Pursuing Knowledge and Breakthrough Innovations

Research that dramatically advances our understanding of the world—this is the defining characteristic of the University of Illinois. Illinois faculty and students conducted trailblazing research leading to

• the MRI machine that diagnoses our illnesses
• the laser that reads our music and video discs
• the web browser that allows us to surf the Internet.

Our students work alongside researchers and scholars who are steeped in their own disciplines, but who also welcome the chance to learn and create new knowledge with experts in other fields. Our faculty get a chance to cross disciplinary boundaries throughout campus, at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Institute for Genomic Biology, the university library (one of the world’s largest public university libraries), and dozens of other world-class research institutes and centers. No wonder so many of our professors say that Illinois offers the intellectual environment and freedom that make life-changing discoveries possible.

Our track record of innovation and the stimulating environment we have cultivated have earned us a solid and long-standing place among the very best American universities. We’re confident that our research strengths can take us even further. And that means driving innovations in all of our colleges and raising the standards of even our strongest departments and programs.

Private support from the Brilliant Futures Campaign is our best hope for building this bridge and keeping our momentum. With funds from the Campaign, we will 

• act on initiatives that build on our strengths
• promote interdisciplinary work
• direct our future research
• create the next generation of computing and information technology
• develop sustainable energy solutions for our campus and our planet
• pursue health science research that may cure diseases
• nurture our students’ creativity by strengthening our teaching and scholarship in the arts and humanities

It is under these goal-oriented themes that we will strengthen and diversify our research portfolio. But with the generosity of our donors we also will pursue specific research projects across each of our colleges, such as

• developing greater independence and quality of life for an aging population
• broader research and programming in classical and emerging forms of art
• new secondary school curriculum and methods for our University Laboratory High School
• entrepreneurial and technological training in business and law
• faculty and student research support in engineering, social work, library sciences, medicine, and across all 50 departments in our College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.