Apply for Support

If you are interested in applying for support from UICentre, but are not sure where to start, we are glad to start a discussion with you! Please contact us at drugdiscovery@uic.edu to set up a Zoom call.

Open to all UIC Faculty: Due May 15, 2024

UICentre is the campus-wide drug discovery enterprise of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Our mission is to catalyze the formation of multidisciplinary teams of scientists and physicians, that collaborate to translate scientific discoveries and clinical observations into new therapies for areas of unmet medical need.

To form such multidisciplinary teams, UICentre offers seed funding through several mechanisms. The Launch Seed Grant mechanism is open to all UIC faculty, and seeks to fund projects focused on finding new drug-like small molecules, which can comprise robust assay development, high throughput screening (HTS), and/or hit-to-lead medicinal chemistry projects. Proposed target validation studies using synthetic chemical probes are also considered receptive to this RFA.

Funding via this mechanism can range from $10K- $50K for one year. Successful applications will present not only compelling preliminary data, but also provide a credible plan towards a specific milestone, that if achieved would position the project to receive external funding.

Applications are due by 5 pm on May 15, 2024; pre-submission inquiries can be directed to drugdiscovery@uic.edu.  Instructions for this RFA, and a link for online submission of the proposal can be found here.

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration between the University of Illinois Cancer Center (UICC) and the UICentre, entitled U2D2. Since the funding for the U2D2 program comes from UICC, only UICC Members are eligible to be PI. Awards up to $25K may be requested, and the instructions for the RFA can be found here. The deadline for submission of the current U2D2 RFA is 5 pm, November 1, 2024.

Please contact drugdiscovery@uic.edu with any questions.