Discovery Partners Institute | University of Illinois System

The Cannabis Research Institute: “From Seed to Social Impact”

DPI’s Cannabis Research Institute launched with a riverside chat featuring director Reggie Gaudino and other experts.

Building a More Inclusive Tech Community

Through DPI’s Pritzker Tech Talent Lab, DPI is becoming a hive of technology activity, a place where companies, researchers and students can access smart people, advanced equipment and funding to turn their ideas into products and businesses.

Discover What’s New

Recent announcements from the Discovery Partners Institute.

All News & Press

Report: Only half of computer science teachers in Illinois meet recommended qualifications

IWERC releases third report on state of computer science education in the state Chicago — (Mar 25, 2025) A new report ...

Press Releases

Our Commitment to Diversity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are a core foundation of our programs — not an afterthought

In 2019, the U of I system’s computer science, computer engineering, and data science programs graduated 3,476 people. How many of these graduates do you think were students of color? Just 59, or 1.6%, were Black. And just 183, or 5%, were Hispanic.

We must do better. DPI’s tech talent development programs are going to help fix this.

Design

DPI will intentionally design programs to address key challenges & friction points that have historically disadvantaged underrepresented groups in tech.

Partner

DPI believes in collaboration, which is why we have a growing international network of partners.

Support

DPI will systematically support a learner’s journey with wraparound services to ensure success.

Build

Internally, DPI is building a representative workforce and will conduct business with a diverse supplier base.

We’re Building Research Teams and Supplying Them With New Funding

Our research clusters are built on industries where Illinois already excels.

Food and agriculture;
Health and wellness;
Water, environment and climate;
Insurance and financial services;
Transportation and logistics.

DPI has seeded teams within these research clusters with more than $1 million in funding. Teams are led by a University of Illinois faculty member and include scientists from across DPI’s partner universities and the private sector.

Our Talent Development Programs

The Pritzker Tech Talent Labs take a systemic approach to developing promising and diverse tech talent. Our programs work across the state, from K-12 schools through community colleges, universities, and lifelong learners.

Teacher Training

Few teachers across Illinois are trained to teach Computer Science. We’re working to change that with an endorsement program for existing teachers, targeted professional development, and resources to help improve computer science instruction across the state.

Middle, High School, and Community College Students

PTTL’s Community Education unit offers a suite of programs to guide historically underrepresented students into CS and tech-related fields.

Apprenticeships

Training for in-demand, resilient tech jobs is a lifelong process. We support individuals and companies to address critical talent needs in cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, and software development.

Covid-19 has worsened our already significant income inequality, accelerated tech adoption, and made the need for upskilling even more acute.

“We simply must do more to help our workers, particularly women and people of color, acquire the skills needed to adapt and thrive given the accelerating impact of automation and digitization. This important new initiative at DPI will help build a more inclusive economy by increasing opportunity for the diverse talent in our region.”

Penny Pritzkerformer U.S. Secretary of Commerce and trustee of the Pritzker Foundation

Invest with the Most Ambitious People and Companies the Region Has to Offer

Our partners include leading universities on the other side of the globe; the state’s most successful entrepreneurs; and big corporations, which turn to DPI to accelerate their R&D efforts. Here are just a few of our partners.

Full Partners List & Info

The most popular way to do things is not always the best way to do things.

“The situation here, especially at UofI, is that a lot of the students opt for going straight to the West Coast, and that’s where they seek success. But City Scholars has continually proven to me that is not necessarily the best option, and it certainly isn’t the only option.”

Azriel AlvaradoCity Scholars alumnus

Why does The Discovery Partners Institute exist?

Illinois is a top producer nationally of computer science and data science graduates. Yet, the state still faces a significant shortage of talent needed for its economy to grow. We are in a global war for the best and the brightest; DPI is the state’s offensive.

Learn More

Where Are They Now? Maya Sheriff

Advice from some tech trailblazers

Turning knowledge into action

AI is not magic.

Know your deltas

The FY24 DPI Annual Report is online!

Clean energy and sustainable transportation solutions

Confronting Challenge, Changing Lives

Wastewater Data in Real Time