Illinois Innovation Network — The NIU Hub: Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability In one of the largest innovation and economic development incentives in state history, Illinois lawmakers have designated $500 million to create a statewide innovation cooperative. Led by the University of Illinois, the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) will connect research and innovation hubs throughout the state, anchored by a large complex in Chicago’s South Loop. IIN is focused on 21st century global issues such as food, health and climate change, and will facilitate collaboration with many domestic and international partners. Northern Illinois University is among the first public institutions of higher education to express formal interest in joining IIN. In October 2018, NIU held a joint news conference with the University of Illinois and Governor Bruce Rauner to announce a DeKalb-based hub that will focus on two of IIN’s major themes: food and agriculture, and environment and water. The Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS) will be constructed on NIU’s west campus. About two-thirds of the new building’s cost, or $15 million, will be financed from the $500 million in state capital funding approved last spring to launch the innovation network. NIU will provide the remaining $7.9 million through in-kind contributions, private investment and donations. The facility is targeted for opening in fall 2021.
NICCS will focus on three large areas: • Food systems innovation: Illinois produces only 4 percent of its own food. Research and experimentation with new methods of food production (including networks of urban gardens) will lead to a more sustainable statewide food system. As with all IIN programs, the food systems project will be multidisciplinary and will involve both American and international partners. The Colleges of Engineering and Engineering Technology and Business, for example, will work with other NIU colleges and the U of I’s College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Services to develop software and robotics for the agricultural industry, as well as more efficient engines, lighting and supply chain management practices. Other national and international collaborations will be made possible through virtual research connections. • Water resources management: With global population numbers expected to rise to nearly 10 billion by 2050, the use of fresh water for agriculture, industry and personal consumption is unsustainable. NIU faculty and students will