In 2021, IBM and The Grainger College of Engineering launched the Discovery Accelerator Institute, a large-scale collaboration designed to increase access to technology education and skill development. Combining the strengths of academia and the industrial sector, the institute will serve as a new model of academic-industry partnership and aims to spur breakthroughs in emerging areas of technology.
The ten-year collaboration between Illinois, IBM and the State of Illinois is backed by a $200 million investment. The project will be complemented by deep collaborations to develop communities of discovery across IBM, Grainger Engineering and Illinois, in addition to research funding, hiring of additional faculty and talent, and a new facility for research in computing and quantum technologies.
This new collaboration further establishes the university as the global leader in digital transformation at the service of society. The Institute will emphasize initiatives to increase access to STEM education and high-tech workforce development, as well as expand the collective research capacity by tapping into the intellectual talent of students, faculty and industry researchers campus-wide.
Together, these teams will tackle the urgent complex challenges faced by industry and academia, applying technology to the discovery and creation of new materials, and engineering solutions for sustainability and the environment.