Illinois Innovation Voucher Program
Rolling DCEO grants up to $75,000 (75% reimbursement) pairing Illinois small businesses with university researchers in AI, quantum, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and life sciences. Round 3 announced Feb 2026 (~$2.6M available).
Check an Address — Free Snapshot
Compare the geocoded point for a Chicago address with the boundary used to screen Illinois Innovation Voucher Program. A match is a location signal; review the current program source for the boundary's role and remaining criteria.
Published criteria — confirm with Illinois DCEO
- Illinois small business
- AI, quantum, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, or life sciences
Illinois Innovation Voucher Program is administered at the state level. Depending on the program, eligibility may depend on the specific location, property type, or business activity rather than a single drawn boundary.
Boundaries are precise and change over time, so whether a specific address falls inside a mapped zone always depends on that exact address. The fastest way to check is to run a free snapshot for the parcel you have in mind — mapped coverage is a location signal, not an eligibility determination.
Range on file · Up to $75,000 (75% reimbursement)
Current published terms as of 2026-08-09
- +Up to $75,000 grant (75% reimbursement)
- +Connects small businesses with university research expertise
- +Targets innovation sectors prioritized by the state
- 1Identify a university research partner
- 2Apply through the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition portal, which administers intake and review — applications are not submitted to DCEO
- 3Execute project and request reimbursement
Visit innovate-illinois.com/dceo-incentives for next round timing
- University partnership letter / scope of work
- Project budget
- Small business documentation
This page is a starting point, not eligibility, legal, or tax advice. Verify current requirements, deadlines, and boundaries with the administering agency before applying or spending money — program rules and funding change over time.
- Phone
- (217) 782-7500
- Web
- Visit site ↗
Last verified 2026-08-09
Federal Opportunity Zone incentive: investors who reinvest capital gains through a Qualified Opportunity Fund into a designated zone receive tax reductions scaled to how long the investment is held. Illinois' current zones remain active for investment; a new round of IL-nominated zones takes effect January 1, 2027 under OZ 2.0.
Illinois Enterprise Zones offer state and local tax incentives to stimulate economic growth in economically depressed areas, including sales tax exemptions on building materials, utility tax exemptions, and investment tax credits.
The Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program provides Illinois income tax credits against state withholding for businesses that create or retain jobs. Amended by HB2755 / P.A. 104-0006 (June 2025) to expand withholding-credit elections and require 10-day public posting of EDGE agreement terms.
REV Illinois (Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois) provides project-by-project tax credits for businesses in the electric vehicle and renewable energy supply chain. Negotiated with DCEO across four investment/job tiers.