UChicago CASE
Resources
Benefits and Resources
Benefits that UChicago CASE Scientists and Scholars Receive
- Participate in Joint Research Projects
- Get Streamlined Access to Facilities and Libraries
- Apply to Internal and International Seed Funding
- Receive Research Development Support (RDS) Proposal Services
- Attend University Programs and Events
- Access to the University Research Administration (URA) Sponsored Research and Sponsored Programs Grant Services
Resources
The University of Chicago offers a wealth of varied resources to CASE members. There are strategic initiatives across different research areas to facilitate collaboration and funding for joint projects. Custom training programs have been designed for National Laboratories’ scientists and CASE members at UChicago Booth. Various University resources are available, including access to core facilities, libraries, the Research Computing Center, and the intranet. A large team of administrators is involved in supporting CASE members across the institutions to assist in all aspects of research, training and funding.
Joint Task Force Initiative (JTFI)
JTFI was founded in 2018 to help Argonne and Fermilab achieve mission success by opening channels of frequent communication and collaboration across institutions. JTFI has created several joint task forces, strategic initiatives, and training opportunities that provide critical support of the national labs.
Artificial Intelligence + Science
UChicago has provided significant resources to the JTFI Artificial Intelligence for Science initiative to organize strategic matchmaking workshops between AI and other fields, provide students with research and consulting experiences, and seed joint projects in strategic AI areas.
This initiative has supported Argonne’s long-term strategic effort to increase Argonne’s impact on the Chicago and Midwest innovation ecosystems and economies by establishing a second location for Argonne in a growing innovation district near the UChicago campus on Chicago’s South Side. This location allows Argonne to: (1) extend the benefits of Argonne capabilities and resources to the underserved communities, (2) advance science and technology through expanded collaborations, (3) accelerate technology transfer to industry, and (4) build the workforce of the future to maintain U.S. competitiveness.
This strategic initiative supports a next-generation, ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment in which Argonne and Fermilab play important roles in concert with other national laboratories and universities. UChicago has invested in capital equipment in a dedicated Argonne clean room, provided bridge funding, and rented office space for the CMB-S4 planning group at 53rd Street in Chicago.
Fermilab Performance Transformation Project
JTFI hired an external consulting firm for a six-month engagement to assist Fermilab in identifying and addressing performance challenges in the mission-critical support areas of procurement, facilities, finance and human resources.
How can we ensure that people around the world have access to the reliable, affordable energy needed for economic growth and human development without putting the environment, climate or human health at risk? In answer to this challenge question, JTFI funded four joint projects at UChicago and Argonne over two years that are answering this challenge question using diverse ideas and experiments.
Inclusive Innovation in the Sciences
This initiative is focused on developing infrastructure to serve as a model for STEM education program delivery and execution in emerging scientific areas (e.g., Data Science/AI, Clean Energy, Quantum) across South Side Chicago communities, in partnership with community-based organizations, local schools, and civic partners. JTFI is providing support for a pilot phase that will take an existing in-person STEM education program, led by the University of Chicago and the National Labs, and identify pathways to scale.
Argonne is making significant research contributions to advance radioisotope production and purification technologies, and UChicago offers a broad spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research environment and expertise in radiochemistry, cellular, preclinical, and clinical trial studies. JTFI funded a joint year 1 research project on scandium radiotheranostics to improve the diagnosis and therapy of advanced prostate cancer. This year, JTFI has funded a new project on developing novel radiotheranostics for improved diagnosis and therapy of neuroendocrine tumors, which involve many types of cancer.
Partnerships for Emerging Technologies
Projects supported by this initiative cut across our topic areas: Energy Technologies, Microelectronics, High-Throughput Autonomous Discovery, and AI-Microelectronics for Advanced Scientific Instrumentation. The JTFI has provided funding to research projects with an aim of deepening collaborative research opportunities among the University, Argonne, and Fermilab, positioning the projects to successfully scale and secure large-scale sponsored research funding, and accelerating the development of transformational research and technology that deliver high-impact results to society.
UChicago provided significant resources to build support infrastructure, invest in tool package procurement, and provide seed funding for joint research projects.
Technology and Materials for Sustainability
JTFI issued a call for proposals in 2021 for proposals in such areas as environment fate of materials, AI/ML applied to sustainability, polymer circularity, carbon capture, biotechnology, green batteries, sensing technology and sustainability, resource recovery, critical material life cycle analysis, and solar technology. Four proposals were funded in 2022 with a potential second year of support.
The Technology Transfer Task Force is exploring operational synergies with Argonne and Fermilab in a variety of joint areas. It was this task force that conceived the Laboratory Innovation Fellows program highlighted above and played a key role in helping to develop the SPIN program, also described above. The task force is now developing a major annual or biannual conference that would feature IP developed by both labs in collaboration with key Chicagoland stakeholders and industry.
