Research and Innovation
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
at CI MED
Advancing medicine, improving patient outcomes, and expanding care access through research and innovation.
“The Office of Research and Innovation serves as the engine behind this momentum. Positioned at the center of discovery and impact, the office cultivates interdisciplinary collaborations, empowers faculty and student researchers, and supports the flow of scientific ideas into clinical solutions. Importantly, the office also provides the tools and guidance to navigate and overcome regulatory hurdles, ensuring promising innovations can successfully advance toward commercialization.”
- Claudius Conrad, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO
Events
Maker Coin
The Maker Coin is a unique program that provides a restricted endowment of $10,000 per Carle Illinois College of Medicine student in good standing with the institution, split across four categories:
Travel
Single-use up to $2,000 for travel-related expenses to present your research conducted with a CI MED Investigator at an academic conference within the U.S.
Publication
Single-use up to $2,000 to publish your research conducted with a CI MED Investigator.
Prototyping
Single-use up to $500 to purchase supplies, software, or equipment that will contribute to biomedical innovation prototyping.
Capstone
Provides students access to the remaining $5,500 of their coin to help bridge the gap between ideas and translational impact during their fourth year.
Grants and Awards
The Carle Illinois curriculum provides structured, course-driven innovation opportunities for medical students through its Innovation, Design, Engineering and Analysis (IDEA) course, Capstone course, and Data Science course. There are several mechanisms that ORI offers to support these projects. Admitted students, faculty, and staff see ORI Intranet for more information.
Research and Innovation Pathway Grants
- Seed funding for student-driven innovation conducted with a CI MED Investigator
- Awarding up to $3,000 per project, averaging 10 projects annually
Student Travel Scholarship
- Supplemental travel funding for CI MED students in good standing
- Eligible to apply once per quarter after using travel coin
Publication Award
- Supplemental publication funding for CI MED students in good standing
- Eligible to apply once per quarter after using publication coin
Student Project Advising and Mentor Connections
- Office hours weekly during Fall and Spring semesters
- Opportunity for CI MED students to brainstorm and meet with ORI research leadership
- Guidance on project design
- Identify prospective mentors and collaborators.
- Guest speakers and domain experts from Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital
Clinical Research Mentors
Clinical domain experts supporting research mentorship and clinical project opportunities for CI MED students.