Glenview Company Receives $75K Through Illinois Innovation Program

GLENVIEW, IL — Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently announced $2.4 million in awards through the Illinois Innovation Voucher Program. These awards were distributed to 34 companies, including one in Glenview. The program promotes small business growth and strengthens research collaborations across Illinois.

As part of the program, Coral Innovations will receive $74,742.20 (clean tech category) as part of a partnership with Northwestern University. The company located at 2827 Pfingsten Road was founded in 2020 by Vinayak P. Dravid, who serves as the company's executive director and is also a professor of materials science and engineering at the Evanston school.

Coral Innovations, which employs a staff of around eight to nine people, focuses on water pollution removal technologies. The company's mission is to create sustainable, efficient, and economically viable technologies that not only remove pollutants from water systems but also enable resource recovery.

Additionally, Pritzker announced $2.6 million is available in grant funding for the third round of the Innovation Voucher Program. Grantees will be selected through a competitive application process.

According to Pritzker, the program is enhancing research and development across key sectors, which he says solidifies the state's reputation as a "center for innovation." He believes the investments grow the economy, empower small businesses, and encourage collaboration between startups and Illinois’ universities.

"I look forward to seeing groundbreaking research come to fruition and I encourage all eligible businesses to apply for the next round of funding for this transformative program," Pritzker said.

The program offers competitive awards of up to $75,000. It enables companies to pursue research and development projects in partnership with qualified Illinois institutes of higher education. These projects support technology validation, accelerate product development, and strengthen commercialization pathways.

"The first two rounds of the Innovation Voucher Program have supported successful partnerships among Illinois' world-class institutes of higher education and small businesses as they collaborate on transformative projects in key sectors," DCEO Director Kristin Richards said. "I encourage eligible entities to apply for the third round of funding to help foster innovation throughout the state."

Awardees in the 2025 cohort represent various high-growth industries. These include artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, health and life sciences, clean energy, and energy storage. Food and agricultural innovation, along with semiconductor and advanced materials development, are also represented. These university–business partnerships will advance cutting-edge research and accelerate technology development.

Eligible entities include Illinois-based businesses with fewer than 500 employees or businesses that have at least 100 full-time employees in Illinois that operate in key industries, including agribusiness and agricultural technology, energy, information technology, life sciences and health care, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics.

Qualified entities can apply for competitive grants, with awards up to $75,000, to cover up to 75 percent of research engagement costs. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. To view application information and apply for the grant, visit the program website.