FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is eligible to apply?
Small and medium-sized companies (SME) who are based in Illinois, maintain a majority of its business operations within Illinois, employ not more than five hundred (500) persons,
commit to maintaining operations in Illinois for the duration of the project, and operate in key industries (including, but not limited to agribusiness and agtech; energy; information technology; life sciences and healthcare; manufacturing; and transportation and logistics).
I am a sole proprietor, may I apply for an Illinois innovation voucher
No, the innovation voucher program is for small and medium-sized companies created as a C Corporation, S Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
How do I know if my business is eligible?
Eligibility criteria is listed on the website. Most importantly, your company must be a small-medium-sized company (SME) who is based in Illinois, maintains a majority of its business operations within Illinois, employs not more than five hundred (500) persons,
commits to maintaining operations in Illinois for the duration of the project, and operates in key industries (including, but not limited to agribusiness and agtech; energy; information technology; life sciences and healthcare; manufacturing; and transportation and logistics).
Who are the Higher Education Institutions?
DCEO approves all partners, which include public and private, non-profit higher education institutions with research capabilities Not all state universities and colleges have research capabilities.
You can research all universities and colleges at the Illinois Board of Higher Education at https://www.ibhe.org/.