Informational Webinar: SHIELD Illinois Research Partnerships

SHIELD Illinois, the nonprofit COVID-testing unit of the University of Illinois System, is seeking to leverage the system’s network of researchers to help improve operations, better understand the broader impact of the SHIELD Illinois unit, and discover best practices for guiding public responses to future crises.

The unit has grown rapidly in the past 18 months, starting with 10 employees and processing less than 5,000 tests in the fall of 2020 to growing to over 300 employees and running more than 5 million tests as of last month. SHIELD’s growth occurred during a time of increased business challenges across the world. Talent shortages, supply chain issues, material shortages, and general economic uncertainty during the pandemic has created a unique landscape that has required SHIELD to adapt their strategy continuously.

SHIELD is looking to further understand its internal data, impact, organizational growth, strengths, capabilities, and operations to serve the state of Illinois and inform senior leadership. SHIELD launched a request for proposals and is seeking to fund up to 20 projects, providing $20,000 to $30,000 to support this effort.

The request for proposals has a wide scope and the use of different lenses or perspectives is strongly encouraged. The result will be peer-reviewed publications and academic case studies across dozens of different topics and disciplines. Findings will be utilized by SHIELD Illinois senior leadership and key stakeholders to further benefit the state of Illinois.

Researchers at all public universities in the state of Illinois are eligible to apply. All work on funded projects must be completed within two years of funding. Learn More

Deadline to apply: May 2.

Register.