The University offers various programs and certificates for CASE members, including several programs specifically designed at UChicago Booth to train National Lab scientists in leadership, entrepreneurship, and partnership management. These programs have gained national recognition and include scientists across many national laboratories.
SPARC Program: Science, Partnerships, and Research Collaborations
Addressing the grand science challenges of our time requires dynamic collaborations and partnerships on a global scale. SPARC is a highly selective program that equips outstanding emerging leaders from Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the University of Chicago with the skills required to forge impactful and effective partnerships with industry, government, other academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. Members of the SPARC cohort will develop a toolkit and network that will help them launch and take a leadership role in new and innovative partnerships that have the potential to transform science and technology. Programming includes fireside chats with University and Lab leadership, talks from leaders in industry, personalized coaching, guidance from an Advisory Council of exemplary science leaders, and networking across the three institutions. Read more about SPARC.
Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program
SLLP leverages the outstanding executive education program at the UChicago Booth School of Business to provide leadership training to 25 Argonne and Fermilab participants as well as other participating laboratories in the national laboratory complex. In 2022 the SLLP expanded to two 30+ participant cohorts from 9 DOE national laboratories: Ames, Argonne, Berkeley, Fermilab, Idaho, JLab, NREL, Princeton and SLAC. The program features a rigorous program of leadership training and self-reflection about leadership ambitions and styles, personal coaching, and participation in mixed teams to pursue a unique strategic challenge project. Read more about the SLLP.
Strategic Program for Innovation at the National Laboratories
The Strategic Program for Innovation at the National Laboratories (SPIN) promotes entrepreneurial thinking at the national labs. In classes taught by UChicago Booth School of Business faculty, as well as external industry experts, scientists and staff, participants develop an entrepreneurial mindset, strong communication skills, and new collaboration strategies that can be applied to all aspects of their professional careers. JTFI is providing full support for 17 participants from Argonne and Fermilab in 2022. Read more about SPIN.
Data Science Institute Certificate Programs
JTFI provided full sponsorship for attendees from Argonne and Fermilab to participate in specialized data-science courses offered by the UChicago Date Science Institute. These included Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Leaders, and Machine Learning for Cybersecurity.
Data Science Institute Clinic Program
JTFI partnered with the UChicago Data Science Institute’s Data Science Clinic to support teams of UChicago graduate students to pursue data science projects at Argonne and Fermilab. The teams of 2 to 5 students, working under the supervision of UChicago mentor instructors, are tackling important data science challenges in science and mission support areas at both labs.
Graduate Research Cooperative
JTFI created the Graduate Research Cooperative as an administrative structure to support UChicago graduate student thesis research at Argonne and Fermilab. The program is currently in pilot phase with the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Argonne and enables qualified Argonne scientists to serve as thesis research mentors for molecular engineering students conducting their thesis research in Argonne research laboratories. We plan to make additional significant investments to scale this program to include additional University academic departments and Fermilab. Read more about the GRC.
Laboratory Innovation Fellows
The Lab Innovation Fellows program (LIF) supports Argonne and Fermilab participants in exploring commercialization paths for technologies. The fellows spend two academic quarters taking advantage of resources from the UChicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation such as courses and workshops, accelerator programs, and ongoing mentorship by seasoned business leaders and investors. JTFI provides full support for a fellow from each laboratory annually. Read more about the Lab Innovation Fellows.
Leadership Academy for Women in Science and Engineering
The LAWISE Task Force is exploring new programs that provide training to, and increase the numbers of, women scientific and engineering leaders (as well as their allies of all genders) at the national laboratories. It is also working to help honor and build a network of support for leaders in STEM. Read more about LAWISE.
SEED Internship Program
Chain Reaction Innovations, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne, created the Students for Energy & Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) intern program to empower Chicagoland college students from under-resourced communities to pursue and excel in STEM careers. SEED offers students two exciting ways to combat climate change through either STEM or business internships with CRI’s clean energy startup companies while simultaneously creating a comprehensive pipeline for students to make an impact through science careers. JTFI is provided full support for 3 SEED interns at Argonne in 2022.
UChicago offers CASE Members resources aimed at fostering cutting-edge research and academic pursuits. This includes access to the Research Computing Center (RCC), offering high-end computing data resources to facilitate complex analyses and simulations. Our extensive library system provides invaluable access to diverse data sources and scholarly materials. Additionally, the UChicago Intranet serves as a central hub for campus communication and resources. Moreover, students and faculty have access to Pivot-RP, a comprehensive database for exploring funding opportunities, and InfoReady, a streamlined grant proposal management system, enabling efficient submission and review processes for competitive research initiatives.
As esteemed members of CASE, it’s essential to know that the University of Chicago offers a robust network of contacts to support your endeavors. Whether you require assistance navigating complex research projects, accessing specialized resources, or seeking guidance on utilizing platforms like Pivot-RP, InfoReady, and the UChicago intranet, help is readily available. Don’t hesitate to reach out and leverage these valuable resources to maximize your success within the university community.