What We Do

iBIO champions the life sciences in Illinois and the surrounding Midwest

Our primary objectives

• Advocate sound public policy at the local, state, and federal levels

• Create a strong sense of community and interaction among public, private, and academic/research sectors

• Promote development and retention of new companies and corporate expansions

How we achieve them

• Public policy advocacy
  iBIO advocates sound policy development at all levels of government. iBIO is represented in Springfield, Illinois by a respected lobbying firm, and our President & CEO is a registered lobbyist. The organization manages a powerful grassroots Web-based lobbying system. iBIO coordinates with the national BIO organization in our lobbying at the federal level.

  iBIO annually honors elected and appointed government officials who make a difference supporting biotechnology. Through the John W. Maitland Award for Public Service, we recognize local, state, and federal public servants of both major political parties.

• Business connections
  iBIO cosponsors venture capital and angel investor opportunities with the best emerging companies from Illinois and the greater Midwest; these firms use the events to find technology, investment, and distribution partners. All iBIO events contain a strong networking component.

• Burn Rate Reduction Program
  iBIO manages a Burn Rate Reduction program, which gives small and midcap firms the same clout as big companies for a wide array of products and services.

• The iBIO PROPEL Program
  iBIO PROPEL is a series of programs aimed at increasing the number of life sciences start-ups and boosting the success rates of existing life sciences companies in Illinois.  PROPEL drives development of new life sciences companies by providing entrepreneurs with access to specialized resources and expertise.  Industry, academia, service professionals, entrepreneurs, and government agencies connect to create and support a vibrant entrepreneurial community in Illinois through PROPEL programs.
  
  The technology industry in Illinois includes world-class research, management talent, an educated and trained workforce, state-of-the-art facilities, easy access to markets and scientific collaboration, and advanced services infrastructure.  iBIO and the iBIO Institute jointly created PROPEL to develop these attributes into a self-aware, highly interactive community, enhancing connectivity within the entire life sciences community.  See www.ibiopropel.org for more information.