and commercial or societal impact
- Approach detailing a hypothesis and why it is unique
- Research plan with a singular milestone to complete during the project period
- Budget
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Application Process & Criteria
Innovators will have 4 months to complete their projects and the milestones should be directed towards answering a key question on whether the research should progress further or a different path should be pursued. Eligible applicants are full time faculty, staff, and researchers who have a CFOP account.
A CTRI Review Committee will then review and select finalists from the pool of applicants. Finalists will be selected on the merits of their proposal. Proposals for CTRI awards will be reviewed and ranked by a panel of faculty representatives of all major colleges from which proposals are received. Depending on the level of funding, the highest ranking proposals will be awarded funding. The panel’s decision is final.
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Technology Readiness Level
Level Description (Physical Sciences) [Life Sciences]) 1 TRL 1
([Basic principles observed]) TRL 2
(Technology concept formulated) [research ideas and protocols developed] TRL 3
(Experimental proof of principle (PoP)) [Hypothesis testing and initial proof of principle (PoP) is demonstrated in a limited number of in vitro & in vivo models] TRL 4
(Technology validated in lab) [PoP and safety of candidate formulation/device or system is demonstrated in a defined laboratory or animal model] TRL 5
(Technology validated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)) [Pre-clinical studies, including GLPanimal safety & toxicity, sufficient to support further trials] TRL 6
(Technology demonstrated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)) [Phase 1 clinical trials support proceeding to phase 2 clinical trials or Class III device safety is demonstrated and in line with predictions] TRL 7
(System prototype demonstration in operational environment) [Phase 2 clinical trial is completed. Phase 3 clinical trial plan is approved. For devices the final product design is validated and final prototypes are produced and tested] TRL 8
(System complete and qualified) [Phase 3 clinical trial is complete and licensing/authorization given. For devices market approval given] TRL 9
(Actual system proven in operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies)) [Post marketing studies and surveillance] -
Past Recipients of CTRI
Year Name of Awardee & Discipline/Field 2022
- Dr.Steven Ackerman, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
- Dr. Leslie Aldrich, CTRI Awardee, Department of Chemistry
- Dr. Michael Caffrey, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
- Dr. Ali Djalilian, CTRI Awardee, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
- Dr. Michael Johnson, CTRI Awardee, Center for Biomolecular Sciences
- Dr. Andre Kajdacsy-Balla, CTRI Awardee, Department of Pathology
- Dr. Jan Kitajewski, CTRI Awardee, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
- Dr. Mathew Mathew, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biomedical Science
- Dr. John Monaghan, CTRI Awardee, Department of Anthropology
- Dr. Sojin Shikano, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
- Dr. Mladen Vidovich, CTRI Awardee, Department of Medicine
2021
- Dr. Kamran Avanaki, CTRI Awardee, Department of Bioengineering
- Dr. Deepak Shukla, CTRI Awardee, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
- Dr. Vinay Aakalu, CTRI Awardee, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
- Dr. Peter Gyarmati, CTRI Awardee, Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology
- Dr. Luisa DiPietro, CTRI Awardee, Department of Periodontics
- Dr. Meenesh Singh, CTRI Awardee, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Dr. X. Joe Zhou, CTRI Awardee, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research
- Dr. Sangil Kim, CTRI Awardee, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Dr. Peggi White, CTRI Awardee, Regional Nursing Program
- Dr. Xin Huang, CTRI Awardee, Department of Pharmacology
2020
- Dr. Deepak Shukla, CTRI Awardee, Department Of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Dr. Susan Talamini, CTRI Awardee, Department of Urology
- Dr. Jenny Parvani, CTRI Awardee, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
- Dr. Ying Liu, CTRI Awardee, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Dr. Amit Trivedi, CTRI Awardee, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Dr. Yannek Leiderman, CTRI Awardee, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (Primary) and Bioengineering (Affiliate)
- Drs. Alexander Yarin & Youngkwan Song, CTRI Awardee, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and College of Nursing
- Dr. Shiva Shahrara, CTRI Awardee, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Dr. Ankit Mehta, CTRI Awardee, Department of Neurosurgery
2019
- Dr. Amelia Bartholomew, CTRI Awardee, Department of Surgery
- Dr. Liaohai Chen, CTRI Awardee, Department of Surgery
- Dr. Jayhyung Cho, CTRI Awardee, Department of Pharmacology
- Dr. Xiaping Du, CTRI Awardee, Department of Pharmacology
- Dr. Ramaswamy Kalyanasundaram, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. Xue-Jun Li, CTRI Awardee, Department of Biomedical Sciences
- Dr. Richard Minshall, CTRI Awardee, Department of Anesthesiology & Pharmacology
- Dr. Hyung-Geun Moon, CTRI Awardee, Department of Medicine, Pulmanory Division
- Dr. Reza Shahbazian-Yassar, CTRI Awardee, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Dr. Tolou Shokuhfar, CTRI Awardee, Department of Bioengineering
2018
- Dr. Bin He, CTRI Awardee, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Dr. Russell Pesavento, CTRI Awardee, Center for Biomolecular Science
- Dr. Hyung-Geun Moon, CTRI Awardee, Department of Medicine, Pulmanory Division
- Dr. Leslie Fung, CTRI Awardee, Department of Chemistry
- Dr. Vinay Aakaly, CTRI Awardee, Department of opthomology and Visual Sciences
- Dr. Mark Rosenblatt & Dr. Charles Yu, CTRI Awardee, Department of opthomology and Visual Sciences
- Dr. Farhad Ansari, CTRI Awardee, Department of Civil Engineering